|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thanks, Lisa, for your comment. I am really seeing a lot more people add textures to photographs lately. The more we do the better we get at using textures.
Best regards,
LT |
Feb 28th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thanks, Lisa, for your comment. I am really seeing a lot more people add textures to photographs lately. The more we do the better we get at using textures.
Best regards,
LT |
Feb 28th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Those are very beautiful flowers, Lisa. I used to have some in my garden. I will have to look for more this spring.
Have a great day,
LuAnn |
Feb 28th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Randolph,
Thank you very much for your kind words! That is what I was going for.
Have a great day,
LT |
Feb 20th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thanks for your comment, Kieu-Hanh.
LT |
Feb 20th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Randy, is this a Cattle Egret? Beautiful bird.
You captured a nice background with the green foliage, a natural habitat, no doubt.
The shadows seemed a little dark, but I could not lift them much with this small jpg; that is one thing I would suggest. The other is to do a tighter crop putting the birds on the upper left rule of thirds impact point. This makes for a really nice photograph; thanks for sharing!
LT |
Feb 20th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Lovely view from the bench looking into the garden area, Kieu-Hanh.
I brought the image into Lightroom and noticed the highlights are over-exposed; that should be an easy fix, though. The perspective is the challenge. The horizontal bar on the right is still higher on your edited version than the one on the left of the trellis. This would be a great location to return to when the roses are in bloom.
LT |
Feb 20th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Adorable flowers, Lisa. They are set in a nice scene with thick greenery for a background. The bench is an interesting contrast to the organic shapes behind it.
I would not have recognized the bench; it looks like a white wooden fence to me. The low angle looking up to the flowers is interesting, as is the diagonal Cana leaf.
I was not able to find a balance in the image. The beautiful flowers are at the top of the frame, and the white wooden back of the bench really stands out over the flowers. The details on the pretty flowers seem a little blurred compared to the bench. The time of day has the highlights overexposed. Perhaps next time, try to isolate the flowers' grouping in an odd number and get closer and more eye level to see details. I wish I could have offered a better suggestion.
LT
|
Feb 20th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hello Ruth,
Thank you for your comments on my pear still life. To answer your question, yes, I love dark and moody photography! I could lighten it up a bit but dark and moody is my style of choice.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 19th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thank you very much, Arief, for visiting group 3 and for your comment on my photo! I am glad you like it.
Best regards,
LuAnn Thatcher |
Feb 6th |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Michael,
Your photo this month is a beautiful still life! There is a lot for a viewer to see in this vase of flowers. I like that I can see the stems in the clear glass vase; they are unexpectedly visually sharp. The hanging filler stems have visible space between the branches, and the large green leaf has a lovely texture. The color palette leans towards a split complementary of green, purple, pink, and blue, which adds color balance. The sketched background is unique and adds an artistic perspective to the composition.
The only thing I would recommend is to lower the exposure or highlights a little; it looks a tiny bit bright on top.
Well done!
LuAnn
|
Feb 3rd |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comments! You know, that drop of pear and juice on the cutting board was not planned; I found it thereafter I took the photo-a lucky shot, I guess.
I am finding light-painting to be a great activity during the cold weather and having to stay indoors. I just bought a couple of light painting tools from Harold Ross; great idea, Michael, thanks for the reminder. Have you seen Harold's work online? He has a nice wand and elbow attachment for a small LED flashlight. The quality of the light it produces is beautiful, so I have to give it a try.
Right now, I am continuing to work on still life projects. I am taking PSA's Still Life course online, and it is fun. The other project I am working on is dark field photography-this one I have to figure out before I can move onto light painting.
It is so nice to be busy!
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 3rd |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Yes, Mary Ann, this edit is very nice! I like the panorama format too.
I took the image into Lightroom. The only thing I recommend to finish this edit is to drop the highlights by approximately -34 and raise the clarity by just +11; there were specular highlights in the windmill behind the tree; this resolves that problem.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 3rd |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thank you, Mary Ann, I appreciate your comments!
LT |
Feb 3rd |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hello Angela,
Thank you for visiting Group 3 and for your kind comment! Doing Still Life photography is a fascinating genre, and I am glad I have time now to work on it.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 2nd |
| 3 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Hello Mary Ann,
Bravo for pursuing black and white; this is a classic and timeless genre. The photo is bright and has a wide tonal range from blacks to whites. The highlights are under control. The clouds are light and fluffy and help hold the viewer's eye in the frame; the wispy clouds are a nice soft contrast to the trees' rough texture and geometric shapes found in the farm buildings and fencing.
The first thing a viewer will look for in an image is a place to rest their eye. No rule says every image must have an obvious single point of interest. Nevertheless, when the main subject is clearly defined, and the eye has a place to rest, the photograph will be more stimulating and engaging. If the barn in the center is the subject, try putting it on the rule of thirds. A centered subject is more static and less exciting. Try to keep the subject on one of the four impact points, where the vertical and horizontal lines cross, for a more dynamic photo.
The title of the image is Barn at Brushy Peak. The viewer will want to see the barn's details, what is in the barnyard, are there animals to look at, something to hold their attention in the photograph. With a bright, harsh light at midday comes dark shadows and harsh contrast; lost are the trees' details. What does this location look like at a different time of day? Is it possible to get closer to the barn?
I hope this helps!
LT |
Feb 1st |
5 comments - 11 replies for Group 3
|
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Yes, I have to agree with Oliver, you handled the lighting masterfully!
LT |
Feb 20th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Hello Oliver,
Stunning monochrome photo, Oliver! The photograph is quite impressive, reminiscent of a scene from a Disney movie!
