Challenge 22: Contemplation by Crystal Lake

ish

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).




The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:





I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills.

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

aero-nut

ish wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).




The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:





I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills.

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

Great photos! The first is cool, but seems a little too dark to see the contrast between the silhouette and the background lighting.

I think I like the second one better because the contrast just grabs you.

GREAPER

I like them both very much.

I dont mind the first one being a bit dark, the colors are fantastic.

The second one is very nice, the contrast and the image on the brick make for a unique shot. I like them.

dkapp

I think the second one is best. I like the contrast & textures. The ripples in the water are great.

Dave

yosemitedigitalphoto

I think the first shot is good but I would have liked to see more than a silouette of the subject. The table and other sillouette are distractions to the composition. The second shot is exelent. I would like to know more about what I'm looking at, is that a painting, projection or computer digital manipulation?

digismile

The first is a little dark for my tastes but a nice photo just the same. I really like the vibrancy of the colours in the second photo and the reflection in the water.

Brad

shooter

Nice shots. I prefer the second, something about reflections get me. The ripples are great, as are the colors.

ish

I agree with you about the first shot. There is too much clutter around the subject that does not have any real relevance...

As for the second shot, I was at Millenium Park, an urban park in downtown Chicago, and there is a permanant installment there with these really tall rectangular pillars that are also video screens with water running over them.

Here are a few shots of them at a greater distance so as to give you a better context:

yosemitedigitalphoto wrote:

I think the first shot is good but I would have liked to see more than a silouette of the subject. The table and other sillouette are distractions to the composition. The second shot is exelent. I would like to know more about what I'm looking at, is that a painting, projection or computer digital manipulation?

ish

Thanks everyone for the comments, I think I will go with the second one. I wish you all could have been there to see the girl running around, she was such a joy to watch. I just wish I had an extremely high ISO camera so I could have got some better focus shots of her playing...

ginger_55

ish wrote:

Thanks everyone for the comments, I think I will go with the second one. I wish you all could have been there to see the girl running around, she was such a joy to watch. I just wish I had an extremely high ISO camera so I could have got some better focus shots of her playing...

Heck, I prefer the blur. But I wouldn't enter it. I like the second shot best, too.

And I like how Chicage has done those "things". Nice, and good photos, too.

ginger

lynnma

ish wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).




The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:



I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills.

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

Hey don't apologize!!! the challenge forum is pretty new for us too... we welcome as many new entries as possible so POST AWAY. I like your shots so far.
Lynn

judyfuess

I really like the second shot...

landrum

I like the first one, but other items in it are distracting. If it was just the man against the sky it would be perfect. I really love the second one! It is a very good capture...well done!


Laurie

lynnesite

ish wrote:

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

Hello, Ish--you have an artist's eye, and I'd be very surprised if you don't have a background in some other medium!

I even like the horizon's tilt in the first one, and it looks good on my (Mac) LCD monitor. Both are great.

Welcome aboard!
Lynne

ish

Thanks for taking a look~ I think I will go with the second one though as it seems that is most people's preference and I do prefer the second myself. I lied the first one a lot but the more I look at it the more I wish I could retake it a little differently.

lynnesite wrote:

Hello, Ish--you have an artist's eye, and I'd be very surprised if you don't have a background in some other medium!

I even like the horizon's tilt in the first one, and it looks good on my (Mac) LCD monitor. Both are great.

Welcome aboard!
Lynne

AltPro

Very Nice Work... Welcome to the DGForum!
Ish...
Welcome to the forum.... Hope you learn as much as you offer...

Regarding the photos... I really do like the little girl in front of the video mural... Nice handling there of the contrast, and the surface of the water... Nice colors too. But I will add that I also like the little girl in motion... It has a certain feel to it that made me look at it several times.

I agree with Lynne here... You seem to have a "fairly good" eye, for one who is just a beginner... Keep it up and you'll be giving some a run for their money!

Again, Welcome aboard.
ginette

wxwax

Wow, I love this shot. Great work. As someone else said, you have a wonderful eye and aesthetic.

ish

I decided to consider a few more shots from a bike ride I took the other evening.

I am still partial to the little girl as I prefer human subjects, but these next three shots are more abstract in how they fall into the theme, nonetheless I feel they capture the theme on some levels, each in their own way:

Lonely Lamp (simple enough):


Crane and Debris (the symmetry between the tractor and the tarp or whatever it is above):


Lonely Alley (I have always felt alleys were lonely, especially when dark!):