Two Taken at the Beach

lizzard_nyc

1.



2.

lizzard_nyc

Ok--so these are obviously not working--and normally I would let it go down the hall of shame into no comments oblivion.
But I'm curious. I want to know why they don't work.

Is it because no one wants to see photos of an anguished child?
Is this too much like taking photos of a homeless person in the street who is defenseless?
Does this cross a line?
Is the conversion horrible?
Do you think they are my family and you dont' want to say anything negative?
OR Do they just suck?

No hard feelings--this is just a curiosity thing for me-if they suck so be it--There is always another post.

Thanks,
Liz

bfjr

lizzard_nyc wrote: »

Ok--so these are obviously not working--and normally I would let it go down the hall of shame into no comments oblivion.
But I'm curious. I want to know why they don't work.

Is it because no one wants to see photos of an anguished child?
Is this too much like taking photos of a homeless person in the street who is defenseless?
Does this cross a line?
Is the conversion horrible?
Do you think they are my family and you dont' want to say anything negative?
OR Do they just suck?

No hard feelings--this is just a curiosity thing for me-if they suck so be it--There is always another post.

Thanks,
Liz

Just missing a SHARK FIN!!

Ah Liz, nothing really wrong, just nothing really interesting (to me) and I've seen much better from you.
You know I'm speaking straight since so many of mine have past into the Hall Of .............

lizzard_nyc

bfjr wrote: »

Just missing a SHARK FIN!!

Ah Liz, nothing really wrong, just nothing really interesting (to me) and I've seen much better from you.
You know I'm speaking straight since so many of mine have past into the Hall Of .............

Hee hee--thanks Benjamin.
I was hoping this showed "bad parenting 101".
I heard a lot of screaming then this scene--I missed the shot where she was dunked under water so she'd get a feel for the water--it did not work.

Thanks for the honesty--off to mind my next subjects.

black mamba

Hi Liz,

I'm a little reticent to say much in the way of a negative since I don't post over here....therefore I don't open myself up to the blistering C & C I would surely get to my pathetic attempts at PJ & S photography.

I'm with Ben on these shots. There's just nothing of real interest here for me. I guess it's weak subject matter that causes these to fail. I'd just shuffle these on off to the dead bin and move on.

Take care,

Tom

lizzard_nyc

black mamba wrote: »

Hi Liz,

I'm a little reticent to say much in the way of a negative since I don't post over here....therefore I don't open myself up to the blistering C & C I would surely get to my pathetic attempts at PJ & S photography.

I'm with Ben on these shots. There's just nothing of real interest here for me. I guess it's weak subject matter that causes these to fail. I'd just shuffle these on off to the dead bin and move on.

Take care,

Tom

Ah Tom,
You are getting the hang of the negative comments:D.
Though yours are not blistering.

Feel free to comment on mine anytime! I mean it, good or bad.

Thanks Tom,

And now moving on...sad when they don't work right? but it pushes me more.

MarkR

I think if you cropped tighter they'd have more impact. (Not trying to beat a dead horse.) Also that b&w conversion doesn't look quite right to my eyes-- like the clarity slider got pushed too far or something.

rainbow

I actually like the captures, especially #1. The full story is readily apparent with the child being terrified of the water. It is apparent that the men were goading or teasing her to not be afraid, but that it backfired and the child wanted nothing more to do with being in the water. I suspect they felt badly afterwards...

BTW, I liked it on first viewing, but was on the road and not able to reply to the post. Also, do not be so quick to assume the shot is not working due to the lack of responses. Your shooting style is more people and emotion oriented than most other posters -- and perhaps closer to my style (and Michswiss...), so there may be less feedback at times).

lizzard_nyc

MarkR wrote: »

I think if you cropped tighter they'd have more impact. (Not trying to beat a dead horse.) Also that b&w conversion doesn't look quite right to my eyes-- like the clarity slider got pushed too far or something.

Hi Mark,
Thanks for commenting.
I did struggle with the conversion on these.

