CHAT Thread - W/e comp 5-7 Feb 2010 - "Collection"

[HinFrance]

Flake "HinFrance's A Collection of Dessert Fruits:
Love the lines of the wood on the table and the way they run top left to bottom right. Lighting is OK, but from the rear right?" yep.

"The highlight on the apples has run to clipping, a reflector on the opposite side might be useful to bring up the light." there was a curved white A2 reflector to add diffuse light at about 60 degrees to the main light (G2 star, 1AU away). Personally I have never had a problem with clipped blacks or highlights. That's just the way the world is sometimes

"Focus is running out on the grapes, which I don't think is intentional." Alas it was deliberate.

" Is a bowl of fruit really a collection? Does this meet the brief?" I seriously doubt it.

Golly what a lot of effort you have put into this, for which we are all very grateful. Are you the new Kristin?

I still have the feeling that photography is more of a technically rigid matter than anything else for you; an area you clearly have a good grip of. If I may say so, I detect a somewhat prescriptive view of what is right and what is wrong. But as I said before and will no doubt say again, it is the fact that we all have different approaches that makes this interaction fun.

[flake]

Kristin? and no I don't think I'll be doing it again!

I think Forseti summed up the way I assess the images, firstly the technical aspect, then the compsition, and how well it meets the brief, and artistic merit. That might be a little prescriptive, but it's a system which ensures that each image is judged on a level playing field. Equally while it's easy to talk about the technical merits of each image, it's not so easy to talk about the artistic merits, because that varies from person to person, and there isn't a right & wrong as such. As a result I guess it appears that I get hung up on the technical side, which isn't really the whole picture.

[michaelb104]

Flake, thank you for taking the time and effort to do the critique, got to admit I've never heard of the dark field technique.

I'm off now to do some dark field investigating, I guess it has nothing to do with Captain Jean-Luc Picard has it

[Forseti]

Originally Posted by flake

Foresti's Luft Hansa & Friends:
Technically the photo is well taken, there a small criticism of uneven lighting at the top left (very minor),

You know what your trouble is Flake? Far too observant by half - guilty and well spotted.

Originally Posted by flake

... for me it's too crowded - too many bears, sometimes less is more.........you might have included a small photograph to personalise it. The message then would have been of a little girl and her much loved bears.

Thank goodness I didn't parade them all in that case. The submission only represented a fraction of my collection and I'm still collecting. In all honesty I did consider something along the lines of a photograph but dismissed the idea because last weeks entry (Miss Piggy - theme 'Round') came in for critic because I had included the iPod. Um, I included it for the benefit of those who perhaps weren't aware that this particular Miss Piggy is an iPod docking station. Oh well, can't please all the people all of the time.

Thanks for taking the time to do the critic. In my opinion, a very fair and positive assessment. Right then, where do we start with your image?

[reggy]

reggy's not MY little pony:
God these things are awful! I like the use of depth of field and the background stars you've added, but sheesh that pink! LCD monitors even when calibrated can turn this colour into a neon disaster, and this figure in the foreground appears over saturated, it screams at the eye too much for me. Again other than the photo of someones collection, what are you trying to say to me?

flake you have made some good points in this discussion and for the most part i agree, that said i can take some criticism and enjoy knowing why people dont like my images and thank you for telling me why my image only got 1 vote - being told "its ok" and thats nice without knowing the reasons doesnt help.
I will now tell you the thoughts behind my image.

Firstly it is my daughters collection hence the name not MY little pony, my daughter is 3 years old and very "girly".
So i tried to take the colours in the image and make a thing of them, i tried to make the image into something "girly" which being a bloke i know little about but the colours to me are girly and over processed as i think a girl would like a picture of her ponies to be (a 3 year old girl).
It only got 1 vote and i knew it was a poor image but it was a collection of things someone had collected which is how i took this weeks theme not like some of the other entries (no offence by the way)

lord knows how frustrating it is to only get 1 vote i think you managed 2 flake, it sucks to lose and we lost to a worthy oponent in terricks shot (well done terrick by the way)

but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger so they say and i will be back determined to make my photography better and if that means taking more knocks on here then so be it

[Cutter]

Flake what can i say but thankyou , you have taken the time to put your thoughts on paper and give constructive feedback, I salute you.
It is only with people like you that take the time and effort that will help some of us to understand more deeply about photography.

It was great to read all your critiques and to understand where your views are coming from. It would be great to get this sort of feedback on a regular basis but I know i takes time and effort, for that I thankyou.

Regarding (WHO collects scissors?) well a hairdresser that doesnt throw them away of course
Thanks for your coments: What was i trying to say? well they are a big part of my life, I thought it was obviouse , but then again flake perhaps I have misunderstood your question.

[flake]

Perhaps I should have phrased it what are you trying to say through your image? What is the image trying to tell me.

Suppose this image was viewed by someone who didn't know you were a hairdresser?

May I add my thank you too Flake.

Reading through your in depth and knowledgeable critiques, I should imagine that some of my images and comments upon images may make your blood boil sometimes, but I think you realise that I photograph from an artistic angle / background, rarely using flash or any purpose made lighting kit, simply as I enjoy viewing and photographing the effects that existing light conditions create upon a scene and or objects within a photograph; recording them as accurately as I can. This said, I do occasionally enjoy the additional control over the photograph that additional lighting, diffusers and reflectors provide; and indeed delight in post processing where appropriate regarding digital noise etc., or in the creation of composite compositions.

In reply to the questions in your kind critique. Yes, the white balance is as intended; in that I initially set the ISO to 400 with Aperture Priority f/3.5 and everything else including White Balance to auto in the knowledge that light levels would fluctuate quite rapidly with only candle light (and true birthday tea spirit likely to send us into total darkness). A safe setting (as I have used it before in a similar light situation) for a rush job; in that I did not realise the candles were trick ones until they were blown upon!

Effectively the image is, as was directly off camera; other than using Noiseware Pro to gently remove the expected noise, the clone tool to brush out a facial scar on a cheek, and applying a low level in Gaussian blur to small mottled areas (of unwanted noise / refraction probably from the spectacles?) on the forehead and bridge of the nose.

As to the brief, in my understanding “a gathering of things” ought to include birthday candles, but hey ho if others do not agree. For myself, I was pleased in my choice and the resulting hand held shots (as with my Parkinson's, I seem to rely more and more on the tripod and shutter delay). Pleased too, that I did not gather up the elephants from around the house.

Many thanks

[Semaj]

Thanks for the critique flake it was my better half's collection (except for the whisky) and I was not allowed to move anything but your review was fair.
I wish I had the time to get into it deeper maybe when I retire for the second time I will.
That is the best read I have had since fizzio well done, but now you have started you must keep it up.

Thanks oggalily for yours too.

Jim.