cirque de soleil
by whiteroom

Comment:
Oh, that's wonderful. Looks like he's teaching her the hokey-pokey. This one's got that charm we were talking about ... it looks good at first glance, but look a bit closer and it's better than that.

with understated grace, 6:56 pm
by mycelium

Comment:
For 1/10 sec, it's a beautiful composition! That's meticulous work even if you had 1/10 day. And it's nicely processed, too. I liked it at first glance, for the grand forms and textures; it has an epic look to it. And I liked it on reflection as well, for the wealth of interesting detail that rewards the closer inspection. Best 1/10 sec work I've seen!

Gadget guys
by Gunnsi

Comment:
A classic moment. There is usually a little cluster of nicotine addicts huddled outside the door of many public buildings, desperately and pathetically feeding their habit. These gadget guys are the next wave, and for the same reason ... we will soon banish cellular phones from use in enclosed public spaces, because we will have had enough of intrusive passive phone calls. So the cellular addicts will have to gather outside the door in desperate, defensive little groups. There won't be a turf war over doorsteps, however; the smokers will all soon be gone, one way or another.

This is a terrific example of good street photography; clever, candid and steeped in allegorical possibilities. (Nevertheless, some poor soul will still tell you that you should have cropped differently, or taken the shot from a different point-of-view, or on a Tuesday. Bah!) Bravo! 8.

Hangin' Out
by secondglantz

Comment:
Wonderful and unusual candid portrait, filled with joie de vivre and charm. 7.

The Chinese Tunnel Workers
by Robot-Fotomat

Comment:
Sparkling good casual portrait. The sweet little feminine smiles are a wonderful surprise on a couple of guys who dig tunnels for a living! But this photograph has more than novelty value; it has genuine charm. Very fine work. 8.

Sorrow
by Caltrop

Comment:
Very fine, evocative image. It takes both vision and courage to see and capture the emotional potential of what is on the face of it a prosaic collection of commonplace objects. The handling of the light is perfect, and everything else - composition, exposure and processing - flows from there. 8.

Runaway Bride
by pitsaman

Comment:
A remarkably beautiful, lyrical image. Pretty girl cavorting through long grass ... 19 people out of 20 (me included) would have produced a ghastly cliche with that set-up. You didn't, which indicates how good this photograph actually is. 8.

Slit
by JPR

Comment:
Or perhaps you were thinking of something else?

Slit
by JPR

Comment:
It might be the cosmic forge where stars are born. An infinite background of cold black space. A gigantic blacksmith's hammer strikes a massive techno-anvil, and a sliver of incandescent light escapes from a nuclear star furnace. An entirely automated, self-perpetuating process with no beginning and no end, it is forever both intelligent and barren.

Red
by Bethan

Comment:
Hello Bethan, from the world famous Critique Club.
I will have to rate this image very high indeed, because not only do you & I share the same name (not Bethan ... the other part)), but also you took this: and I took this: We must be cousins.

Actually, I do like it a little more than the voters did. The composition is very good, and the idea to zero in on such an iconic Burst of Colour was a worthwhile one. That's the origin of the practice of wearing lipstick; as a deliberate burst of colour to attract a certain kind of attention.
I guess the problem was what some of your commentators identified as poor focus. Actually it almost certainly wasn't poor focus in the camera sense; it was more likely that the shutter speed was so slow that a tiny movement of the subject was unavoidable. But the problem with an image such as this is that it really MUST be all about perfect execution. It is really a graphic art image, and so the smallest technical (graphic) weakness will sink it. Which was a pity, because this was potentially otherwise a much better photograph than the score it attracted suggested. I think a much faster shutter speed and therefore a wider aperture may have helped, although that does introduce shallow depth of field challenges (no big deal when you have a controllable "studio" setup in the basement ... you can take your time and also shoot a hundred shots to get it absolutely perfect). A terrific idea, though. If you can bear to do it again, I'd like to see it.
Cheers,
Paul

Message edited by author 2006-01-20 17:10:50.