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Photo of the Day: July 2010

MessAkrView.jpg
 
Doylem said:
Intriguing shot: a really original idea... You’ve left space on the left; I wonder whether the balance of the pic might have been improved by having the space to the right, instead. The guy’s looking straight out, but his leg and guitar neck are pointing to the right. I’d have preferred them to be pointing into the picture area... rather than out. And is the whole pic a tad too dark? I’d be interested to know how you put the shot together: ie how you lit it and how you got the sky like that…
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Phrasikleia said:
Doylem beat me to it with his comments, namely about the framing and the darkness. It is a super idea, and I'm sure your model was very happy with it. However, I think the darkness and framing are robbing it of some visual impact. It's a train engine, right? I see the train tracks, and this big black thing is rather engine-like, but I don't see the iconic bits (steam pipe, cowcatcher, etc.) that would confirm what exactly it is. Is this maybe the rear end of a train? The completely black parts of the machinery read as crushed shadows to me; knowing your work, I'm going to guess you painted them black to add some drama, but I'd rather see some shadow detail on this one. I'm also going to guess that the train and its setting are a composite, since the two don't quite seem to go together.

Anyway, I too feel as though elements of the image direct my eye to the right, and I therefore get a sense of unbalance with all of that space at the left. Actually, I feel as though your photo is really the part nearest the figure, where there is some wonderful tonality and color. All of that moody sky and space around the engine(?) make the figure rather small in the frame, and I find myself squinting a bit to appreciate the photo. I think you could crop in a lot at the left and the top, bring back some shadow detail, and have one humdinger of a photograph. :)
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Just the kind of feedback I've come to expect from the both of you. Many thanks! The photograph is a composite which means I'll never be able to marry up the background and foreground in a way that would come across as matched. I've included the original shot below with my updated shot (tweaked to your suggestions) so you can see what I was working with. Getting to two components of the picture to somewhat jive with each other was a major struggle. Lighting on the train was with an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra--two lights, each 45 degrees off the subject. (Not enough power for what I did--would have been a job better suited for a Ranger RX).
Changes made:
1. Cropped from the left and top(didn't even notice the body/space orientation until you mentioned it)
2. Shadow detail allowed through
3. Overall pic lightened
4. Added some warmth
5. Sky--this, and the rest of the background, was punched up in Photoshop through the use of some neutral gradients and warming filters.

934625081_MeUte-XL.jpg


Original

934679282_SsqEV-L.jpg
 
Sitar Painting (by Mandy Adams)



I hope I'm not "breaking any rules" by posting this. It's a painting of a photo I took that my mum did for me to hang up next to my musical instruments shelf, I really want people to see it as I think it's simply amazing, my mums a fantastic artist who's talent is hidden behind lots of modesty. I hope you like the painting as much as I do.
 
Maxxamillian said:
Just the kind of feedback I've come to expect from the both of you. Many thanks! The photograph is a composite which means I'll never be able to marry up the background and foreground in a way that would come across as matched. I've included the original shot below with my updated shot (tweaked to your suggestions) so you can see what I was working with. Getting to two components of the picture to somewhat jive with each other was a major struggle. Lighting on the train was with an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra--two lights, each 45 degrees off the subject. (Not enough power for what I did--would have been a job better suited for a Ranger RX).
Changes made:
1. Cropped from the left and top(didn't even notice the body/space orientation until you mentioned it)
2. Shadow detail allowed through
3. Overall pic lightened
4. Added some warmth
5. Sky--this, and the rest of the background, was punched up in Photoshop through the use of some neutral gradients and warming filters.

934625081_MeUte-XL.jpg


Original

934679282_SsqEV-L.jpg
Click to expand...

About a year ago I was walking through Odgen and stumbled upon that engine. It was my first time seeing one up close, truly gigantic machines. I didn't have a camera then, someday I'll make it back there.
 
Picture from a peak in New Mexico I climbed a few weaks ago.

Mt. Baldy - 12.4k feet

IMG_3984.jpg
 
July POTD... everyone is really on a roll

must say that the pics this month have been as good as any month in a long time. here's a contribution, hope it's worthy compared to the great stuff everyone has been sharing.
 

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didn't matter that i was using a macro lens and getting quite close at times, they were way too busy and had not a care in the world.
 
AlaskaMoose said:
Bird_2446b.jpg
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What a beautiful shot: the composition, the turn of the bird’s head, the direct ‘eye contact’, the bokeh, the restricted colour ‘palette’, the simple background that sets off the subtle colours of the bird, and even the yellow in some of the ‘needles’ that echo the yellow in the stripe over the bird’s eye.

The stripe is the distinguishing feature, I imagine. In UK we have little birds like this: linnets, twites, redpolls, finches, buntings... all in the ‘finch family’. This shot would look great in a book or calendar (the sort of shot you’d be happy to look at for a month)...

RHVC59 said:
My first thought when viewing this shot was "Wow that is so Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte by George Seraut (circa 1985)....
Nice shot.

As always in blown away by your work. Cheers
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Thanks for this... and for bringing a bit of culture to the forum... :)
 
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