St. Patrick's Cathedral
by lionelm

Comment by rmahan:
Well done!

St. Patrick's Cathedral
by lionelm

Comment by KarenB:
the bottom of this photo with the match sticks could have been eliminated by cropping to keep the viewers attention on the cieling.. nice exposure though.

St. Patrick's Cathedral
by lionelm

Comment by mcmurma:
Very nice image. Good compositon and juxtaposition of elements.

St. Patrick's Cathedral
by lionelm

Comment by JEM:
You found a fine subject and captured light well.

St. Patrick's Cathedral
by lionelm

Comment by Digipixer:
The bottom quarter of this one really distracts from the great repitition and rhythm of the arches.

Souvenir
by lionelm

Comment by lionelm:
Ellen, thank you so much for your wonderfull comment.
The 2 little girls are effectively from an Ambrotype I found on the web.

Your comment about the perspective is correct although I do not know what I prefer. I will do try so they 'stay in their windows' and see how it looks.

I did not want to do too much photoshop editing. So it's just the window from that house, and the ambrotype cut in 2 Parts and merged with layers into the shutters. The snow is the actual one that day.

I am happy you you noticed the eyes on the wider splat, I wanted to have some focus on them. Nobody knows what they are watching or saying or thinking. But somebody sad happened. Not real bad but very sad. The shutters are closed, the house is empty, this time does not exist anymore.

A thought that has occured to me after I had done this picture is that it reminds me of the twin sisters in the movie 'Shining', the way they stare at the little boy from the past, ghosts.

Thank you so much Ellen
You are doing a wonderfull job
Lionel

Message edited by author 2003-02-09 21:29:31.

Souvenir
by lionelm

Comment by emorgan49:
Hello from the Critique Club-

Sorry to be so slow - This image is taking me longer than usual' I just keep wondering what those children are trying to TELL me. I know they have a message for me. But they just stare silently.

What should I go after first? The things I like or don't like. I'll start with what I see as flaws because that will be much shorter. Actually there is only one thing that bothers me. I haven't decided whether I really dislike it or if maybe it is effective. The problem is with the perspective. The window has such a great , exaggerated looking up point of view but the pictures of the kids do not. So at first glance it makes them look out of place. But as I stare at it, the ghosts seem to sit up and come alive and look down at me. I think I'd prefer it if they stayed in their windows and had the same perspective as the shutters.

Thanks for the hint. It's snowing. I wish there was more snow. There isn't any on the kids. Can you make another layer and fake some? I think the snow adds something to the mood. Snow is so immediate. It is happening in the present. It enhances the contrast between past and present. Also the snow streaks are moving while the children sit so eerily still and watch it.

Everything else I like.

The point of view is wonderful, looking up. looking back in time. (I have to note that all the critical lines are straight, this is my personal pet peeve, tilted pictures). Three nice sets of lines, balancing each other. The window frame has such strong verticals leading up. The horizontal repeating shutter lines are irregular and contrast with the also irregular bricks. Textures are great. The window looks like I could touch it. The colors are wonderful. Just the two tones of green and yellow. Very unusual choice of color scheme but very effective. The children are slightly brownish like a amberotype (spelling?) and that slight brown cast is picked up in the unpainted chipped bricks.

Wow! What a mood! Yes, the house looks old, and the window looks old too. Perfect place for lots of history and ghosts. I wonder what happened to these two little ones. Something tragic? Or did they just grow up and move away leaving their "child-selves" behind. Lots of stories for the imaginative mind.

I love the way you put each child's eyes on a wider slat in the shutters. THis makes the eyes the whole focal point of the picture. I find myself using the word picture rather than photo because this has the feeling of a painting, or maybe even a dream. The eyes are in those two magic thirds spots. You have obscured their mouths and noses, putting even more emphasis on the eyes. What are they watching? Are they waiting for something? Are they watching what the world has become? The shutters are closed. That is important to the scene. It shuts these silent children off from us, as they are shut off by time. They look spooky, not scarey but a litlle bit critical. I hope you'll let us know what they want to say. Do you even know? or is it meant to be a mystery?

Technical stuff (this is my weak point) all looks fine to me. Focus is good, angle is great, Lighting is perfect, lucky you got a grey day. Ghosts cast no shadows, and it fits that there are no shadows al all in the picture. The subdued look is just right, the subdued colors are just right.

The usual disclaimer: Please remember that this is just my opinion and I am no where near an expert.

Okay, I think that's it. Ellen

Message edited by author 2003-02-07 10:35:38.

Souvenir
by lionelm

Comment by Kavey:
Hi Lionelm
I really really liked this shot and thought it would do better. Anyway, it's a really intriguiing image you've created. :)

Souvenir
by lionelm

Comment by sher:
very interesting photo! good colors!

Souvenir
by lionelm

Comment by lisae:
Cool. The overlay makes me think about the history of those windows, and what might have happened inside the building over time. Very nice work.