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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/9/2004 9:11:28 PM
Ah yes, Christmas in Ohio. Born a Buckeye (Columbus) myself I remember those long car trips from Wisconsin to Ohio and back again with nothing but telephone poles and rows of trees, wish I had a camera way back then. I love your recent b/w uploads, so dreamy. They are very film-like and have a vintage look to them which makes them so much more than just photos. They evoke memories of places seen, or imagined. This image really speaks to me, personally. You've taken a simple scene and, because of the noise and coloring, turned it into a hazy, lazy memory of a long family car trip. I even remember the trip as being totally in black and white, how did you know?
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| Photo By: michaelle .
(K:3807)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/9/2004 8:58:32 PM
Holgas rule! Polarizing filter? Hmmm, now you have me thinking. I'm in the Midwest too (Wisconsin) and I'm just waiting for the weather to get warmer so I can do some holga shooting again. I know that those wonderful plastic beasts work just fine in cold weather, but I don't, brrrr. I have a large holga chicken in my portfolio too, those plastic cluckers seem to attract toy cameras and scream, "take my picture!" Welcome to usefilm, hope to see many more holga masterpieces.
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| Photo By: Tim Courlas
(K:486)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/9/2004 8:46:17 PM
You do a lovely job with infrared, please show us more!
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| Photo By: Eveline Shih-Pitcairn
(K:4406)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/9/2004 8:41:50 PM
Your wedding shots and portraits are wonderful but I like it when you experiment, like this. It's hard to appreciate wedding shots when you don't know the people involved, other than to comment on their technical qualities. Oh, unless it's something like "Corset Detail" or "Bouquet and Napkin" (love them both so much) which portray universal symbols with a moodiness and with that little something that makes them more than just a technically perfect shot. You have a wonderful portfolio but shoot outside the box more often.
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| Photo By: Eveline Shih-Pitcairn
(K:4406)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/9/2004 6:52:35 AM
Love the choice of a square, it has become part of the composition like she is looking out of a box, really engages the viewer. I would like to see just a bit more space above her head. The skin tones are amazing, nothing blown out. Sometimes it's hard to fully appreciate images on the web, often the wonderful nuances of a print are missed due to the scan, monitor differences and such. Like so many others have said, this makes me smile and, after all, that is the point of photography, to elicit an emotion. Welcome, you will enjoy this photo community, learn and smile a lot, too.
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| Photo By: trish reda
(K:82)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/7/2004 6:36:44 AM
Minimalism at its best. I would not crop either side. I appreciate that you took the time to experiment with the exposure. Shooting digital one is often tempted to just point, shoot then adjust in post-processing. I believe that all the same "rules" acquired when shooting film apply to digital and it's best to learn with film then progress to digital. I did the opposite and learned so much having to think about shutter speed, aperture, ISO, zones, developer type and time, using an enlarger and all the differences in cameras and formats. While many of us scour the country looking for the ultimate shot. You've found a nice one in your house. I think this is dazzling, in an understated way, very soothing yet interesting.
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| Photo By: Tom Pokusa
(K:586)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/3/2004 9:47:40 PM
Very charming, Brian, and very good Photoshop work. What wonderful colors to contrast with the b/w. And she is a little cutie pie, I bet she loves dressing up. Your composition was chosen nicely, I really like your sister off to the left and running out of the frame, this gives the photo some dynamic impact and really engages the viewer. The distance from your lens to the scene must have been right on, it's a very smooth digital pic, not much noise. Nicely done.
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| Photo By: Brian Cuasito
(K:94)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/3/2004 12:41:13 PM
I knew this was coming. When I started seeing the mirrors and marbles, then eggs I thought, "when is he going to put the paper over the light and add the mirrors?" Finally. The wait was worth it, this is mesmerizing. Yours has become a House of Mirrors. Fascinating.
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| Photo By: Barry Walthall
(K:5312)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
1/2/2004 1:38:09 AM
Cartier-Bresson said, "What reinforces the content of a photograph is the sense of rhythm ? the relationship between shapes and values." You certainly adhere to that idea. Your photo "Reflection" made me want to look at your portfolio and I'm so glad I did. Reflections is perfect for relating shapes and values and I'm so glad you included people to give it a grander scale. What a wonderful large photo it would make. I see it hanging in the lobby of an architecture firm. This photo is equally wonderful and showcases your point of view on a smaller scale. I bet you see lines and shapes wherever you go. You have a style. From now on when I see one of your images I will say, that's a Verena Photo. I think you would do very well with medium format gear and the photos you would take would be awesome as large prints, very modern with your lines, shapes, wonderful tones, and rhythms. Well done.
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Photo By: Verena Rentrop
(K:15233)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/31/2003 7:23:53 AM
Yes, yes, I see the witches! How clever of you to see them lurking in the shadows. I hope they stay there. Happy New Year to you, too.
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| Photo By: Paolo Barthelemy
(K:25552)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/30/2003 8:19:23 AM
What a perfect Winter scene. When I can't think of the best words to say I call up some of my favorite quotes by famous people (although most of the "unfamous" say it just as well). I find it interesting that those considered "artists" often speak as wonderfully as they create --
"I prefer winter, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."
