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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/19/2005 7:15:06 AM
Thank you Paolo. I quit my day job a month ago so that I can go to school full time and do freelanc photography. I don't have a studio at my disposal, so I photographed this woman in my kitchen.
Thank you for your comment,
Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/19/2005 7:06:25 AM
Thank you very much for you complement. You are too kind. I probably should have been clearer on the gun issue. There are groups of women in my area who, instead of going bowling or scrapbooking, go shooting. There are shooting ranges that cater to them. This image is for a magazine story about those women.
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/9/2005 3:24:36 PM
This shoot can be found either by selecting "Buy Pictures," or when your mouse rolls over the logo, you will see the image of the girl spitting fire. Click when you see her and you will go back to the gallery. Her galler is: Katy: She's HOT.
I hope your day is great!
-T
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/9/2005 6:10:12 AM
Hi Jim, I wanted this to be done in public because I wanted to take an unusual portrait in an unusual place. I have some really nice street scenes of her spitting fire ? this image just happens to be the best. While I'm here, I wanted to add something to my reply to Pat: I was shooting between 1/8th and 1/15 sec because I wanted some ambient light to show. Without the strobe, there is motion blur. The rest of the shoot is on my Web site: www.SmartAz-photo.com. Thanks for looking. Thank you for commenting. -T
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/8/2005 9:50:39 PM
Hi Pat, thanks for your comment. The ambient light was a little too flat. I have a philosophy: If you use a flash, don't let it look like you've used a flash. I forgot to mention that I considered softening the light with some umbrellas -- but instead chose to simply use a couple of Omni Domes to soften the light.
--T
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
8/2/2005 6:09:47 AM
Thank you, Antonio! And what a great name you have! - Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
7/18/2005 3:15:01 PM
Thank you for your complement. I wasn't sure how well received it would be. I appreciate your input.
-Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
7/7/2005 6:03:50 PM
Oh my gosh! Tell me this is a real person in a real photograph. If it is, I wish I would have taken that picture. It's beautiful. Brilliant. I love the darkness and how you it forces you to study it.
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Photo By: Tony Smallman
(K:23858)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
7/7/2005 8:31:31 AM
This is a beautiful picture to me. I live in the Southwestern US where the sun blasta all day. This picture promises me there is something beautiful beyone where I live.
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| Photo By: Vasile Florin
(K:3003)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
7/7/2005 8:27:00 AM
Thank you, Mira. The nice thing about a 70-200 zoom is it focuses pretty close. I wish I would have had my 1.4 converter with me.
Thank you again,
Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
7/7/2005 8:25:02 AM
Thank you very much for your complement. I just looked at some of your work. It is wonderful!
Thank you again!
Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
6/14/2002 12:21:34 AM
Nice light, nice pose.
As for a constructive comment: Longer lens? Shorter lens? I would need to see the whole take before I could offer up any suggestions. Way to go -- Tony
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| Photo By: nathan combs
(K:2242)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
6/9/2002 6:12:08 PM
Nice air! Nice peak action!!! Good job.
If you are able to shoot this (or any other sports action) again. Try to get your subject's face in the picture (unless you are intentionally trying not to).
Years ago, I had a photo editor who would very unhappy if I took a picture of someone's backside. When I finally moved around to the front, my pictures got a lot better.
I have developed this philosophy: People (in most circumstances) want to see pictures of other people and they want to see their faces. They also want to see the expression on that face.
Sometimes this isn't possible, but it always gives you something to try for. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Kim Culbert
(K:37070)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
6/9/2002 5:51:18 PM
I dig the light! Nice job. I think I will steal your idea and use it for myself -- Thanks.
I think the human form should be bent, posed and molded into something interesting as you have done well. I wish that I could see the rest of her arms and hands though (but understand why I can't -- because of your explanation of the image).
I can see why this is a top seller for you. -- Tony
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| Photo By: William R Eastman III
(K:2141)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
6/7/2002 11:44:26 PM
It looks like I don't know what I am doing -- This time I will check the little box that sez "check this box to add attachment."
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| Photo By: F. Scott Kennedy
(K:60)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
6/7/2002 11:40:47 PM
Hey F. Scott,
Nice picture -- but I think it needs a little help in the contrast department. I love it when the blacks are black and the skin tones resemble skin tones.
I'm not sure I agree with the blown out whites -- but that is the cool thing about photography -- we all get a chance to make art that makes us happy.
I took the liberty of downloading your image and did some burning and dodging. I hope you like it. -- Tony
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| Photo By: F. Scott Kennedy
(K:60)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/19/2002 5:07:54 PM
Whaddayall talkin' about?
Smokin' really is cool. As a matter of fact, takin' up smoking is my New Year's Resolution (I've already bought the lighter and am lookin' for a good deal on an ash tray). As soon as I figure out the whole menthol vs. regular; shorts vs. 100's thing, I'm headin' down to the nearest convenience store to buy a carton (there are just so many decisions until then).