I see your editing skills improve with every image you submit. The details are prominent throughout. Starting at the stone arch opening, the light on the stones brings out the rough texture and geometric shape. Followed by patterns in the cobblestone street, texture and geometry on the building-fronts, and the people's movement on the road, to name a few. A viewer will undoubtedly stop and investigate every detail.
I agree with Bunny; removing the lady was essential and skillfully done.
My question for you relates to the brightness of the light compared to the dark clouds. It is my opinion if you like the brightness on the street, I recommend lightening the cloud's a touch. But, if you love the dark clouds, then tone down the building's brightness a touch. As the image is now, the dark sky seems too dark compared to the buildings' light.
I hope this is helpful, my friend!
I hope you are recovering well. Our winter in Minnesota has taken us into a deep freeze. Temperatures have been around -26 degrees bitter and cold. My horse requested a second blanket to enjoy the sun in her pasture; she is 26 years old, and the cold affects her more now.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 17th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Emil,
I see a very dynamic image of the St Louis riverfront. There is so much to see in this image; superb detail in the high rises, bridge, and the clouds.
I see Bob's point about the arch, and I agree with Bunny that the arch balances the buildings. If this is an easy subject to photograph, next time, if you could center the short building under the arch more, I think, this will make the arch fit in better; they are overlapping each other right now. A move to the left, I hope, isn't too much trouble. This move might also work well with the angle of the bridge. What do you think? |
Feb 17th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hello Oliver,
It really is fun when things turn out when you least expect it. I tried still life photography a few years and failed. I recently found the photos I used for the PSA Still Life course and had to laugh at how horrible they were. But, with the right lens and shot at a low level to the subject things start to take shape.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 17th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thanks, Bunny, for your comments! I am glad this image turned out so well.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 17th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hi Bob,
I am glad to hear you like photographing lightning bolts. I just bought a Miops Smart trigger to give this style of photography a try. Some day you will have to share a photo where you have captured lightning.
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 17th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Hello Bunny,
You have a wonderful portrait of these three children, but what a horrible story the skulls in the background tell for Cambodia's children.
There is a nice range of grey tones in the histogram, from black to white. The eyes have warm expressions with catchlights in them all. The skin tones are soft and have a good tone for a portrait. Their hair shows details and childlike softness around their faces. I also notice the golden spiral lines up with the girl's right eye and then flows up to the upper right corner.
My only comment is to lower the highlights by -13 because the lower edge of the frame seems to be clipping.
Well done, my dear lady!
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 5th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
You're very welcome, Bob.
I also like the edit, Emil, did for you just below this comment. There always seems to be things we can tweak in our images.
Best regards,
LT |
Feb 5th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Hi Bob,
Thank you kindly for your thoughts and comments. I am humbled to hear I am in a 'league' now; I used to be in a bowling league!
I am no expert at still life, just trying to find my way. I am very determined to figure this out, so every day, I work on something. My goal is to do dark field photography. This is where you shoot a bottle or subject of some kind and highlight only the glass's edges with light. I have never heard of this style before (it may be part of product photography) till I found it on the internet. I love dark and moody images, so that is probably what caught my eye.
Have a great day, my friend!
LuAnn |
Feb 5th |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thanks, Emil, I appreciate your comments!
LuAnn |
Feb 3rd |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
There is a north facing window with a white honeycomb blind pulled down but it is not a light source because the black tri-fold foam core board is blocking that light. I only use one softbox light source.
LT |
Feb 3rd |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Israel,
Here is a quick shot of my setup for taking still life as you requested. I am sure there are many different ways to set up a table for this work; it all depends on your intent and subject.
I have a tri-fold black foam core background, on a folding table. I have leftover plank flooring I used for the brown wood base. The garlic cloves are sitting on top of the flooring. To the left is a 2' x 3' Rapid Box softbox with a Godox AD200 speedlight. My camera sits in front of the table at eye level.
Hope it helps you.
LT |
Feb 3rd |
 |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Hi Bob,
Lovely waterfall photograph in dramatic lighting with a nice mood. The sprinkle of light branches on the left and right sides of the frame gives the image visible texture and hold the viewer's eye in the frame. The story tells of a calm day to be in the woods with a camera.
I would recommend adjusting the highlights at the lower and upper right impact point areas. I used the healing brush and spot healing brush tools in Photoshop to recover the highlights; they both would do the trick, so this is easy.
Thanks for sharing!
LuAnn |
Feb 2nd |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Reply |
Thank you, Israel, for your comment! I will think about lightening those shadows some, good tip.
I will work on getting a photo of my setup for you. I watch a lot of YouTube videos trying to figure out still life composition. The balance and perspective is the hardest thing for me to understand. In this shot, I tried to put the camera at eye level with the subject instead of being higher.
I signed up for the PSA Still Life course, so hopefully, this will be one of my subjects for my next photo zine this summer; still life's and macro photography!
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 2nd |
| 62 |
Feb 21 |
Comment |
Hello Israel,
How fun it must have been to spend the time with your wife doing something you both enjoy!
You found a little oasis in this scene. The elements that attract attention include the bridge, the rock formation in the foreground, and the small waterfall. The waterfall carves out a leading line that takes the eye to the bridge in the background. My guess is when the water level is higher, the two cavities in the foreground will hold water that flows into the stream.
In my opinion, the only thing missing from the image is a subject where the viewer can rest their eye; would your wife be your model and sit or stand somewhere in the photo for you? No rule says every photograph must have an obvious single point of interest. Nevertheless, clearly defining the main point of interest will give the eye a resting place, and then the photo will be more stimulating and engaging.
The eroding embankment on the right is distracting for people in countries that read from left to right; however, it may not be for those in Israel reading right to the left; this is something to consider when entering a photo competition.
I hope this is helpful, Israel!
Best regards,
LuAnn |
Feb 2nd |
5 comments - 10 replies for Group 62
|
10 comments - 21 replies Total
|
