Stand Up
by maxj

Comment by nfessel:
Great

Stand Up
by maxj

Comment by train:
lovely colours in this almost abstact flower I love it

Stand Up
by maxj

Comment by tasha4paws:
not for me thanks.
Sorry

flower.jpg
by maxj

Comment by Skip:
nice composition. here's some things to keep in mind. a viewer sees this and one of the first things they are going to notice is the shallow dof. they will react immediately to this, either liking it or hating it. now if you have a deep dof, most people won't have anything to quibble over. so, if you are going to go with a short dof, you must have a reason, and for the image to work, that reason must be apparent. that means making apparent what it was you were trying to emphasize by making it stand out. was it the textures? the tonality? you've got to have something that overcomes the "why is part of it blurry?"

the next thing to consider is lighting. why did you light it the way you did? what were you trying to achieve? what features, tones, textures were you trying to bring out to make the image more than just another picture of a flower?

remember, you can do whatever you want; the key to success, though, is having a reason for what you are doing, and then to be able to execute that purpose with complete control. as long as you know you are in control, and why you are doing what you are doing, it will come through in your finished effort.

keep it up, max!

lights.jpg
by maxj

Comment by Skip:
looks like somebody's having a bit too much fun...

you might consider putting a bit of annotation in the photog notes, explaining just what it is that you've rendered here. this is a very wild image, and it makes an interesting abstract. there are a couple spots you might want to go back over in ps: a big, round one towards the bottom right, and a cluster of little ones near the lower left. while you're at it, you might take a look at this with a colored layer behind this. i'll bet red would be very interesting...

Message edited by author 2005-02-22 21:31:35.

dont hold your breath
by maxj

Comment by Skip:
nice shot, max! good job with the lighting, especially the catchlights. as a portrait, the cropping is a bit out of balance, in that you would want to probably crop an equal portion off the top to balance what you took off the chin. in portraiture, the rule of thirds still applies. you might consider cropping off 15% off the right.

as for scanning, be careful. i have got a ton of stuff that needs rescanning, because i wasn't careful enough the first time through. keep your bed clean, keep your prints clean, and take your time. you might consider wearing the gloves, just to avoid any oils and smudges.

keep it up! more! more!

[also, when you upload to your portfolio, go on and trim the '.jpg' off the title--it makes for a better presentation.]

Message edited by author 2005-02-22 20:39:17.

IMG_7362small.jpg
by maxj

Comment by jpochard:
This shot looks like it needs something else...either interesting lighting, a unique perspective, or great subject. As it is, I just see a picture of a tree without anything really adding interest. The lighting is pretty flat, the landscape is very centered and somewhat ho hum. Now, remember this is just my opinion, but that's what I'm here to share. Maybe you could have gotten a reflection of the tree? I hope this is helpful.

They Called Me Mellow What?...
by maxj

Comment by jpochard:
Technically, I think that this could probably be improved. It's a little dark everyplace except the belt, the composition could be opened up a bit more I think, and the focus is a little soft on the face. That being said, I think this shot was vastly underrated! The expression you've captured and the idea both merit at the very least a 5. I didn't vote in this challenge, but I would have given you a 5 or 6.

I think it's one of the few shots where the title really helps as well. Anytime you put a smile on my face (which this one did), it has accomplished at least reaching the viewer.

5.jpg
by maxj

Comment by jpochard:
Looks like a long way down! I like the angle here...it looks almost like he's hanging onto the tree in the background. Your colors and exposure are also good. Pity you can't see the face from this angle, but I still think it's a neat shot.

Sit Back and Relax, Happy Birthday DPC!
by maxj

Comment by Skip:
max, the score and placing doesn't reflect what you've accomplished here. good work. keep pushing it!