Sources for internet based Photo Critiques?

[Michael Heald]

Hello! Spring has come here to Argentina. Here's another try of the church for critique. I shot it in the morning, about 9:30 AM.
I didn't like any of the other shots within the walls, so I tried one outside the walls. Tachihara 4x5, TMax 400, developed normally in TMax RS 1:3, #25 red filter, 90mm Super Angulon. I pointed the camera up a bit to frame the scene, then tilted teh standards back to vertical. Best regards.

Mike

[photographs42]

Bandwidth for images that fit the size restrictions for upload here is not really an issue. This sub-forum (Style and Technique) is probably the most appropriate for threads of that nature.

My suggestion would be to describe the objective of the image (what you were trying to achieve) and the intended target audience. That way, those offering their thoughts will have a defined context within which to work.

Mike,
Most of what has been said here is true. The best path for you, however, may not be the best for the next guy. There is no doubt that having someone whose work you admire give you a personal critique is as good as it gets, but few of us have that luxury.

Personally, I like Ralph’s suggestion. Assuming you are willing to sort through the chaff to get what you are looking for, it might be a good experience. You also need to realize that you can learn as much from someone with a different viewpoint as you can from someone that agrees with you. I had an Architectural Design professor with whom I debated (argued) with for several hours each week. By being forced to defend my views I learned much more about the elements of design than I would have otherwise.

Anyway, there are no guarantees, but what do you have to loose? Give it a shot.

Jerome

http://www.jeromehawkins.com/

Oops! Got excited and posted this w/o noticing there were more pages of comments to the thread. Oh well.

[photographs42]

Hello! Here's an updated image. I was surprised how dark the first one looked. I guess I was enamored with trying to draw out the clouds. I've lightened that photo and included it for review. The new photo was taken with a 90mm lens and a red filter with TMax developed in TMax RS.

Questions to consider:

1) Does the new tonalility enhance or detract from the photo?
2) Does the differing perspective of the 90mm lens enhance or detract from the photo?
3) Does the presence of a person create movement in the first photo? Would this have worked or not in the new picture?

Thank you and best regardes.

Mike

Mike,
OK, I’ve looked at all the posts here now and I want to go back to the one quoted above because, of all the images from you, I think the first of these is the best.

Your first post indicated that you specifically wanted feedback on composition. Compositionally, this image isn’t BAD, but it’s far from good. You state that your subject is the church. That’s OK, although I don’t see anything particularly compelling about this building (but that’s beside the point), but when I look at your composition I see a lot of things that catch my eye that are not the church. Perhaps the most distracting is the blob (Palm Tree?). Second is the newer structure on the left.

When I find something that catches my eye, I first identify the main event. I would probably keep walking past this scene were it not for the figure on the bench. But this image is not about the figure, it is about the church. The church is the main event but the figure is an important element that supports and adds interest to it. The tree on the right is the same sort of support element. The grass, the shrubs, the distant trees and the sky are neutral elements that are just there. The tree on the left is interesting but the building behind it is (IMO) distracting. It and the blob have to go. I have taken the liberty of cropping your image to show where I’m heading.

To me, the second image on your post doesn’t work at all. It is split right down the middle by the edge of the building, has no visual balance and the church and the tree are vying for dominance which is achieved by neither.

Your new post from today is good from a composition standpoint, but I think you should rethink the red filter. If you are simply trying to differentiate the sky from the light church, a yellow or light orange would do it without creating the moody atmosphere that seams inappropriate here. The red filter also accentuates the harsh lighting on the building making it look like the image was made at dusk with a strange light source illuminating the church and wall. Maybe that’s the effect you want but I can’t see why.

When something catches your eye, try to sort out what it is and why. Then consider what is (or could be) in the scene that supports the thing which you find so compelling. What’s there that distracts and what do you have to do to get rid of it.? Is the scene visually balanced, light against dark, mass against void? Study the relationships of elements as you move around. Sometimes a very slight move makes a huge difference.

I hope some of this is helpful. Remember, it is only my view.

Jerome
http://www.jeromehawkins.com/
Attachment 818

[David_Senesac]

Many elements of geometry, balance, color, sharpness, and composition can be assessed for images regardless of whether one is looking at a 32x40 inch print or a 640 pixel wide downsized display on a monitor. However depending on the nature of some some large format images, more or less of the aesthetic may be lost due to the huge compression which result in blending of subtle details and hues. What in the large image might be an interesting fine pattern may end up as a boring blended mottled pattern. On the web our huge images after being downsized are on a level playing field with $40 one-megapixel digital cameras. Additionally if one is like most of us shooting film then unless an image has been well scanned, there can be significant changes to color fidelity and tonal ranges that may require significant Photoshop editing that those shooting straight digital or using well calibrated film scanners targeting smaller format film will not have to deal with. Thus one need to be aware that there are limitation on the extent our images can be evalutated over the internet. ...David

[Harold Wingo]

If I have done some "touch-up" work on one of Michael's image, and I want to post that image to illustrate an example, how do I get the image into this thread? Must the image be first placed at a website then reference the url or is there a way to post the image directly from a saved image on my hard drive?

Harold

[David A. Goldfarb]

Harold--to post an attachment click on "Post Reply" and then scroll down to "Manage Attachments," click "Attach File," and browse to the file on your hard drive to attach it. While it is uploading in a separate window or tab, you can enter your text reply in the text box, and when it is done uploading just close the upload window, and post or preview your reply.

[Harold Wingo]

As usual I messed up.
hwingo