To say that you don't like the picture because the kids are smoking is about as shallow as saying you don't like a picture because a model is ugly.
I suppose you could always pick a prettier or more handsome model. I guess you could also do a portrait of someone who doesn't smoke. But the truth remains that the world is full of less than pretty people and teens who smoke.
Maybe we should all turn our eyes away from "Tomako in her bath" by W. Eugene Smith. That was the image of a mother giving her daughter a bath in Minamata, Japan. Not only did the image contain full-frontal nudity of a pre-teen girl but the girl was deformed. I believe Smith won the Pulitzer Prize for his work and because of increased pressure, the factories in the area stopped polluting Minamata Bay (which was the cause of the birth defects). Sometimes it is important to show those things we don't like or don't want to see!
Teen smoking may be one of those things.
Now, to actually comment on the image: I really don't see this as a portrait but possibly an excerpt from a photojournalism picture story on teen smoking. My idea of a portrait is where the photographer obviously poses the models to accent a feature or trait. Now that I've said that I would like to add there are times when that GUIDLINE needs to be thrown out the window because the photographer has captureed someone who is doing something (to illustrate your point) on their own and spontaneously.
The other thing that bothers me in this image is the girls are framing the picture. Girl No. 1 on the right is so close to the edge of the picture that my eye has to look around for her (because my eye goes to the big empty area in the center of the picture first). Girl No. 2 is almost hidden because her hair is blocking her eye and she is on the far left side of the picture. She is the one that I see first. When I first look at the picture, my eye goes to the center and finds the brightest object there (the back of her hand), it travels up and sees the cigarettes and her face and then has to jump across to the other girl.
Where possible, as photographers, we need to make viewing the images we create as easy for the viewer as possible. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Greg Pauline
(K:27)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/19/2002 4:07:18 PM
Hi Roy,
I just love this image. I love the tones, I love the comosition, I love motion. You have shown me something I couldn't see -- even if I were there. Your pictures rock! -- Tony Blei
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| Photo By: Rose Hooper
(K:899)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/15/2002 11:17:52 PM
Stephen, you rock. I'm glad you were seeing the light. That is often overlooked even by experienced photographers. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Stephan Curkowskyj
(K:16)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/14/2002 1:01:06 AM
Hey Jeroen,
I agree that not all photography is meant to be artistic. Just look at the medical and forensic fields. Those certainly record events and are legitimate fields of photography.
The thing with those fields -- outside of a lab, or courtroom etc., is they are not filled with imagination or surprises. They are very straightforward (and for a good very reason).
I have been a working photojournalist for more than 16 years. currently I am page designer for a newspaper in the Phoenix, Az area and I believe there is a time to photograph something in the straightforward manner in which you speak and a time to have fun. This is a great time to have fun. If ya mess up it is only film and there will be another plane along shortly.
I also realize the speed of the aircraft. Before I worked in newspapers, I was a jet engine mechanic in the military. Planes fly fast.
My line of thinking in regards to shutter speed is that if you go waving a 200mm lens around at 125th of a second you may be taking a chance with unwanted motion blur. The sweet thing about the lens that Stephen is used is that it is made to be shot at 2.8.
I don't think that opening up to f4 or 5.6 would have made that shot anymore difficult. It wasn't like he was so close that the wing tips or tail would have been out of focus (even if he would have shot it at 2.8).
On a couple of occaisions I have been assigned to photograph the Concord for newspapers I have worked for. One of those times it was very overcast which forced me to make the best of the situation. I had to shoot it with a pretty wide aperture (and not the best shutter speed). I admit that (before autofocus cameras) I had to work the focus and I had quite a few that were out of focus. The image I turned in for publication was as crisp as Stephens.
By the way Jeroen, I love your airplane picture titled "Speed." That image illustrates exactly what I am talking about when I mention developing a point of view. You were able to show me what I wouldn't have been able to see even if I were there. -- Tony
P.S. Stephen, I apologize to you for taking so much space to address Jeroen.
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| Photo By: Stephan Curkowskyj
(K:16)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/13/2002 11:33:54 PM
I really like the composition of this image I just wish there was something in it that was in focus because my eye doesn't know where to go and so it washes over the picture and doesn't linger anywhere for long.
It's kind of like when you look at an image of panned action. Your eye goes to the spot that is in focus then wanders around the rest of the picture and often darts back to the point of focus.
I wish I had a solution because I like the idea. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Bruno Espadana
(K:326)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/13/2002 11:28:30 PM
Nice exposure and nice light -- but -- with the equipment you shot this with exposure shouldn't be an issue. At the distance the plane was from you, you may have been able to take a chance and shoot at f4 or even 5.6 to give yourself a faster shutter speed. When you got your film back were some out of focus because of motion?
I think a photographer's job is to show the viewer something they couldn't have seen even if they were there. Develop a point of view and show me something unusual about the plane.
