Images FOR CRITIQUE

[jcoldslabs]

Alan,

I think this is a great example of seeing what you expect to see, or not seeing what you think you should see. I have zero preconceptions when it comes to photographs as far as rules and what should or should not be done (not to say that those guidelines aren't useful at times), so when I evaluate Chris' photo I do so on the face of it only and in a very personal way. I like the picture quite a bit, but I say that without digging deeper into the rules that may have been followed or broken by his composition.

A thread like this is almost designed to create disagreement, but if it stays friendly then it's all good!

Jonathan

[Doug Howk]

The image alone without the explanation or context suggests to me some modernistic version of a medieval church. Just needs some dust to show the light and space within, a la Sudek. More context would spoil my interpretation of Chris' vision.
But it also works as an abstract; but needs stronger contrast to really show the pattern.
Just a thought. Thanks for sharing.

[Leigh]

It's simply a rule taught in art school.

Alan,

Rules taught in school are guidelines for neophytes who have no idea what they're doing.

Chris is lightyears beyond that point in his work.
He has a very practiced eye, and excellent command of his medium.

- Leigh

[Chuck P.]

I see it as an interplay between shapes, lines, and curves, pretty much an abstract, but that's just my opinion. I will always react more to the relationships and distribution between the tones in the photograph before I really care or even appreciate what it actually is, but I get there eventually. It works as an abstract for me.

[Alan Gales]

A thread like this is almost designed to create disagreement, but if it stays friendly then it's all good!

Jonathan

I completely agree and it's through those friendly disagreements that we learn.

[Alan Gales]

Alan,

Rules taught in school are guidelines for neophytes who have no idea what they're doing.

Chris is lightyears beyond that point in his work.
He has a very practiced eye, and excellent command of his medium.

- Leigh

Leigh,

I don't think anything negative about Chris as a photographer. In fact I all ready said that I believe he has a good eye. I'm just saying that I don't feel that this particular photograph works. Of course that is just my opinion and it is worth what Chris paid for it, maybe less.

Alan

[Leigh]

Of course that is just my opinion...

And you're repeated it how many times???

- Leigh

[Vaughn]

Highway Bridge 1: 2013

I prefer it as a square -- cropping the top to create the square. This gives me a stronger interplay between the curves and the straight lines, which I enjoy...and makes the relationship between the two closer curves and the curve in the background stronger. This gives my eye a reason to go into the image rather than being just a 2D study of tones and texture.

Just something to keep in mind...we are critiquing photographs here...we should (IMO), be careful about critiquing the critiques, which is not what this thread is about.

[Vaughn]

I offer this image up for critique. It is one of my most recent images and is a scanned 4x10 carbon print.

I had recently critiqued a panoramic image of someone on this forum, noting that the balance of lights and darks across the image made it a bit lop-sided, and for me the image did not 'work' as well as it could. So this image was made in part as an attempt to see if one could have the a light side and a dark side of a panoramic and still have the image 'work'.

Of course all other aspects of the image is also up for critique.

Vaughn

[Drew Wiley]

It works, Vaughn, because the big center quartzite boulder itself has a strong left shadow
works with the entire counter-angle pull of shadows against the geometric tilt of the
background forms. But of course, I'm using my imagination a bit, and am assuming that in
the actual print the main shadow block at the far right has quite a bit of detail left in it.
I doubt that either you or I stop to think about this kind of thing when shooting, but just instictively feel it on the groundgless, but still need to hold the appropriate values in
actual exposure - so it's not entirely subconscious.