Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Ishmael. on November 10, 2009, 05:52:49 pm
-
Hey folks I just got back from a few weeks in Tibet and thought I'd post some photos. As usual, I'm thankful for any C&C you want to leave here.....also, thank you to all those who gave me advice/critique before I left on this trip, it helped quite a bit.
-
I like #1 and #3 very much. I like the overall tonality of these. The last one is my least favorite. The shot of the guy with the motorcycle is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch. Knowing that this was shot in Tibet and seeing the Tibetan man with his motorcycle in front of a wall with Chinese writing is a poignant statement on how much the flood of Han Chinese into Tibet has overwhelmed traditional Tibetan culture.
-
Ishmael,
I like four of them:
#2 made me smile: where's the other foot???
#3 is just brilliant. I'm not sure about the poignancy (you have to know where the photo was taken, which isn't obvious, you have to make assumptions about the biker, which aren't necessarily correct) but the effect of seeing a Chinese (or is he Tibetan) James Dean gives a jolt to me and brings a second and a third look.
#4 is, for me, the best of the lot. Now that is poignant, and the shot is excellent because it requires no explanation.
#5 vies with #4 for the best shot. What makes it fly for me is the juxtaposition of the prayer-wheel and the money in his hands, and the fact that the viewer is looking up at the old man, making him look imposing and rather threatening. Shame about the white sky, but the shot is good enough for you to get away with this.
#1 is technically good but, for me, forgettable.
Thanks so much for sharing these - I think they are great.
Ed
-
I like the first one very much. The depth of field is just perfect: the face on the first plane is almost floating above the screen, looks like 3D; and the faces behind are sharp enough to add to the image, but not too sharp to steal attention. Perhaps it is a little bit over-sharpened for my taste.
-
Very nice shots. I like #3 the best. I really like how you were able to bring out the texture in the skin, particularly in #1. I like the color tone of #3 and #5.
-
I like what you capture.
In the first, their differing emotions as they are staring into the camera are interesting, but you are looking down at them. I would have prefered an image right at eye level.
In the last I like how you captured the scene, how he is holding his prayer wheel (?), but I get the impression he is bored and that makes it slightly uncomfortable for me to look at, despite that his face is very interesting, and would have easily been worth a separate shot.
Christian
-
Ishmael, Good shooting. Number 5 is best of the lot. Number 3 is good. Both tell a story, though I don't know what the story is in Number 5. All five are worthwhile.
-
Hey folks I just got back from a few weeks in Tibet and thought I'd post some photos. As usual, I'm thankful for any C&C you want to leave here.....also, thank you to all those who gave me advice/critique before I left on this trip, it helped quite a bit.
I like #5 the best of the bunch, although i would have not liked to have his head cropped. #2 is over sharpened to my taste. #1 is the 2nd best shot i liked.
-
thanks for the critique everyone, its all been well noted. In regards to #3, yes that's taken in Tibet and yes there's a visible Chinese influence there....but, to me, what was more striking was the western influence....it's hard to tell which one is diluting Tibetan culture more (though I suspect the Chinese influence is a bit more forceful and unwelcome).
in regards to #5, I agree that the blown out skies take away from the picture so here is another shot also with another facial expression. I still couldn't totally reign back the white skies without getting severe posterization...so if anyone has some ideas for that I'd love to hear them
Ish
-
Ish, Here's an idea: Don't sweat it. This is street photography, not landscape. Sometimes in street photography you can't avoid a blown sky. I can give you plenty of examples from HCB, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, etc., etc., but the point is that the man and the artifact he's holding are the important things in the picture. The sky really doesn't matter. On the other hand, if there's actually something there in that sky, make a selection, turn the selection into a layer, and change its blending mode to multiply -- or use Shadow/Highlight to try to get it back.
-
some great advice and a liberating perspective, thank you for it RSL
-
I agree with RSL. The B&W version is best, I kind of like that the sky is blown - it provides a clean backdrop for the face. The clouds & blue sky in the color version compete with the face.
-
The only one I am not so keen on is no-4. It looks too busy. I really like the other shots. I can only echo the other comments: we as viewers should look at the essence of an image, and not always look for little faults. The most successful images are not those that are clean in their composition, but those that have atmosphere or mood or convey something that we can relate to or are moved by.
JMR