Self Photo Bundle #2

"untitled", Eruditass (2011 USA-MD city)


This two dimensional scene of a building side has some interesting variety, but lacks any emotional reaction. The textures, swirly patterns, bare spots, and vertical color gradient keep some attention and do show some beauty that you may walk by every day. The window appears relatively small and misaligned, which may add some tension.

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The moire of the screen is a little distracting. The detail of the scene could have been brought out some more, perhaps if the sun was more to the side. Especially since there is no front to back depth, it relies on the texture detail and composition. The layout of the bare spots are not the most interesting, and I'd like to see more of the wall.

Subject: 1
Composition: 1
Technical: 2
Emotional: 0

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"untitled", Eruditass (2011 USA-MD city)


A more three dimensional scene that is captured in a somewhat flat perspective. In the same vein as the previous photo, its intent is bring light to the parts of the city that we pass every day.

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I enjoy this composition much more for its use of lines that separate the distinctly different textures. The lines all seem to flow out of the upper right, and move across the image in different directions. The mix of street light temperatures adds some pleasing colors in the shadows.

A larger aperture would make the sharpness more even added to the flat projection of the scene.

Subject: 2
Composition: 3
Technical: 2
Emotional: 1

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"untitled", Eruditass (2010 USA-TX city))


An low perspective view of the Houston airport. The angle is compelling, as the giant void towers over the miniscule people, waiting to suck them up. For reference, a more standard view of the scene can be found here.

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The perspective and choice of lens in this photograph make this a unique view. Waiting for the people to clear the column and let in a shaft of light on the walkway was a good choice, but the processing leaves something to be desired.

The center of the photo is so bright that the eye is just stuck there. Maybe it ventures off to the bright windows, but that's it. The rest of the image does not have enough local contrast to entice the viewer. It's more or less the same shade of sepia. The people at the bottom are compelling, but lost in the shadows. The less interesting top left part of the photograph takes up more than desired.

Some burning of the main ceiling or brightening of the rest of the image would really help. Adding some contrast to the bottom corner of the image, especially the reflections on the walkway would be well advised.

Subject: 2
Composition: 2
Technical: 1
Emotional: 1

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"untitled", Eruditass (2011 USA-MD city)


Shoes that flew a little too close to power lines. This photograph creates a bit more of a narrative than the others in this set, with its dangling shoes, wind, and red stain beneath them.

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I like the subject. And the timing of the wind and an cloud. It lets us play a bit of "what does this cloud look like?" Between a fish or a whale, or a star trek ship, it's a tad unfortunate our imagination cannot tie it to the rest of the photograph, no matter how hard we try.

The non-shoe'd powerlines, while probably necessary in the shot, do nothing for me. The orange editing is distracting and too saturated, but could've been nicely complimented with a slight orange gradient.

Subject: 2
Composition: 2
Technical: 1
Emotional: 2

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"untitled", Eruditass (2011 USA-MD city)


Now here's a shot that has potential (that was an electric joke). There is some nice repetition, geometry, and some rustic brown peeking through. It's another mundane part of our lives that we pass everyday.

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It's high contrast and dark blacks creates a graphic feel, whether it's fitting or not (though the oversharpening is certainly not). The sky is rather uninteresting and detracts from the form. The power lines in the lower left are also bothersome. And despite being horizon corrected, the composition makes it feel that it is leaning to the right.

Subject: 1
Composition: 2
Technical: 1
Emotional: 0

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Photo Bundle #1

"black and white", crazy-ivory (2010 Germany People)


This photo feels cold and lonely. A dark figure, shielded by the umbrella, walking into the distance past the never-ending beams.

The figure itself is an exception. The motion blur and muted contrast/lack of white add to the feeling of departure, of the fleetingness of moments. The symmetry and framing of the beams and support connections to the top, with the shadows of the poles on the ground add both a nice natural frame and a pleasing repetition. The fog and snow that gradually hide the repetitive structures creates a nice gradient. The white snow on the ground adds an excellent mirror to the dark structure at the top of the frame. The processing of the photo reflects the feelings of the subject and composition well.