-- Andrew Wyeth (One of the best-known American painters of the 20th century. His style is both realistic and abstract, and he works primarily in tempera and watercolor. Many of his paintings are photo-realistic but he was also able to take that realism and add enough abstraction to make his images speak to the soul.)
Yours is a photo of what waits beneath the ice, the promise of life.
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| Photo By: Grigory Ivaschenko
(K:458)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/28/2003 9:42:43 PM
You do really wonderful portrait work and your b/w images intrigue me. I especially like this one because of the composition. Even though this image contains all the same things that make a good color print it is meant for b/w -- wonderful textures (sharp beads around neck, soft background), diverse patterns (crisp lines in shirt, muted lines in wall), wide tonal range (dark eyes and hair, highlights on shirt and edge of jeans), delicious shapes (hard-edged curve of face against background, soft flower blowing in air). I love the fact that the girl isn't posing, you've caught her in a natural position, as if she is dreaming in her own little world without knowing you are even there. The asymmetric balance you've chosen by placing Angelica off to the right is extremely pleasing. Well done!
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| Photo By: Helder Santos
(K:3505)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/27/2003 10:22:11 PM
Frankly, the thumbnail does not do this justice. I clicked on it expecting to see an out of focus red rose, but this is so much more. I believe that if this was shot with a "decent macro lens" it would lose its soul. It might be more technically correct, but the mood would suffer. There is just enough detail here to give the petals some definition but you've managed to capture the roses' essence with your lighting and cropping. And, this had to be red, it radiates passion and sensuality. This is very painterly, very Georgia O'Keeffe. Clever use of candle light. I love it.
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| Photo By: Richard Marriner
(K:6657)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/26/2003 8:20:25 PM
This is an Irish lass if ever I saw one. I imagine her last name as Flanagan, O'Brien, Muldoon... Again, your strong suit is color. You do such a good job of capturing just the right colors in just the right places in your portraits, I admire that. The greenish cast in the highlights bring out that wonderful red hair. Well done.
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| Photo By: Al Calkins
(K:1287)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/26/2003 8:14:38 PM
This one is all about color and texture, wonderful job on both accounts. Detail on the hat vs grain of the background presents a struggle that makes this more interesting than just a straight shot all in focus. The bit of red on the lips is a nice touch, very artistic. I can't decide if the main area of interest is the hat or the face, I love both.
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| Photo By: Al Calkins
(K:1287)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/26/2003 7:38:35 PM
Super detail, composition and sentiment. Peace to you, too.
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| Photo By: Wallace Rollins
(K:149)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/26/2003 8:20:46 AM
Nice job, Mark. There's no missing that famous Chicago skyline, which you captured so well on this clear night. I know it's corny but it would have been neat to see a silhouette of Santa in his sleigh with the whole reindeer contingent flying in front of the moon, would have made a neat Chritmas card. Maybe next year. Thanks for stating that this was a composite, that is a good teaching tool. And, you did a very nice job, no harsh cut and paste line around the moon. Isn't Photoshop fun, even for the diehard film buffs -- the best of both worlds. Happy New Year to you!
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| Photo By: Mark Peterson
(K:3452)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/23/2003 6:05:19 PM
Very modern art, almost architecture-like. I see this as columns in a famous art museum. The cachet to your style is that everyone who views your images sees something different. You are a very patient person but I suspect half the joy of your photography is in the preparation. Our joy is in the viewing.
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| Photo By: Barry Walthall
(K:5312)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/23/2003 5:48:40 PM
I've admired your shots for some time and this is one of my favorites. The composition is great, the design flow from top to bottom and out to the sides is very soothing. The colors compliment each other too, the soft browns and greens go so well together. One thing I've noticed in many of your pics is that you are able to emphasize the main subject without making the backgrounds boring, they are soft yet interesting. and do not intrude. The detail on the bee is super, love the wings. Although this would be appropriate in a science magazine I would rather see it in a coffee table art book.
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| Photo By: Ronnie Gaubert
(K:3700)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/18/2003 11:29:54 AM
Very lovely in a calm, quiet sort of way. This looks as if it was processed using some sort of alternative method and doesn't have that "digital" look, which is great in this instance because of the subject matter. Puts me in mind of some of Rob Holschbach's stuff or a really good pinhole, or possibly a liquid emulsion print. There is detail where it should be and softness where detail is not needed to give it a lazy day kind of mood. I agree with you that the flowers in the foreground add a nice touch. The framing is appropriate, gives the composition a boost in the long-ago and far away department, nostalgic. I like this a lot.
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| Photo By: michaelle .
(K:3807)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/14/2003 8:46:22 AM
I can never come up wih great titles for my photos, this sure is one. Very film noir -- I see Richard Widmark meeting John Garfield, plotting to bump off Barbara Stanwyck. It adds so much to the intrigue. This is one of those shots that benefits from being too dark, too muddy, with questionable focus. It screams street, a genre I appreciate but am too timid to attempt. My research shows that this camera is a rangefinder with great glass. Have you seen this site?
http://homepage.mac.com/mattdenton/photo/cameras/yashica_gs n.html
I also looked up the Lynx you mentioned, sounds promising.
