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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
12/3/2002 1:02:45 AM
You are welcome, Jeremy. 8> Thank you for your own kind comments on one of my submissions.  ))
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: j ruz
(K:1043)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
12/2/2002 7:28:54 AM
I was dumb about this image Raymond. Although your about gave no clues as to the time of day, 2 seconds at f2.8 on an ISO sensitivity of 400 should have told me the story. ))
There is no right exposure but in the absence of trying for a particular effect, most people would wish to see a complete range of tones from black to white. If you meter with in camera metering, try to meter from very close to your main subject (you could substitute your hand if you cannot get near enough) and remember that the meter wants to turn what it sees into a mid grey colour in monochrome work. Decide if you want the subject to have better detail in the shadows and open the aperture a couple of stops. It raises the tone of the subject's skin to a value of between 7 and 8 (see bottom of page tonal scale) and the shadows will be more open.
It is up to you to decide where to place the most important tones in your image. I have heard general rules of thumb like "expose for the shadows and the highlights take care of themselves" but in the end only you can decide where to place the values you are interested in.
Cheers!
Jeff
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Photo By: Raymond Andringa
(K:963)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
12/2/2002 4:50:06 AM
Hi Sewen. An eye-catching thumbnail image that was not supported by the full size image. If you need comments then it is helpful to give some information about your intentions, the equipment, film and lighting and so on. This image is intriguing in the crop and the fact that the model is not looking at the camera. The tonal range is compressed and that is fine if you wanted to go for a high key treatment. The details in the highlight areas on the face are largely missing. The hair shows a lot of white spots that is either a scan or a hair problem. The shape of the model's left ear that the hair has draped over on the right of the picture is disturbingly unnatural looking and not very flattering at all. I would be interested to see this one redone if you could shoot it again. Keep shooting!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: sewen
(K:0)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/30/2002 1:15:26 AM
Wallace, I am delighted to learn that you understood what I had intended by my original comments posted with reference to this image.
This imperfect medium that we are using for our communication (stripping us of our inflections, facial expressions, our body language and the opportunity to pick our way through the potential minefield that is human communication) is partly responsible for Altaf's misconstruction of my personal viewpoint. We are blinded by this electronic medium in several ways and pressing the send button will always have some consequences.
Epilogue... our brief comments can take on a life of their own when dissected. Explaining them in some detail may be helpful in strengthening those comments or it may serve to devalue them. As a student of photography, I feel that the comment dissection from Altaf may reflect poorly on the person who has made the comment (albeit unintentionally). This is likely to be the case when the person who has made the comment has no professional locus and is, like myself, merely a photographer in embryo. The possibility exists because of the fact that Altaf is a professional photographer, the editor, the moderator, the site owner and the final arbiter of what Usefilm.com displays and how its corporate image is projected. Notwithstanding those facts, the possibility will be ever present when those with the specialist knowledge are dealing in a public forum with those who are perceived to have little or no specialist knowledge.
My personal opinion of your work in general (and this image in particular) remains unchanged. This is despite the fact that I do not have the same experiences as Altaf, or the other professional photographers that abide here, to draw on. To my mind it is far more preferable to be asked about where one's opinions are based and how one arrived at them... rather than having assumptions made about one's personal motivations and intentions from a few lines of text.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Wallace Rollins
(K:149)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 4:44:09 PM
Whoops! Silly Me. No offense taken Altaf. I certainly had not intended to belittle Wallace, cast a slur on him
personally or try to demean his work in any way. You have rightly guessed that I was paying him a compliment... in the highest terms (that I felt his image deserved). My own photographic knowledge is nowhere near as good as I would like it to be and my previous experience of dynamic images like the one in Wallace's submission is that one outstanding exponent of this type of image was Cartier Bresson.
At the risk of being tedious, I could have used any of many other exponents of this technique as an example. The example I chose was my shorthand way of conveying my intended message. Without assuming anything about the make-up of the Usefilm membership and their overall knowledge and skill level, I fell into using a cliche that would have (to my mind) some significance for a lot of people.
The essence of the image, submitted by Wallace, that spoke to me was not a reason for me to try to ascribe his work to Bresson. For all I know he may never have seen that work. I was not trying to take up a position that would subsume all of this type of image into some inherent quality of 'Bressonness'. Please accept my apology and I hope that you will also accept that it was a form of shorthand to help me to express my feelings about Wallace's image. It is to my lasting shame that my form of words was bad enough for you to assume that I was putting every image that had people in it into a pot that was labelled Cartier Bresson.