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Everything is relatively, although not tack sharp in this frame. I would have liked to see some of the surroundings or footprints more detailed.

There are some minor elements of that distract the eye. The alignment of the bottom of the support beams, especially in the foreground, the only slight blurring of the figure, the figure's long black coat, and the high contrast graffiti. While the graffiti can be a distracting element to the eye, it gives good context to the time period, and contrasts well with the old time feel. Coupled with the motion blur of the figure, it gives a relative feeling of permanence. But my eye is still naturally drawn to it.

Subject: 4
Composition: 4
Technical: 2
Emotional: 3

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"orbiting", chrys (2010 Unknown People)


The bliss captured in this moment is priceless: a father bonding with his daughter. There is a lot of great positive emotion captured in this: it feels like I am the one swinging the child around in a circle. I can hear the laughter and screams of joy.

The child is sharp and focused, while the background is blurred just enough to indicate the motion. A longer exposure could have added to the dizzying effect. The lighting appears soft and cloudy, allowing me to focus on the expressive liveliness and emotion.

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The composition and tilt add to the feeling of motion and that we are spinning the girl. But the longer I look at it, the more I become aware that I am at chest level: the location of the hands in the frame, the girl looking up, etc. Cropping some of the upper left of could alleviate this, but too much will throw off the balance of the light sky.

Typically I find I like expressive photos in monochrome, but the slight desaturated look works out well here as the red and green are not too much, and are happy colors nonetheless.

Subject: 4
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 5

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"Sunlit alley", _Downfall_ (2010 Unknown Place)


This alley has a bit of a classy and timeless feel, as if it was taken any decade. The processing does a good job amplifying this. The lighted pathway and reflections off the window do a good job of leading my eyes. The reflections particularly are unique and grabbing. The gradient in the sky adds a nice soft feel.

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But then my eyes are led to the center of the image and stop. They are then drawn back towards the bright left side of the image and that's it. The repetition in this photo is a strong point that could be amplified. The windows on the left, the balconies/windows on the right, and the subtle street lamps. I feel the right side is buried a bit too much in the darkness in comparison to the left, yet has more interesting structures and patterns. Of course, overdoing it would be unnatural. The bottom right is all black to me and throws off the balance. A bit of shadow detail there would let me feel more at ease and less like a 3 legged table. The perspective and leaning buildings, coupled with the perceived thin aspect ratio, add to this uneasiness.

Subject: 2
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 2

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"Kids at Night (#128)", ct_ucla (2010 USA-MA People)


This photo reminds me of young weekend nights back in school. Looking back on those days, all you remember is the feeling, with no details. This photo captures that in its blurry simplicity. The lights in the background windows and water are great. Motion blur and lack of sharpness mimics the feeling that you get from looking back on those lazy days that blend together.

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Colors and tint don't add much in my eyes: I'd like to see monochrome.
Lack of shadows on the subjects is disappointing and could have been interesting.
I feel the leading lines actually distract a bit. The right and bottom could be cropped out some as I don't feel the center-ish subjects works best. Also, the darker vertical pole is distracting.

Subject: 2
Composition: 1
Technical: 2
Emotional: 3

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"P053110PS-0148", Pete Souza (2010 USA-IL People)


This photo reminds me of how the job of the President isn't always exalting. It makes me think of him addressing the public after some horrible event, out of his control.

The capture of the rain and the umbrella is brilliant with the backlighting, silhouetting Obama and edge lighting the crowd. Leading staircase is lighted wonderfully. The stadium lights add to the feeling that all eyes are on him.

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However, I feel the composition could be improved: the space on right is distracting and the center composition is okay. The colors from the flare and the crowd are distracting. The stadium lights and forest background aren't the most aesthetic, either.

