Gary is a great employee but has dental issues.
by bvoi

Comment by timfythetoo:
Greetings once again from the Critique Club -

This was hilarious. I don't normally pay much attention to the titles but yours was the kicker on this shot. A very interesting subject for a Free Study (I have no clue what other challenge this would fit in but portrait).

So what can I say. This is a great portrait. Excellent detail through out and the B&W treatment works really well. I would be curious as to what this looked like in color. Lighting and shadows play great. And even now each time I go up to look at it to scrutinize it again it makes me smile - I just cant help but read the title again and chuckle.

I think my only issue with this (and a very VERY small one at that) is that his eyes seemed dodged a bit too much. They seem to bright in the pupil area. But this is such a minor thing (I had to look hard for it).

Congrats on another great score. Just one pic shy of all sixes on your top rated photos. You have been having a really good show of pics lately and I don't expect to see that stop. Well done and good luck in the future.

Tim

Framed by a Bridge
by bvoi

Comment by ignite:
Very nice.

Framed by a Bridge
by bvoi

Comment by sittingonthegrass:
I would have cropped this differently but hey I would have cropped mine differently too! I like your composition and idea. Well done.

Framed by a Bridge
by bvoi

Comment by sacredspirit:
Very nice, what is the light,the moon, a star? At any rate, I love the shot.

Framed by a Bridge
by bvoi

Comment by rennie:
I guess you didn't want to get rid of the moon. Although the negative space does not work here I believe. IMHO, if you cropped it just above the bridge - it would've help. You could also use different angle. Bumping it a bit for the general idea.

Doubting Patriotic Convictions
by bvoi

Comment by Odie:
so true

Doubting Patriotic Convictions
by bvoi

Comment by hideout:
Intense subject choice, very stirring, very well done.

Armenian Protest at the Turkish Embassy
by bvoi

Comment by timfythetoo:
Greetings from the Critique Club -

Forewarning - I am not an expert on photojournalism, so I will comment to the best of my ability.

My first impression is that this works well for the challenge. It gives the feeling of being in the masses documenting what is going on. You get a strong sense of the crowd and even if these were the only people present you give an idea that there are many, many more.

I really like how the red colors stick out. Most everyone is wearing black or dark blue clothing and the reds shine out nice, both in the flags (ok the orange too) and the various articles of clothing (the red cross on the bottom and the red on the older ladies shirt in particular). The colors in general just work very well for me.

I am not really sure how to comment on improvements. There does not seem to be anything that really sticks out to me as being \"wrong\". I could see this pic being one of a series with other close up shots of some of the demonstrators. I think you have a really nice shot here and a great score to go with it (Anything above a 6.0 is great in my book). Well done.

Tim

Gary is a great employee but has dental issues.
by bvoi

Comment by espy2:
Just terrific! It was my top pick!

Doubting Patriotic Convictions
by bvoi

Comment by ubique:
Without question the most artistically ambitious photograph in the challenge. Dealing with the Abu Ghraib affair for most people involves an uncomfortable moral and ethical collision. The views of the extremists at both poles (the vehemently anti-invasion and the unreservedly pro-invasion) are essentially irrelevant here; it's the position of those in the middle that is interesting, and that's exactly what your image is about. The dilemma; can one maintain commitment to an honorable entity when it employs dishonorable methods? It's the old "end justifying the means" question, and it has no easy answer. I think you have represented that dilemma brilliantly here with the visual symbolism of the distorted and tortured flag as a backdrop to the similarly mistreated prisoner. And of course there's also your title, provided for the imaginatively-challenged viewer. I have no idea how you made this image, and no real interest in finding out either ... it's just very refreshing to see photography used with such ambition and to such effect. 10.