Concerto
by ellamay

Comment:
I had pegged this for first. :-(

Angela
by Nonage

Comment:
Man, it's so tungsten-soft and the face is placed so very high. All shadow has fallen off into negative space, it's beginning to look like an enlargement of, albeit, an impeccable image of astounding beauty.

Yet, only a fish would not be moved by such a mesmerizing likeness. If Da Vinci had afforded La Giaconda the eyes of a mermaid and God had had the mercy to prolong her youth, I would be less spell-bound.

I can't say what it is about this portrait, whether it is the timing or sheer chemistry between the photographer and his model, which has resulted in such an engaging photograph.

Not To Feel Blue When I Get Bad Comments
by Mona

Comment:
A worthy image for quiet enjoyment, with a very tangible depth (via the detailed expanse of the fore- and middlegound against the gradually increasing density of the fog in the background). The tree too, as a lone subject, is both as faint and well proportioned as in a scene out of Hamlet. The horizontal division of the photo into thirds makes good sense to me, given its overall simplicity and the duality of its primary subject - the visual transformation of a landscape under fog.

Given the wide postcard format chosen here, I would have liked to see the rule of thirds applied to the position of the tree in it to reflect the vertical composition, at least approximately. The (blue) hue too, is, perhaps, slightly stronger than credible under natural conditions.

All in all, a serene capture, which suffers from a somewhat trivial title.

Seven Sides of my wall
by ijerry

Comment:
This is the 157th image I viewed in this challenge. It is the first one, which caused me to spend a while looking, pondering, thinking, considering...

how a thing so apparently plain can stir things up. The photo, IMO, is an amusing and delightful commotion. The prospects of finding the undepicted seventh side of the wall within the visual confines of the picture are challenging indeed. Since there is little else in the way of an obvious subject to be had from it, the stimulus is real and effective.

The artless manner of the photograph and the lack of discernible evidence of post-processing is stark when compared to the considerable complexities posed by composing it. While the choice to centre the corner has resulted in an effective dynamic, the tonal balance over the full dimension of the picture, IMO, could be -and, for a photo which comes with such high demands, should be- better.

Since darker areas weigh more heavily within a composition, the lighter areas could be more expansive, which inevitably would make for an assymmetric composition. An assymetric composition, however, would also likely accrue the potential for a more abstracted order. This, to my sense of it, would be beneficial for the conceptual appreciation I derived from it.

I value this photograph for the uniqueness of the genre it represents and for the noetic adventure it invites. > 7

Boy Fish
by Neil

Comment:
The title, too, with its imaginative simplicity, alludes to a story which remains to be told, read or written.

I'm beady-eye....
by docpjv

Comment:
'I'm Beady-Eyed' (with a 'd' at the end) may have been somewhat more 'natural' speech for people with English as their native tongue.

I can easily relate this shot to 'indecision' but also know that many voters here hang their evaluation on 'their' understanding (and lack thereof) of what and what does not meet a challenge. This is unfortunate, as it would be all the more useful if the effort that went into determining topicality was, instead, invested in examining and discussing the photo.

Delivering Opinions
by zeuszen

Comment:
Thanks everyone for taking the time to say something about this image.

To those who were (and to those who, apparently, still are) concerned with a photo crossing the line into digital art:

The shot was a tripod-mounted, remote-released capture at a 500 mm focal length. At this focal length a strong bokeh is what can be expected. Yes, I did apply Smart Blur to further emphasize the existing bokeh and to isolate the crow. That's the full extent of extravagance afforded this image.

The title, by the way, illustrates the ways of crows. Since both the phrase and the attribution are Mark Twain's I expected it would ring familiar to American ears especially.
I also felt it was a title which reflected some signs of the times. ;-)

Message edited by author 2004-11-08 20:45:56.

Gigi 2
by AutumnCat

Comment:
The focus (on the faces) seems a little off, but what an infectious glee! Priceless capture, fascinating subjects and great timing!

IMG_4405 copy 800 2.jpg
by ButterflySis

Comment:
It's dark, and it's beautiful. The road is there, fore to back. The lower window in the tower is easy to make out. The highlight exposure is gorgeous. And we've been spared undue saturation. (Smiling)

The horizon appears to tilt, just a teeny-weeny bit, to the left. The border is, well, ominous, overpowering and, to my senses, painfully ostentatious.

The centred horizon, although against the blanket rules of composition, works well enough. The resulting two 'halves' of the image are balanced: the dark reflecting the light, more or less symmetrically. Road and lighthouse enjoy an equal correspondence of 'relative weight', assymmetrically.

The rule for those who know the rule: do it the way the image dictates.

Beautiful.jpg
by oteroa

Comment:
In addition to what's already been said in the comments below, the title ascribes an attribute to the image which is all too obvious with respect to its subject and, inappropiately, 'leading' when alluding to the photograph.

As in all creative writing, be suspicious of adjectives, particularly when they come all too easy. A simple generic name would be better, or you could, of course, be creative and call it "Thinking of You', 'Prayer' or 'Intimate Encounter at 5 am". ;-)