Subject: 3
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 3

Self Photo Bundle #1

"untitled" (2005 USA-FL Things-Nature)

A close up view of a large grasshopper. This shot places the skyscraper hotel against the grasshopper's own highrise. The motion blur and pose almost look like it's falling. There is a nice amount of detail on the insect, good colors, and surprisingly smooth bokeh for a point and shoot. This is the first picture I've taken that I really liked.

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What sticks out to me is the composition. The creature is centered and takes up a large amount of the real estate. Eyes are drawn immediately there and then to the skyscraper. But the rest just seems a bit busy. I'd like it if the strand and grasshopper were smaller. The diagonal composition could be better. It's tilted a bit too much, I think rotated clockwise a bit would help the slight jarring effect. The juxtaposition isn't very strong. The focus is off the head of the grasshopper, and the picture didn't obtain the 3D effect outside of the in-detail section.

Subject: 2
Composition: 1
Technical: 2
Emotional: 2

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"untitled" (2008 USA-MA People)

I feel like the little boy in this photo is commanding the water and causing the ground to shake. The fast shutter speed's frozen water and tilt does a great job of adding this feeling of power. I like how the cracked patterned pavement is hidden when you get close to the young boy. The shadow and light on the buildings, especially on the top left, is pleasing.

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The boy is close to center, but not quite, though I think the tilt and buildings balance it out a bit. I'd still like to see other compositions, and a stronger tilt.

The middle-gray dominates the photograph, so adding contrast in the non-sky areas could help add some dynamic to the shot. The issue is the water against the sky, but that could be brought out separately.

Subject: 3
Composition: 2
Technical: 1
Emotional: 1

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"untitled" (2009 Mexico Things)


This photo captures the glory and size of the Mayan pyramid El Castillo, with its dramatic sky and close perspective. The sky is dramatic and the clouds almost look like smoke, coming off the back of the pyramid. The detail on the structure is intricate, with lots of details captured. The harsh sun reveals the textures quite well.

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I feel like a better perspective could've been gotten. To get the edge of the stairs, and the edge of the right side of the pyramid. I think a wider aspect ratio would've shown the massiveness better. More room on the top might be interesting, but the pyramid being so close to the top might be adding to the massive feeling.

I think more interesting shadows might've come out one the sun was less face on with the pyramid. Instead, only one sliver is really in shadows. The sky is a bit too overcooked, with such deep blacks. The stairs lose their 3D effect near the top and look like a slide.

Subject: 3
Composition: 2
Technical: 2
Emotional: 1

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"untitled" (2010 USA-MD Places)

It almost looks like it is in a snow globe that was shaken. The trees, the path, the snow, etc. all give a bit of a swirling feeling. The soft subject shadowy figure adds an element of mystery, and is complimented by the leading line shadow and the warm light and cold background. The depth of field is wide enough to reveal the interesting details in the background while keeping the foreground snowflakes larger to add variety. The flash slowed the snowflakes wonderfully, and the shutter speed's blurring of the man adds to the mystery of the photograph. The noise was cleaned up pretty well for ISO 6400.

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The snow is dominating the upper left quadrant of the photo with, both in mass and frequency. The branches on the right, particularly the low sticking out ones, covers up a bit of the landscape and the second figure. In one sense, covering up that figure gives the dark figure dominance and also continues the curved line of footsteps from the bottom.

This iteration is much improved over the previous one here, with the toning and vignetting drawing the viewer in to the center of interest more. The vignettes

Subject: 3
Composition: 4
Technical: 4
Emotional: 3

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"untitled" (2011 USA-MD Thing-Nature)


The crispness and detail of the shot are eye-catching and provide the initial bite. The monochrome processing focuses my eye onto the texture and shadows created by my flash.

The tip and other vertical blade do take away attention from the clean similarly oriented grass, but I like this distraction. It breaks up the expected, and the shadows with the grass form a nice contrasting lines and keep my eyes lingering longer.

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I did wish I had more room on the right to give the vertical blade some more space, and perhaps some more buttery smooth bokeh which congregates mostly in the upper left corner.

Subject: 2
Composition: 3
Technical: 3
Emotional: 2