Your Best Photograph from the Previous Month - Critique and Discussion Encouraged

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Wonderful use of the light -- I assume that a print would have more detail in the whites of the steps than I see on the screen -- I see good texture there on the screen as it is.

What I find interesting about this image is the optical illusion (or eye-brain failure) that can happen when a building is photographed from a low angle, yet has sides that are perfectly vertical...especially with a top-heavy piece of architecture like this. It appears to loom over me...my brain tells me that when looking up at this building, it's sides should tilt inwards, but they don't. So even with perfectly straight up and down sides, it gives me the same feeling as the walls angle outwards. An elevated vantage point (like on top of AA's vehicles) would be fun to play with.

I think you nailed why I like this image. I worked a lot to make sure the sides stayed parallel. Once I get my darkroom built I will give it a whirl. The only downside is there is a lot of distracting elements in the way that I removed. Would need to photograph from a different vantage point to minimize.

One of my first 4x5 images.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Here is another image from the Prescott Court House. Statue of a Rough Rider. Unveiled in 1907. Tmax100, Green filter, 75mm, lots of rise and fall to keep camera level. About a 3 or 4 minute exposure. During exposure a lady walked in front of the camera! Love long exposures, she never shows up.

[orgraph]

I love working in areas like this. I would have tried moving the camera over about a meter to the left (if possible) to separate the two darker trunks on the right from the darker tree branches that jut out from the right side of the frame. It would invite my eyes and imagination to explore onwards through the print -- with the darker branches helping to keep my eyes within the print, rather than blocking me. But so much also depends on the interactions in the reflections and the wonderful shape of the space occupied by the plane of the water.

Thanks a lot. This shot was taken in deep twilight, almost in the dark. There was no more opportunity to shoot and watch

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Grand Canyon North Extar100, 75mm Nikkor, f/4.5@f/32, 0.9 Reverse Grad ND. Roughly Northeast about 50-75 yards of Cape Royal Proper.

[Peter De Smidt]

Steve, your colors are looking much better!

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Thank you. Really paying attention. Especially to help from you and others.

[Ootsk]

I'm colorblind, so I can't comment too much on the colors.
The horizontal line is awesome...well done there.
The clouds...so often they're blown out...so good job on getting them exposed properly.
The textures, and the cracks, and the valleys.....causes my eye to follow the creek up and around through
history, thinking of the millions of years it took to create this beautiful scene.
I'm drawn from the shadows on the right, near, caused by flaking rock, along the waterline to the lone, lighted
peak at the right 2/3 of the photo.
Seriously, well done.
Impossible to tire of well-taken photos of this part of our country.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Thank you. I love the Grand Canyon. Try to get there to north and south rims and Toroweep at least 4 or more times a year. No two days are ever the same. I am amazed at how it changes from minute to minute and hour by hour from exactly the same spot!

[Ken Lee]

[Tin Can]

Agree the intense sky detracted

Good original and good edit