Here's my thoughts. I found all three shots I was assigned to comment on
interesting and thought provoking. If I may make some suggestions... take
them with a grain of salt. What do I know?
" Roman Bath " by Donald Ross, Canada
I like this type of shot. It would make a nice wall-hanging, matted and
framed appropriately, or just on stretched canvas.
Here's what I notice when I look at this. It appears that the camera was
not exactly ninety degrees to the subject, i.e., the right side of the photo
appears to be closer than the left. I'm not sure if this true, it just
looks that way. It looks like the top edge of the shot may actually go
beyond the plaque.
I realize your intentions were to focus on the central figures, but all
three human figures in the frame seem to be cutoff unnaturally to my senses.
I wonder though, if you actually did get the entire plaque in the frame and
then crop very tightly, what the results would be. It would be a bit more
panoramic, but I sense you would have a very nice piece of artwork.
Tripod-mounted, would give the ability to really fine tune the composition.
I like the subject and the idea. Some fine-tuning could make it great.
" Balconies in the Afternoon " by Jaume Lahuerta, Spain
There is quite a bit of interest in this shot and the idea is great.
Several things I might change. The photo seems a little fuzzy, likely
because of the cropping/enlarging. Some sharpening in the image
manipulation tool may improve it. I'd like to see the same kind of shot
taken a little closer to the building with maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the number of
balconies. Possibly even just several balconies, some occupied/some not.
Using a tall tripod and step stool you may be able to get the lens more
perpindicular to the building... reducing the leaning back feeling. I might
suggest taking the shot on an overcast day. The range between light and
dark would be less. I realize the shadows do lend interest, but in this
case I wish I could see more in the shadow area. A little more uniform
lighting could help.
I think going back again and again, would provide additional time for
alternate compositions to become apparent.
" Taos View " by Ken Waller, Michigan, USA
As I said before this was my favorite of the month. I'm not sure there is
anything I would do differently.
Nice use of a polarizer. It's a very abstract shot and a great composition.
The beams and shadows provide a great point of interest against the rather
stark background. Since this is partly "Indian" architecture and there's
always a bit of mysticism surrounding the culture, I am intrigued by the
beams and the thought that the ends of them are like eyeballs, peering out
and surveying the town and its people.
The blue and orange colors are complementary, providing a great contrast.
Maybe, maybe, I would wish for a smaller aperture giving greater depth of
field and more texture on the far wall... tripod mounted, exposure time
would not be a problem. Just a thought. The tightness of the composition
is great with no distracting elements. It's evident that since you had
'this image in mind for quite some time', you gave it a lot of thought and
were able to convey precisely what you intended to the viewer.
Tom C.
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