Forgive me for not reading the criteria of the project but you can still apply the previously mentioned guidlines.
Now for the good news: I like how you were able to recognize great light -- a lot of people don't see it. Light is one of the most important things in photography yet it is often overlooked.
You've got some good things goin'. I can hardly wait to see what you do next -- Tony
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| Photo By: Stephan Curkowskyj
(K:16)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/13/2002 11:14:16 PM
This is sooooo funny! Thanks for makin' me smile!!! -- Tony
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| Photo By: Simon Scott
(K:20)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/12/2002 5:04:45 PM
What time of day did you shoot this? If there is always a fire when you go there I bet you could work this to your advantage. I would imagine the sunsets around this lake are magnificent. Other than that I would try and shoot also around sunrise. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Derry Bryson
(K:177)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/12/2002 5:00:57 PM
Jason, Jason, Jason,
What can I say? This is a wonderful image. It is nice and clean AND it has a point of view which I find (for myself) difficult to find in landscape photography.
I love how the light and shadow areas play off of each other and give you something to look at. This is a very sensual photograph. I hope that my own landscapes can be as good as this one. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Jason McClendon
(K:19)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/12/2002 4:46:06 PM
Hi Koen,
This image would be tack sharp if I made a 4 (or more) foot tall enlargement.
The reason is: For starters, I shot this on 4x5. Also, I shot it full frame -- there is no cropping. I used a Norman 200 to light it and I shot it on Polaroid type 55.
The sweet thing about the Polaroid is that its ISO is about 100. Another thing about the Polaroid type 55 is that it give you a Polaroid print AND it gives you a really sweet, fine-grained negative!!!
I am currently saving up my pennies to have a 4 foot tall print of that made.
Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/12/2002 4:38:19 PM
Hi Kim,
He didn't have to sit too still. I turned out the lights and used a Norman 200 shot through an umbrella to freeze him so that if he moved a little it wouldn't matter.
When shooting with 4x5 you certainly get the opportunity to think of a few things (since it is such a slow process) while taking the picture.
I wanted him coming out of the darkness (because I pretty much view the whole punk and goth scene as something dark) and I wanted to show all 3 spikes in his hair. My thinking is that the darkness adds some mystery to it. Mood is everything. I'm afraid that if I cropped the picture I would loose some of the darkness that I like and I certainly would have lost one of the spikes.
Please don't think I'm discounting what your have said. I value your remarks. I just wanted to express why I did what I did. Thanks for looking at my picture -- Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/11/2002 5:16:40 PM
Hi Brian,
Hats off to your wife for not letting your drag a tripod through a theme park. When you shoot in these situations (no tripod) the one thing you need to remember is to breath slowly and brace yourself against something solid. Another thing you can do is when you hold your camera bring your elbows down into your chest and sides to make yourself more steady. Your exposure indicates you probably didn't need a tripod anyway because you were using a fairly short lens. The image looks plenty sharp to me by the way.
These situation make for wonderful travel/vacation pictures. The next step is to see what you can learn from the experience and if you can duplicate the style of the photograph when you are not at a theme park. Of course they used lighting technicians to do light up that scene but I bet you could eventually do that with a couple of flashes, umbrellas and slaves. --Tony
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| Photo By: Brian Steele
(K:620)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/11/2002 4:58:33 PM
Hi Debbie,
You are quite observant. He did have on some sort of medical covering over the bandages on his feet.
I was a photojournalist working in Las Vegas when I took this picture. I have since moved on to the Phoenix area where I work as a newspaper page designer. On the day I took this picture, I was riding with the police while working on a story regarding the rising crime rate in that neighborhood.
The police responded to a call where a woman was complaining that the windows on her car had been smashed by her boyfriend. While we were at her apartment, she started yelling "There he is! There he is!!!" and the chase was on. He outran the police through two housing projects and almost got away except for the fact that I was lugging a lot of equipment and had just come back to work after knee surgery (I was bringing up the rear) -- I was able to see where he went and pointed him out. He was cornered in the back yard of a house just outside of the projects.
The suspect, who you see in the picture, was under the influence of some powerful street drugs. You see he had been drug behind a car less than a week before this picture was taken. He did have bandages on his feet, yet he was nearly able to outrun the cops. -- Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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Critique By:
Tony Blei (K:575)
5/10/2002 12:11:09 AM
Hey Phillip, Thanks for your comment! The real story behind this picture is that I knew that the bases were going to be lowered from the roof of Bank One Ballpark just before the very first MLB game was to start. I put myself into position and kept an eye out so that I could get this shot. Unfortunately, the photo editor at the newspaper I worked for said we could only shoot two rolls of film each on this somewhat historic event. I think this image was on my second roll but for some reason, the image was never seen by my editor and it was never published -- until now. Thanks for takin' a look -- Tony
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| Photo By: Tony Blei
(K:575)
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