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Nikolai
Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
Please post your personal picks and reviews here.
I start: my top 12 in more or less entry order:
Astonishing quality, I must say! :bow
I start: my top 12 in more or less entry order:
Astonishing quality, I must say! :bow
"May the f/stop be with you!"
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My images | My blog | My free course
My Top 10 in no perticular order.
douglas
Very funny picture! Nice lighting.
#3 - Llywellyn - Unplugged
Cool concept. I like BW treatment.
Could look very good in some spread ad for wireless technology.
#4 - seastack - Susan Marie
Stunning image. I would never come with this idea of adding droplets in front. Everything is perfect, even negative space plays a nice role here.
#5 - shatch - Double Dog Dare
Great lighting + wonderful composition + signature treatment = amazing image
#6 - pemmett - Waiting
While I liked the initial entry, too, this one speaks to me loud and clear. Great capture, very moody light.
#7 - pyroPrints.com - Planet Princeton
Very nice exercise of a popular technique. I like the way it looks like a treecut.
#8 - Greensquared - Hanging the Moon
I'm speechless! Emily, you did it again, you are a true fairy of light!
#9 - Awais - One more day is ending
I have read the journey post, so I knida knew what this shot was about. However, without this knowledge I wouldn't look at it twice. Awais, Iwish you've submitted one of the portraits from the same trip, it worked good for you before, I'm sure it would work this time, too.
#10 - VisualXpressions - Needful Things...
Nice, solid street capture. Lovely colors.
#11 - quark - Contemplating the city
Nice Seattle skyline, beautiful model, good bw treatment.
#12 - DrDavid - 2nd Look
Good lighting, engaged model, nice bw treatement.
#13 - eoren1 - The Steps of History
Nice sky colors, solid vertical lines.
Unfortunately, there are two very bright subjects, pillars and obelisc, both dominating the frame, located one on the foreground, one on the background. My eys keep switching ebtween them, and I don't even look at the steps - which are supposed to be the focal point...
#14 - tinfish - "Drip"
I like the non-trivial lighting, composition is very dynamic, great cpature on the drop.
#15 - kwalsh - Colored Light and Ammonite
I was so hoping you would submit the "color wheel" version of it, with more distinctive green part. Otherwise it simply looks like in exercise in a colored lighting and doesn't touch any of the "soul strings"...
#16 - Izzy Garavito - For Gold
Interesting concept, but the execution is kinda bland. It leaves no doubt it's PS-ed while kinda pretending it's not. I also don't feel good about top of the helmet and font of the ski being chopped off.
#17 - drdane - Crystal Sunrise
Great colors, lovely crystals, I can feel the frost... One of my favorites!
#18 - adrian_k - Sunrise over misty valley
Nice colors, definitely a good catch. I wonder if it would be better just before the sunrise...
#19 - ifocus - My Kiss
Definitely a great shot for Valentine's Day!
#20 - urbanaries - pint -sized philosopher
I guess it's true what they say that you will know a great image when you see it. I've said many times that I ususally do not like kids pictures, yet several time LPS made me throw my biases away. This one is one of such great images. I can go nit-picking about some technical details I'd do differently, but the end result is just that - I like it, and I like it a lot!
#21 - NanaMo - Oriental beau..tea
I felt in love with this image the moment I saw it. One of the times when such overused techniques as sepia toning and selective coloring are called for and together bring a marvellous result. Clever title, too!
#22 - LiquidAir - Moondance
Amazing image. Ken is a master of studio lighting, and this is one great examples of his work. Making splahing water to assume the shape of the evening dress - magic, pure magic!
#23 - KurtPreston - Power on the Patuxent
Well, the image is sharp and sepia treatment brings some mood into the picture...
#24 - PaulThomasMcKee - Twilight Afterglow
I'm a big fan of Paul's work, but this time it didn't work out for me. The image consists of two completely isolated parts that seem to be shot separately in different place, different climate and different time of day and then just slapped together in PS. Any single half of the image would work nicely on its own, but together they just leave a big question mark...
#25 - sherstone - The collector (tools of the trade)
Scary, moody. Great lighting, awesome treatment!
#26 - renstar - Snow and Creek
Honest depiction of the title. Nice crispy clean image, solid bw.
#27 - ravic - Floating market
This image almost made my cut. Great subject, nice use of wide angle.