After many years of making mediocre images, I am just beginning to gain a small measure of photographic vision. This is in part due to my enrollment on a formal 3 year course of photography and partly because of my membership of Usefilm. It is as valuable to be able to critique the work of others as it is to have ones own work evaluated by those with greater knowledge. Part of that value to me lies in learning how to see and what to comment upon. My personal bete noir is the vapid comments that may make a photographer feel good but do nothing for a better understanding. My comments are being made from a viewpoint that is slowly changing and may even be improving. I may make more comments in the future that have one appearance while in reality they will be different to the impression given. I would ask for the necessary latitude to speak as I feel... until I have learned how to be better.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Wallace Rollins
(K:149)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 4:05:33 PM
Hi Raymond. I like the idea behind this picture. I considered it for quite a time and then decided to make some adjustments which I have attached. What i found most disturbing was the sun in this image. It is very bright and the harsh contrast implies its presence. I thought I would crop it and the format was also more of a square as a result. I also changed the overall light balance to show a little more detail in the shadows. What do you think? It was a well seen image anyway and i like it. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Raymond Andringa
(K:963)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 3:27:32 PM
I liked the unusual perspective and the clarity of this picture David. The diagonal framing is a good use of the 6x6 format. My nitpick is just that I wished for a sky that showed deeper colours as I felt the sky was a weakening influence (rather than a strengthening influence) on the rest of the image. Photoshop or polariser would have done it. What do you think?
Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: David Chang-Sang
(K:680)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 3:14:21 PM
A good image Kristupa. The complementary colours work well and the neat and clean interior help to make this the sort of image that a commercial organisation would order. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Kristupa Saragih
(K:1031)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 2:50:05 PM
Superb! A Cartier Bresson decisive moment. The movement of the pointing finger and the bird passing by make this a wonderful tableau. There is a strong sense that these people know each other very well. Old friends, indeed. The tonal range, film and lens choice work really well together Wallace and I aspire to this standard of image making. I rate it 10 because of the elegance of that moment in time frozen on film and because that is all the scale allows. Excellent work and I wish I had taken it.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Wallace Rollins
(K:149)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 8:32:53 AM
Welcome to Usefilm Jack. I tried to see what you have done here in Photoshop or some other image editing programme. The background looks plain and unlit and there appears to be some aliasing around the hair of the model on the right and something that looks like it from an extraction on the jeans of the model on the left. Nevertheless it is quite a good extraction if that is what you did. The lighting looks a bit harsh and unsympathetic to the models and the expression of the model on the right is a distraction. just a few thoughts for you. Keep shooting and posting!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: jack anderson
(K:4)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/29/2002 8:13:43 AM
Hi stephen. I expected to see more detail from a large format camera and I suspect that the scan and resulting compression have not helped your picture here. I liked the subject matter but could not square the title with the fruit/vegetable at the front of the picture. It kept drawing my eye away from the main subject. Another distraction to me was the dark tree trunk on the left edge of the frame as it did not seem to add anything to the composition IMO. I wished to see a full tonal range as well as there appeared to be a fairly grey look overall.
I guess I am just too picky but I felt that you had missed the opportunity to turn a mundane subject into a great image.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Stephen Gangi
(K:566)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/28/2002 11:05:53 AM
Excellent work Marc. How close were you? The long lens and shutter speed suggest you had a tough time. I like the detail shown combined with the theatrical lighting. Very effective. Focus was spot on and I would not change this image in any way.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Marc Schultz ARPS
(K:17)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/28/2002 1:03:23 AM
Hi Ken. This image looks like a great character study. Unfortunately the scan seems to have its own ideas about what you were displaying and I have no real sense of the tonal range or sharpness. Much of the image looks as if it has been reticulated in development but I am not sure about it. I would like to see the original print. I have discounted all of the digital anomalies I am seeing and say that I think that it is nice work.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Ken Lucas
(K:110)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/26/2002 1:00:27 AM
A dark and powerful image Keith. The PS work has been used to great benefit. The use of a disposable camera to make this image makes me think about my bag full of photographic equipment. Excellent work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Keith Loveday
(K:348)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/25/2002 7:59:42 AM
First class capture Mark. Was this a full frame posting or has it been cropped? I am sure the Franchitti team would be delighted with this one as a publicity image. Excellent work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Mark Scheuern
(K:1428)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/25/2002 7:55:51 AM
Welcome to Usefilm Ilona. Nice shot to open your portfolio with. I like the muted golden colour and the sharp focus. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Ilona Wellmann
(K:101)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/25/2002 7:50:43 AM
Nice shot Greg. I am sure the scan does no justice to the 4x5 transparency. I think many commercial shots I see just scream out 'perfection!' so my small nitpick here is the slightly out of kilter background. Do you think if the horizontals were parallel to the surface it would have lent some additional coherence? I am reluctant to critique this image too severely. I know that you make your living at this work. I like the picture a lot.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Greg Suvino
(K:57)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/25/2002 7:46:09 AM
Good picture Jeremy. It looks like it was very harsh light but a bit of printing in would solve that. I like the detail and the viewpoint and look forward to seeing more of your work.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: j ruz
(K:1043)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/25/2002 7:44:07 AM
This works for me Sarah. I like the very dark background. I think the scan may have made it a random pattern so maybe it could be darker. Available shots shots are great for many subjects, kids especially. I feel that it does not destroy the quality of the light or the soft skin tones in the way that flash can. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Sarah Needham
(K:2482)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/24/2002 3:56:08 PM
I see Phillip. Thanks for the explanations. 10 indeed!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Phillip Filtz
(K:1792)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/24/2002 3:23:58 PM
What a fine picture Phillip. I like the skin tones and the composition. Was there anything done to the skin in Photoshop? Robin has a completeely unblemished forehead.
