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Welcome, Rose Marie! I am also a Rose-Marie (with a hyphen, but the profile doesn’t allow for that). Agreed, LightStalking is a great community and it’s nice to have you here.
Lenny, your original image really captivated me! I find myself coming back and back, finding new elements, asking questions. Isn’t that what a good photo should do? I love the somber mood, the unknowing what is behind the hole. Well done!
The graffiti distracts my eye as the as the brightest object in the frame, but then, it also begs me to think about the environment here. It also provides some diagonal balance to the Cafe sign in the upper right. I prefer your solution to lower the highlights over the edits where other items are given greater contrast. The story the image tells is changed when areas are brightened…and it was that story, along with the composition, that so attracted my attention.
Even though street photography isn’t my niche, I’m loving this!
This captures a great memory. You are far braver than I to ask strangers to pose, so good for you! The angle of the harsh sun is really challenging and makes for some unflattering shadows. But you realize that already. Eyeglasses are tricky even in controlled settings; the sun coming through that left lens from behind created difficult reflections, but you managed to get a perfect view of the right eye, which is good.
You mentioned you had to do quite a bit of post-processing. One niggly detail would be the chromatic abberation outlining the shadows, most visible in the area between the two ladies. If you trace their shadow around, you’ll see it in other places along it as well. This might be something to process out.
Interesting texture, interesting weathered gentleman, interesting story. Leaving the wrinkled hand of the “shinee” creates even more depth to the story. Great capture.
The image does, however, seem over-processed for my taste. Other folks have mentioned the haloing, which stands out. The clothing has an almost waxy look to it, for lack of a better way to describe. Wish my processing skills were better so I could identify what it is that makes it seem off, sorry!
Many great things about this image! The contrasting colors are gorgeous–I do think Jasenka’s edits that reduce the glare on the shine help lessen its distraction. This also makes the pendant lamps pop. The architecture is interesting and caught at such a unique perspective. Really well done!
What I love especially is that the image begs you to look longer. The more I look, the more layers I see…like the cure of the iron gates (?) in the reflection. The whole scene makes me want to know more. I think you did a fabulous job!
Interesting, Kent. Thanks for sharing your printing experience with us. It does make sense that dragging the b/w sliders to their absolute edges (0/255) could be too strong a correction, hiding details at either end. Thank you for offering us actual numbers to try in our processing. Much appreciated!
I really like the flip! It just feels “right.”
But why? What is the process in my brain that causes this rendition to settle better? Is it the left-to-right scan pattern we learn for reading English? Would left-to-right readers of other languages find the original orientation more satisfying? Inquiring minds want to know!
My guess is that it is a yellow jacket nest, though that’s just a hunch. I’ve never seen one built out in an exposed area like this. I’m so grateful to have gotten this shot when I did, because heavy rains last week knocked it off the barbed wire.
Nothing particularly unusal about my shots of fall here, but I thought it was kind of fun playing with contrasts of colors…sometimes fall has LOTS of color; other times (as with Tersha’s wonderful sunflower!) fall comes quietly muted.
Argh! We’re supposed to come up with suggestions for improvements here in the ST and I am coming up dry. Your image makes me ask questions, which is what street photography is supposed to do…why the curious streaks on the blue glass, what’s in the lady’s bag and where is she going next in her hurry? I’m having a hard time coming up with compositional recommendations: colors are great with excellent contrast, the red sweater draws our eye to the subject, there is both symmetry and yet enough variation in symmetry to create interest, the tree and phone create balance of visual weight and the framing is spot-0n.
I suppose some could argue the woman’s reflection is a distraction from the woman herself, who is the main subject, but I like it. It keeps me looking for more, and when I see a second reflection in the door on the right I am encouraged to study even further. If the mark of a good photograph is that it makes us stop to look harder, you’ve nailed that for me. To me, these (along with the subtle graffiti, the reflection of the white car within the streaks on the glass) are not distractions but layers to uncover.
I hope that specific feedback makes up for the fact that I can’t find anything to be negative about!
The BC smoke was spectacular down into Washington state…blood red sun, curious pink light…amazing! You’ve caught the colors true. The layering of the mountains captures the smoky haze beautifully. I like how you’ve located yourself so that each layer of hill going back gets craggier until the farthest is so sculpted. A lovely image!
I appreciate Bucweeet’s observation of the positioning of the right arm. Agreed.
The natural skin texture is very refreshing to me.
Some might think cropping out a bit of the pavement at the top would crowd the model’s head, but I liked that result when I fiddled with different crops. She’s already centered vertically…it feels like the rule of thirds is maybe a bit regimented? The extra pavement at the top makes me feel like we’re looking down on Amudat, who appears to be a confident woman. Losing the extra at the top puts us more at eye level with her, which feels more consistent with the confidence and strength she portrays.
Just my (very amateur) two cents…
MANY thanks to our wonderful administrators! You take very good care of us here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Anne, this is a great shot! I believe your little friend here is a saguaro wren (don’t quote me, as I’m not a birder, but the online images sure do look like this little guy).
I prefer the idea of Tobie’s crop for the way it simplifies the image and directs focus, as well as giving the bird room to look. If you wanted to emphasize the contrast in size between the bird and its cactus host, you could restore the bottom and right side back to the original and just take off the left and some sky. Having lived my childhood in the desert around Tucson, much impressed by the towering saguaros, I do like maintaining a portrait mode to maintain that sense of height.
You got to visit SW AZ at a nice time of year. Congrats on a lovely photo to commemorate your travels!
An isolated rose in a Valentine’s bouquet from my sweet husband. Light was dipping fast and so I got to play with my speedlight for this one. Someday I may look back at the fairy lights and wonder “what in the world I was thinking?” but for today they seem fun to me.
Daniv, this is a beautiful location and you’ve got a lot of good going on with the color, focus. I do like Erik’s crop…cropping the sky to minimize it directs our attention to that amazing lake. Darkening the foreground sand by burning helps remove that as a distraction (a habit of light colors, which can either be for good or ill, depending on how you want to control our eyes). Just a matter of personal taste here, but I prefer the deeper jade of the water in the original…but it’s a matter of what you saw when you were at the site, Daniv. The original level of sharpness seems more natural to me, but again, it’s a preference thing.
I wanted to ask you, Daniv, how you linked up your photograph so it appears as a new window rather than directing us off site? I miss the zoom but not having to head back from Flickr to here is pretty neat!
Thanks for your help, Tersha!
Oh my, I see I posted this in the wrong spot, not under the Challenge #316 string. Is there some way to move it to the right place? Thanks!
My goal was to get out and take photographs specific to the weekly challenges but so far this has not happened (much). I’m stuck looking back through last year’s collection with the challenges in mind, which is an activity with more merit than I expected. Since this is my first image shared here at LightStalking, taken August 2016, I hope I’m posting the link correctly…
Nikon D3300 with 55-200mm kit lens, f4.8, 120mm, 1/250, ISO 200