However, the middle part of the image is blown out due to the sun, and this - purely technical - detail spoils the whole thing. I'd say 4:10 crop of the river itself could save it for me.
#28 - stedonovan - Collective
Nice colors, great lines!
#29 - Jet - Abandoned
Nice idea, nice capture - and the treatment ruined it all. Selective coloring is not a tool one should use lightly, not in LPS SF, at least.
#30 - Dalantech - Alien Invader
Great macro shot!
#31 - Vandana - "A Hindu Astrologer..."
Very strong model. But a background is too distracting to my taste. Maybe shallower DOF would help (I was surprised to see f/5.6), as well as changeing the green into some brown...
#32 - Annnna8888 - On The Shore
Another wall hanger from our European friend. Simple, elegant. Love it!
#33 - darkdragon - Sku Fire
Nice colors!
#34 - Agila - Pacifica
Lovely colors. I only wonder: how on Earth you managed to take this shot at 5pm? The sun is supposed to be on the West, while your image has a solid East-originated lighting?
#35 - Swartzy - Room to Play
I love the tilt! Colors are very nice, too!
#36 - Douglas - Serrated Wave
Looks like somebody was preparing for Blade WA :-)
Interesting concept, nice catch of the water drop.
#37 - HoofClif - Optimum Time
Bold entry, not many people dared to drag shutter on such things. Great movement capture.
#38 - Justiceiro - "Revenge..."
Great character, nice smooth bg. My biggest gripe - on-camera flash.
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Thanks also for taking the time to give the feedback to everyone - now get some sleep :-)
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Thanx for the comment, I took it this morning and the server I was going to use was down and I had about half an hour before entries closed.... so was panicking and at the time it seemed like it worked.. in hindsight..
Oh well.. We live and learn
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Regarding Agila's shot of the Pacifica Pier... look closely and you will see the rocks in the "front" are dark, and are highlighted on the "south west" side. If you can imagine looking straight ahead at 12 noon, the sun is setting now at around 10:30. This will change, in summer it sets at around 1:30, sorry I don't know the angles off hand. I'm math challenged.
I was actually up before sunrise one day and went to the Pacifica Pier and the light is quite different in the morning.
If Agila had shot the pier from the north side looking south, there'd be no question it was sunset.
If you are ever on Flickr do a search for Pacifica Pier and you will find a gazillion photos, it's probably the most photographed sight in the area. There is also a Pacifica Pier group :-)
What's really amusing to me is that at even a hint of a storm or wave action the cbs and nbc news vans are on site! Probably because it's easy parking, close proximity to waves crashing, and close to "the city."
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Thanks Nik!:D
Thanks for the critique, my friend!
Winston
Thank you, Nikolai. Now to find some wireless technoology people looking for an ad to fill... :giggle
Looking for tips on macro photography? Check out my Blog: No Cropping Zone.
I wonder why you would have liked a shot before sunrise.
I _was_ there before sunrise and the colours weren't so strong and without the sun it lost one of the local points.
cheers,
Adrian
Adrian
my stuff is here.....
#2 - bgaras2001 - Autumn Harvest
Awesome image, I really want to know how you did that, so why don't you step on over to the "Behind the scenes" thread, right over there =c)
#3 - Llywellyn - Unplugged
I like it. But as you already know, I would have preferred some extra grunge, but then again some people don't like too much PS.
#4 - seastack - Susan Marie
It's certainly interesting, though it doesn't grab me like some other of your images have. But as far as technique goes, it's very good.
#5 - shatch - Double Dog Dare
Very well done. Looks like a movie poster =c)
#6 - pemmett - Waiting
It's nice but somehow I feel like something's missing =c/
#7 - pyroPrints.com - Planet Princeton
eh =c)
#8 - Greensquared - Hanging the Moon
Very nice. The photography is done very well, but the PS has a few "flaws" IMO. One thing that bothered me was the left hand. I feel like it should have been behind the moon, to complete the illusion she's holding the moon. And the smoke seems a little off too.
#9 - Awais - One more day is ending
Nice image, but I've seen better from you. It lack a certain definition (not sure how to explain it).
#10 - VisualXpressions - Needful Things...
I like the colors, and it's a pretty solid photo, but the subject doesn't grab me =c/
#11 - quark - Contemplating the city
Solid portrait. Good exposure. Cute subject =c)
#12 - DrDavid - 2nd Look
It's a solid portrait, but only that. Interesting to you I'm sure, not very interesting to the viewer =c/
#13 - eoren1 - The Steps of History
Well executed "landscape", though I think it'd be a lot more interesting if this was shot from a much lower angle.