I'm realllllly not the poet type, but this is one of my favorites from the film noir era and I think it is appropriate here:
The Street
A long silent street.
I walk in blackness and I stumble and fall
and rise, and I walk blind, my feet
stepping on silent stones and dry leaves.
Someone behind me also stepping on stones, leaves:
if I slow down, he slows;
if I run, he runs. I turn: nobody.
Everything dark and doorless.
Turning and turning these corners
which lead forever to the street
where nobody waits for, nobody follows me,
where I pursue a man who stumbles
and rises and says when he sees me: nobody.
---Octavio Paz
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| Photo By: paul shelasky
(K:1211)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/12/2003 9:19:25 PM
Beautifully crisp and clear, wonderfully perspectively tuned, good job on straightening the convergence distortions inherent in a shot such as this. The limited palette of gold and blue is very striking. I seldom rate but this one gets all 7's from me. This would make an excellent print -- artbook quality. Welcome.
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| Photo By: Ari O
(K:990)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/12/2003 9:14:33 PM
Of all the photos in your portfolio this one caught my eye. I am a graphic artist too (at least they pay me to pretend I am one) and this one presents itself as the most "graphic" of all your images. The longer I work in this biz the more I'm drawn to simple, monochromatic, uncluttered images. We are constantly bombarded with fast, flashy, vivid, loud, in-your-face... This pic is so soothing, so soft, so simple. I am also a little jealous, I've been trying to get a good fog pic for many a year. I live near Lake Michigan and am too lazy to venture down in the wee hours of the morn to capture fog, so I will simply enjoy this image. Nicely captured.
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| Photo By: Troy Stanton
(K:67)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/12/2003 6:44:43 AM
Whoa, hoa, hoa, this is so cool!!! Even though it's an outstanding macro I am drawn in by the colors, love that lime green. Thank you for mentioning that you shot so many frames, it points out that this, as well as any, kind of successful photo is not a 1-click thing. Film or digital photography is so often a shoot many, choose one experience (although a 1-click wonder may show up as a surprise now and then, hooray for serendipity). And thanks for listing your camera/lens info - I believe that on a site like this that's what it's all about. Beautifully ugly photo, I love it !
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| Photo By: Widarto Rachbini
(K:104)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/11/2003 6:11:55 PM
Most excellent!
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| Photo By: Eddie O'Bryan
(K:0)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/11/2003 6:10:45 PM
Wonderful! Holgas are wonderful contraptions, I really believe they are a mirror into one's soul. I'm not a poet but this image brings to mind a poem that I ran across and have remembered for some time --
Aint She just like a rainbow?
When She smiles, She paints the sky.
Watch the lady cause I really do believe.
She'll learn to fly.
You are an artist, I admire your body of work here.
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| Photo By: Eddie O'Bryan
(K:0)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/11/2003 6:02:24 PM
This is very beautiful, Claude. I especially like the bits of red flowers peeking through the fog. I am drawn to fog photos because I haven't been able to capture a good one myself, yet, and envy those who have. I also want to shoot a good storm photo but can't seem to find a good location without having to stand in the pouring rain or having my photo ruined by telephone lines (they seem to be everywhere). The colors in this shot are wonderfully subtle -- nice greens. Your composition is good and I especially like the bit of greenery you left on the left, it frames the compostion nicely. It is very cold here in the Midwest -- hope you have nicer weather in the South.
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| Photo By: Claude Adams
(K:305)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/11/2003 5:28:35 PM
I love your photos, they are so cold. And I mean that in a warm way. They convey such a feeling of bitter cold, and any photo that evokes such an intense physical sense, so much wo that I shiver looking at your portfolio, is wonderful. Your images are what I imagine Moscow in the winter should be, and this is from one who only knows Russia from the images in movies such as Dr. Zhivago. Yes, that's it! Your photos are so Yuri Zhivago! It's so wonderful to be able to communicate, in a limited way, with photographers from all over the world at a site such as this. This is my favorite, it is such a simple, stark, cold image and very powerful.
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| Photo By: Grigory Ivaschenko
(K:458)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/11/2003 1:21:40 PM
INCREDIBLE!
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| Photo By: Barry Walthall
(K:5312)
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Critique By:
Betsy Hern (K:12872)
12/7/2003 9:38:17 PM
Another interesting rangefinder, love those old cameras. I have a Lubitel I got from the Ukraine. There's another Fed-2 photographer here:
http://www.usefilm.com/image/254110.html
This photo tells a wonderful story, a mystery I think. I don't know if it's because it's b/w or the figure cannot really be seen but I imagine it as someone hiding in the sahdows, maybe some kind of foreign spy. Like your title it's probably just somebody out shopping but I prefer to make up a more romantic story. I guess that's what street photography is all about so you've certainly succeeded here.
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| Photo By: paul shelasky
(K:1211)
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