I wanted the emotion on the little girl's face to be clear, but she was in the shadows--so when I brought her face out of the shadows it kind of washed out the rest. I will keep playing with them.

Thanks.

lizzard_nyc

rainbow wrote: »

I actually like the captures, especially #1. The full story is readily apparent with the child being terrified of the water. It is apparent that the men were goading or teasing her to not be afraid, but that it backfired and the child wanted nothing more to do with being in the water. I suspect they felt badly afterwards...

BTW, I liked it on first viewing, but was on the road and not able to reply to the post. Also, do not be so quick to assume the shot is not working due to the lack of responses. Your shooting style is more people and emotion oriented than most other posters -- and perhaps closer to my style (and Michswiss...), so there may be less feedback at times).

Thanks Rainbow,
Not so sure about them feeling badly about them. They were kind of brutish about it. The poor kid kept getting dunked under water for good measure and shockingly enough it didnt' work.
There is a faint recollection of something similar happening to me as a child, so maybe that's why I was drawn to take these shots. Or maybe I dreamed it happened to me--either way, I know that panicky feeling, and it ain't pretty.

Adults sometimes!

Glad you liked them.

Flyinggina

Liz, I'm so sorry to be this long before commenting on this set.

I spotted the photos only when you wrote a few days ago noting that there had been no comments. (I have not been able to spend much time on dGrin in recent weeks so what I see is and comment on is definitely hit and miss.)

Frankly, I was surprised that the pictures drew no comments. I think they are both excellent captures and they definitely tell a story.

Still, I have found it hard to comment. The family surely didn't feel they were being cruel to the little girl, but that is just what they were doing.

The photos brought back a distant memory of the frightening experience of being tumbled by an unexpected wave in Ocean City, Maryland when I was quite small - as young or younger than the girl in your pictures. Instead of coming to my aid, my Dad took home movies of the incident. Everyone but me thought it was terribly funny every time my Dad showed the movie. Happily, despite the experience, I love playing in ocean waves, even today.

So I guess I feel a bit squeamish about this set - somewhat the way I did about the pictures BD took of the woman scorned, except that this time a child's distress is the subject.

That said, I still think they are good captures.

I have gone back and forth whether the first one would be stronger if you cropped out the smiling man on the left, but of course the answer to that is no. His bright smile completes the story.

I would crop the second one to keep us focussed on the mother and child.



Virginia

lizzard_nyc

Hi Virginia,
I usually suck it up when people don't comment--it's part of posting sometimes. But this one just had me really curious because they hit me hard. The terrified child surrounded by laughing adults (laughing at her no less). So I wondered why people didn't comment. I'm usualy not so pushy about it, lol.

It's funny when I showed my husband these shots, the brought back similar memories for him--basically sink or swim style lessons.

Thanks for commenting and for explaining why you were hesitant to comment.
I am recropping that second shot now.

lizzard_nyc

Recropped

misterb

Is her boob coming out? :wow

bdcolen

These are both good images, Liz, though I think the family group one is the stronger of the two. I think the second one may now be too tight, but I'm not sure what to suggest. But the first one says it all. As to those who don't see anything....humor? Family life at its best? The joys and fears of childhood? Mother love? Summer? And on and on and on.

And boy, Liz, what a little post processing can do for someone's photography. ;-)

lizzard_nyc

misterb wrote: »

Is her boob coming out? :wow

Don't think so. Her breast is covered--there is a guy right behind her whose shoulder is visible maybe throwing the image off. Had the breast been visible though, I would have still posted it.

lizzard_nyc

bdcolen wrote: »

These are both good images, Liz, though I think the family group one is the stronger of the two. I think the second one may now be too tight, but I'm not sure what to suggest. But the first one says it all. As to those who don't see anything....humor? Family life at its best? The joys and fears of childhood? Mother love? Summer? And on and on and on.

And boy, Liz, what a little post processing can do for someone's photography. ;-)

Thanks B.D.--I love LR3. These were difficult images to work with even with LR3.

Glad the first image worked for you.