Infinityby
RUEDISCHMUTZComment by melismatica: Greetings from the Critique Club!
This is a difficult kind of photo for me to critique. Comments that come to mind are, "Interesting", "I wonder how this was done?", and "Cool lighting."
For an in-depth critique I need to be more specific and more honest about my appreciation for the image and my viewing experience. The word that comes to mind when I think hard on this photo is 'relevence'. Unlike an abstract composition which is created by framing an existing subject in an unexpected and unusual way, this is a purely set-up abstraction. The enjoyment factor rests entirely on whether or not the viewer finds it a compelling arrangement of form, line, and color. Put another way, an abstract created by framing a small segment of the side of a weathered exterior (by way of example) has some interesting subject matter built in. The viewer may still not appreciate the composition but his ability to recognize that the abstraction was created from the textures, shapes, and colors of a larger object adds something to the viewing experience. He may not know exactly what the larger object is or indeed, how much larger it is then the section he has been allowed to see but theirin lies some of the enjoyment of an abstraction.
A set-up abstraction (in a photograph--I have different feelings regarding abstract painting) doesn't leave the viewer with any questions other than, "how was this done?" and 'what thought process led to this creation?'. Those questions are interesting in a technical sense but not as inherently sastifying (to this viewer) as the more universal experience created by viewing something familiar shown as a small part of a whole. Keep in mind, I don't mean to imply that this is the only way to create an abstract with existing subject matter. My point is more about the use of a subject that is familiar to create an abstraction. While marbles are a familiar object, these have been clearly arranged to create a design. The approach has not been to find the design existing already within the marbles but to arrange them in such a way as to create a completely new design, unfamiliar to the viewer.
This may seem like a lengthy explanation but I have a point. With the photo presented here, one either likes the design, doesn't like it, or is indifferent. Being a work of pure abstraction and imagination, there isn't much else to think about. It doesn't spark a sense of familiarity or meaning to the viewer. I have to admit to falling into the 'indifferent' category. I enjoy the color but I'm just not moved enough by the design elements to have more than a passing interest in the photo. It seems a bit busy to me. I like the look of the main sphere. I think I would have enjoyed this quite a bit if was just a single glass sphere suspended in the ambient purple background. The image does not support the title. I don't experience a sense of infinity from viewing this as there is clearly a beginning and an end. One could argue that a sphere represents infinity, in which case, this would support my feeling that it should just be one sphere in the composition.
So much for the asthetic experience. On a technical level, the lighting works well and seems to be what you were aiming for. The sphere of lavender light echoes the spheres of the marbles. I would suggest a seamless background to remove the line that bisects the frame.
Message edited by author 2004-07-17 18:34:39. 
Photographer found comment helpful.
