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Comments Made by srbrubaker
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Showing 21 - 30 of ~1055
Image Comment
the last vine
10/28/2006 09:58:30 AM
the last vine
by dragonlady

Comment:
Nicely observed, great treatment.
Photographer found comment helpful.
Happy Alone
10/26/2006 06:16:11 PM
Happy Alone
by Joey Lawrence

Comment:
I stumbled onto this photo by accident today and I decided to give it another look. I actually remember voting for this photo fifteen months ago. I remember the face, the smile, and the black chain running in front of the face. I remember being charmed by that smile and being bothered by that chain. I see that I rated it a seven back then, when I almost never gave photos higher ratings. But I see now that I underestimated this shot. I think that has happened a lot.

Not only is there a chain running through the shot, there is a chain motif running through the shot. Emilie's smiling eyes bring a spirit to the photo that somehow transcends chains, overthrows them, not with violence but with charm and spirit. Really, this is an artful shot. Bravo.
Photographer found comment helpful.
eluding the sun
10/26/2006 05:58:33 PM
eluding the sun
by boysetsfire

Comment:
Hi Nick,
Greetings from the Critic's Club

INITIAL IMPRESSION: The water in this shot is quite impressive - the scattered light in wave, the orange light of the sun on the mist, and the reflection of the blue sky in the foam. One is not used to seeing surfers in silhouette, and this adds novelty to the photo.

COMPOSITION and LIGHTING: The real strength of the photo, IMO, is the strong lighting. One has the sense that the saturation has been artificially boosted a little, but this does increase the dramatic effect of the lighting. There is something about the surfer's stance that suggests unsteadyness and this produces a mildly negative visceral reaction in me, but it may actually strenghthen the appeal of the photo to some other observers. It's a quibble, but I wish the line of the wave did not slice through the surfer's head. I know these are not all things under a photographer's control.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE: The short DOF works well and helps us understand the shot. The subject is in focus and stop-action is good. One is tempted to wish for better highlights in the foam around the surfboard, and perhaps some dodging might have helped here. Similarly, I have the sense that dodging or burning other parts of the photo might help us scan it better and improve its effect. Given that the orange mist was essential in communicating the morning theme, this treatment is a good choice.

OVERALL: It is a solid photo with much to commend it.

These comments are just my opinion, I hope you find it of some value.
Best of luck,

Steve Brubaker
Photographer found comment helpful.
Distortion
10/24/2006 03:50:10 PM
Distortion
by ltlmschrisss

Comment:
The observation that this light looks interesting reflected in this surface is a good one. I have the sense that the reflection is more interesting than the light itself. I wonder if you considered the idea of trying to make most of the phot be of reflection ( I assume it is a spoon ) It might have been interesting to have small bits of the original going across a corner of the photo so we know what we are looking at. Good choice to desaturate.
Photographer found comment helpful.
A Moment in Light and Time
10/24/2006 03:45:53 PM
A Moment in Light and Time
by whitewolf

Comment:
I like the rhythm of the panes here, and there is a funky appeal to the composition that I kind of like. The light is clearly strong, but the mullions break up the photo so much that one has the sense that it would be essentially the same photo in any light. the photo appears to be highly over-saturated: It produces an attractive glow in the yellow house and the distant brick chimneys, but the strong blue cast in the trim tattles on you. I wish the guy in the bottom left corner were gone.
Photographer found comment helpful.
Wilson 4
10/24/2006 03:37:47 PM
Wilson 4
by iian

Comment:
I like yellow and black. And I appreciate the irony of a baseball bat with tennis balls. The photo does not do a very good job of making use of light. For instance, there is hardly any grazing light to inform us of texture. Light from the direction of the camera is the least useful inhelping us percieve the spherical nature of the balls. So lightinng here serves just barely a perfunctory purpose.
Photographer found comment helpful.
street light...
10/24/2006 03:33:25 PM
street light...
by Hairlessman

Comment:
The diffuse light works wonders in helping us percieve the elegant shape of the pots. And that gratuitous hubcap adds a sense of whimsy to an otherwise very staid and formal composition. I like it.
Photographer found comment helpful.
'the pup'
10/24/2006 03:30:30 PM
'the pup'
by suemack

Comment:
Very effective.
Photographer found comment helpful.
Transfixed
10/24/2006 03:30:01 PM
Transfixed
by madhatter

Comment:
I love this photo; it is sly and subtle and it makes quite a good social commentary. A very good looking young person who somehow from a distance manages to depict a sense of intelligence and health and grace wastes away staring at pure nothingness. It takes a while for the affect to soak in, and I would be surprised if it scores very well. I hope I am wrong.
Photographer found comment helpful.
Peekaboo!
10/24/2006 12:16:05 PM
Peekaboo!
by Kita

Comment:
Hi, Greetings from the Critic's Club:

INITIAL IMPRESSION: a split second after seeing the photo I said, "cute" Every element in the photo aids in that impression, the background, the ducky, and the pink slipper.

COMPOSITION: I find the red to be an unintuitive but inspired background that brings a great deal of warmth to the photo while directing our eyes effectively at the subject. I like the positioning of the subject in the frame - rule of thirds and the angled gaze across and toward the lower right corner of the photo. The silk slipper, however, is the element that absolutely nails the 'cute' impression; and I find iit to be inspired. The competition was full of ideas that placed rubber duckies in very novel situations or ones that challenged our basic conception of rubber ducky, and I think many such photos scored higher.

LIGHTNG and TECHNIQUE: The lighting works very well to communicate that ducky is nestled inside the slipper. It is warm, cheery, diffuse, and brings out vibrant yellow and blue tones. Focus is a bit more of a problem. Ducky is fuzzy. My personal reaction is that the level of fuzziness might actually add to the atmospheric warmth of the photo, but some voters at this site can be quite brutal in scoring photos that show the least bit of softness. In this case the photographic element that suggests softness in focus was accidental is the fact that the loop in the slipper is in very crisp focus. This draws our attention away from a vital element toward a distraction, draining the photo of vital energy.

CONCLUSION: The photo is a strong idea and it communicate 'cute' effectively. Voters went for more novelty and greater sharpness in scoring this competition.

Best of Luck
Steve Brubaker
Photographer found comment helpful.
Pages:   ... [106]
Showing 21 - 30 of ~1055


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