Do you think that it may be a tad hot on the bridge of her nose and her forehead on the left? Is it due to the large difference in light value on one side of her face when compared with the other? Nice work any way and I wish I had taken it.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Phillip Filtz
(K:1792)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/23/2002 4:56:49 PM
A well deserved EC Wallace. Sympathetic treatment of the subjects. Excellent execution. Well seen. Good film choice. Exceelent work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Wallace Rollins
(K:149)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 5:03:18 AM
Hi Bob. A sharp and detailed picture. It has an excellent range of tones in it. Your question about the crop is hard to answer. If you consider why you took the shot, it will help to decide on a suitable crop. My choice FWIW is attached. The reason I chose it was because the F50 on the vehicle just visible to the right and the half seen Californian tag plate do nothing for the picture and our minds tend to want to complete any writing we see and make sense out of it. I removed the 'Fairlane' for the same reason. What do you think?
Nice work BTW!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Bob Fraga
(K:263)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 4:50:15 AM
This is a lovely image Antonio. The boy is lost in his own thoughts and the moment has been captured for others to enjoy. Nice tones to this picture too. I have not heard of the film you used. What qualities does it have and can you compare it to any of the commonly available films? Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Antonio Díaz
(K:2710)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 4:39:07 AM
Hi Kenneth. I agree with Chelsea about the white line of the building meeting the subject's face. My nit is the side of the spectacles frame hiding the eye. i have no solution for that but perhaps an expert in street photography will be able to comment. Keep shooting!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Kenneth Liang
(K:290)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 4:32:36 AM
This is a good use of pattern Heather. Was there a mirror in this scene? The repeating pattern and colours make for an image that grabs one's attention. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: heather martino
(K:3648)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 4:28:28 AM
This is a nice study Valens. 300mm gives a great viewpoint but very little DOF. Your point of focus appears to be Lia's hair rather than her eyes. Nevertheless, I like the image you have captured. It's a bit too hot on the hand and the shoulder with the cropping of the fingers looking very awkward. Keep shooting. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Valens Riyadi
(K:5)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/22/2002 4:23:53 AM
I really like the smooth golden tones of the saxophone Przemyslaw. I think I wanted to see a black background with the disturbing highlights and the saxophone on its own. Black velvet would also kill all of the reflections from such a highly reflective surface. Nice work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Przemyslaw Piwowar
(K:136)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/21/2002 3:32:29 PM
Hmmm... I dunno Chris. I spent 20 minutes considering this image. I felt some sort of unease with it that I cannot fully explain.
Technically speaking, I could ramble on about the tones that do not appear very black or white but seem firmly fixed in the grey area of the spectrum. I could comment on the tilt to the window although some may say it adds to the sense of feeling laid back. The intrusion of the seat in front of the subject could also be commented upon. It is however not my intention to comment about the technical considerations which I think merit some attention.
I was much more interested in pinning down the source of my discomfort. TK encapsulated it with his own succinct comment. I suppose I feel that the subject cannot defend himself against the image that makes him look as if he may be a bit idle or shiftless (or an unemployed person on welfare perhaps). Just my interpretation but the image appears to be a bit unkind to the subject, especially since he did not give his permission.
Perhaps if I had known that he did give his permission or even that he said..." please take my picture when I am asleep so that I can know what I look like" I might have felt differently. I wonder if (in retrospect) you could see how this image may have held your subject up to ridicule. What do you think? Your views would be much appreciated. 10 out of 10 for making me consider your picture in some depth.
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Chris Whaley
(K:3847)
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Critique By:
Jeff Cable (K:3599)
11/21/2002 3:04:43 PM
Superb! Sharp where it counts. great use of DOF. Fine tonal range. Excellent work!
Cheers!
Jeff
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| Photo By: Terrence Kent
(K:7023)
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