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shakran · 02-13-2006, 09:08 PM

I think the pictures do tell a story. The first one's story is "sun sets over a lake." It's not exactly a pulitzer prize winning story, but it's a story nonetheless. And even though as a photojournalist I try to make all of my images advance a story, I can also acknowledge that sometimes a picture just is, and the important thing is that it's nice to look at. While in my line of work beauty shots rarely make it into anything outside of the weather segment, there's still a time, a place, and a need for such pictures.

That said I agree with others - the dock is distracting, as is the flash. If you needed the dock, you missed a good opportunity to silhouette it against the sunset (which would have looked really cool with those red lights). If I'd taken the shot I'd have gone back down the dock behind the camera and then walked across frame right - get the whole dock in there silhouetted against the sun - then you're telling the story of the end of a day with the dock quiet, etc etc etc.

And yes, the ashes or dots or crap-on-the-lens on the left side of the pic takes away from the effect.

The colors work really well for you here though. That red against the blue is phenomenal.

The second shot, I really like. Don't color correct that at ALL. It's got a great natural sepia tone. Looks very old-world, and the woman facing away from the camera really adds to the ambiance of the photo. The fact that you made the woman a small figure adds to the loneliness that you feel when looking at the empty bleachers. The exposure is superb and you took the shot in a way that you know exactly WHAT everything is, but you're seeing them in ways that people rarely see them. Your framing is very interesting - you don't have the woman at a typical "rule of thirds" intersection which makes her placement slightly jarring, something which I think in this case adds rather than detracts from the overall effect of the photo. And I like the fact that you kept your camera low - we don't see what the woman is looking at which adds to the mystery. The snow on the bleachers tells us both that it's cold outside and that nothing's going on at the stadium, so what drove the woman to be there? This photo forces the viewer to ask questions.

From a portfolio standpoint the first shot is run of the mill - Given the right sunset and cloud conditions, just about anyone could have gotten that shot, even with a disposable point'n'shoot. The second one, however, shows real artistry and should definitely be in your portfolio.

02-13-2006, 09:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	I think the pictures do tell a story. The first one's story is "sun sets over a lake." It's not exactly a pulitzer prize winning story, but it's a story nonetheless. And even though as a photojournalist I try to make all of my images advance a story, I can also acknowledge that sometimes a picture just is, and the important thing is that it's nice to look at. While in my line of work beauty shots rarely make it into anything outside of the weather segment, there's still a time, a place, and a need for such pictures. That said I agree with others - the dock is distracting, as is the flash. If you needed the dock, you missed a good opportunity to silhouette it against the sunset (which would have looked really cool with those red lights). If I'd taken the shot I'd have gone back down the dock behind the camera and then walked across frame right - get the whole dock in there silhouetted against the sun - then you're telling the story of the end of a day with the dock quiet, etc etc etc. And yes, the ashes or dots or crap-on-the-lens on the left side of the pic takes away from the effect. The colors work really well for you here though. That red against the blue is phenomenal. The second shot, I really like. Don't color correct that at ALL. It's got a great natural sepia tone. Looks very old-world, and the woman facing away from the camera really adds to the ambiance of the photo. The fact that you made the woman a small figure adds to the loneliness that you feel when looking at the empty bleachers. The exposure is superb and you took the shot in a way that you know exactly WHAT everything is, but you're seeing them in ways that people rarely see them. Your framing is very interesting - you don't have the woman at a typical "rule of thirds" intersection which makes her placement slightly jarring, something which I think in this case adds rather than detracts from the overall effect of the photo. And I like the fact that you kept your camera low - we don't see what the woman is looking at which adds to the mystery. The snow on the bleachers tells us both that it's cold outside and that nothing's going on at the stadium, so what drove the woman to be there? This photo forces the viewer to ask questions. From a portfolio standpoint the first shot is run of the mill - Given the right sunset and cloud conditions, just about anyone could have gotten that shot, even with a disposable point'n'shoot. The second one, however, shows real artistry and should definitely be in your portfolio.