Hello Katherine, from the Critique Club,
In doing these critiques I very often find myself liking an image that the voters didn't. But this time I am not liking a shot that the voters loved. I did ask myself if I shouldn't just shut up & keep my unpopular opinions to myself ... post a nice, generic "that's soooo cool!" critique and move on. After all, I'm a crusty old guy nearly two generations older than you, so it's likely that my opinions are of absolutely no interest to you anyway. However, you have done some work that I really do admire very much.
Here's just one brilliant example: And there are quite a few more just as good. So I think I owe you an honest appreciation of this eye image. Here goes.
The technical aspects seem excellent to me. Normally I have little interest in such tedious considerations. They seldom define the arisitic merit of a photograph, and often have almost no bearing on it at all. But for this type of image you have no choice but to be spot on with the focus, depth of field, and all that guff. And you are; spot on. Pretty much flawless I'd say, although I happily admit to being no expert in such matters.
So, what do I mean by "this type of image"? I suppose it sounds insulting, even condescending, but I don't mean it to be so. I simply mean that this photograph is no more than a piece of graphic art ... it's a beautiful picture of a beautiful eye, but for me it has no meaning or interest beyond that. It certainly doesn't seem to be about the person who owns the eye, although I suppose you could say it might be about the eye itself, which is perhaps interesting if you're an opthalmologist. So my reason for not being as moved by this image as were most of the voters is as simple as that; it's a photograph that doesn't seem to me to be about anything. It says nothing about the subject, and nothing about the artist's feelings or intentions. So for me it's a lightweight image that merits a quick glance to admire your technical skill, but then I'll look for something more challenging.
If I hadn't seen some of the more artistically ambitious work in your portfolio, I would not have dared to be so blunt in this critique. The comments you received during and after this challenge were glowing with praise. So I do understand that my opinion of this image is the minority view. I hope, however, that it is an opinion that may have some interest for you. You're a good, interesting and adventurous photographer. It's just that this photograph is not your best work.
Best wishes,
Paul.
Excellent finish, I've never been a fan of eye images but your entry is making me realize I am missing out on a fabulous subject of photograghy... look forward to meeting you on the Southern Utah GTG in May.
Nice and crisp... very nice color. I'm assuming a young child as the skin is so soft. Normally, I am a big fan of catch lights... but this time, I would have liked more pupil.
This is the best eye shot in the challenge. I would have cloned out the white arc of your lens from her blue. That would have made the overall shadow less obvious. 9
think I would rather have the eye looking at me? something about the angle of the eye to the way the face is facing feels unsettling to me. It's a beautiful eye, terrific color, great focus 7
That is an extraordinary eye - good title. Wonderful detail, lighting. I wish the rest of the photo were even lighter - there is that other blue eye photo where the skin is really washed out, and I did like that effect. This is more gentle and realistic, but for a "burt of color" challenge maybe something more extreme is better?
Noice.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................blue is my favorite color. Nice eye, love the freakin detail. It's almost as if when you look into the eye, you are looking into another universe....another place...another time.
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