#14 - tinfish - "Drip"
Technically this is a great photo. Good lighting/timing/sharpness. But the content doesn't grab me too much =c/
#15 - kwalsh - Colored Light and Ammonite
This would make a nice wall piece, but it doesn't say photo to me.
#16 - Izzy Garavito - For Gold
Interesting idea, though it doesn't quite do it for me for some reason.
#17 - drdane - Crystal Sunrise
Pretty pattern, good color.
#18 - adrian_k - Sunrise over misty valley
Well done. I really like this one. Could have been interesting to do this one in HDR.
#19 - ifocus - My Kiss
Nice shot, but a little soft for my taste (over aggressive noise removal?)
#20 - urbanaries - pint -sized philosopher
Great shot. I think you know the usual comments on shots of kids. "Better make it really good". And I'll be damned if you didn't take that advice to heart. Excellent image.
#21 - NanaMo - Oriental beau..tea
Nice image, looks like a commercial product shot.
#22 - LiquidAir - Moondance
As I've already told you, this image fits your screen name well. After seeing the your how to, I appreciate your dedication to this image even more. Good stuff. Top notch.
#23 - KurtPreston - Power on the Patuxent
I like these kinda shots, but I think it could have been more dynamic. Maybe introduce a different subject in the foreground.
#24 - PaulThomasMcKee - Twilight Afterglow
It's nice, and I can appreciate how difficult it is to take a good night shot. But this seems a little over processed (I shouldn't be talking though).
#25 - sherstone - The collector (tools of the trade)
The consensus from people who've seen this image is "Awesome!". That's good stuff. I wonder how many people connected this image to "The Collection" from last round? =c)
#26 - renstar - Snow and Creek
Nice image. Lack something interesting to focus on.
#27 - ravic - Floating market
I think this is a bit of a missed opportunity. This shot could have been great, but some of the technical aspects turn me off (the blown out highlights the most).
#28 - stedonovan - Collective
Not your typical flower shot. Nice.
#29 - Jet - Abandoned
I think this is my fault. When I said selective color I didn't mean the technique. I meant this: http://www.newtutorials.com/selective-color-adjustment.htm (though not to that extreme). It's a good tool to get colors punched up individually (green in this case). That being said it's still a good image.
#30 - Dalantech - Alien Invader
Stop creeping me out =c)
#31 - Vandana - "A Hindu Astrologer..."
Nice shot. Colors are a little flat.
#32 - Annnna8888 - On The Shore
HDR? Well done nice shot. Though when I do shots like these, I find it makes it a lot more interesting if you include an interesting subject in the forground ( or it might make it distracting, matter of taste I guess)
#33 - darkdragon - Sky Fire
Colors are nice, but I wish there was more detail in the skyline to grab onto.
#34 - Agila - Pacifica
Good exposure, great colors. Nice solid image.
#35 - Swartzy - Room to Play
Colors are well done.
#36 - Douglas - Serrated Wave
It's a great capture, but I think more could have been done with it. The fish does nothing for me but add to my confusion =c/ Unless you're planning on making sushi, but then again the serrated knife wouldn't help
#37 - HoofClix - Optimum Time
This image makes me wonder if you meant to do this. I think we've seen better from you =c/
#38 - Justiceiro - "Revenge..."
umm ok...
What happened to Binghott,Ozone,rolandallen,trihokie?
pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
E
2. bgaras2001-Autumn Harvest. A very cute shot with excellent use of light. I actually loved your first entry more than this one. I'm left wondering why the frog is hanging off the branch trying to grab a nut that it won't ever eat.
3. llywellyn-Unplugged. Wonderful concept. Excellent black and white conversion. The plug does bother me in the end mostly for being the wrong size for having been just yanked out of the wall. I keep coming back to that perspective difference and find myself concentrating on it at the expense of the rest of the image.
4. seastack-Susan Marie. #2 overall. Wonderful portrait! Great use of light and dead space. It's almost haunting. I am left endlessly wondering what this woman is doing and thinking. Where is she going?
5. shatch-Double dog dare. Very good concept and wonderful models. You managed to get some great expressions out of the lot of them. I like the added breath of steam. I was a bit bothered by the skin tones and sharpening. there is a halo around the kid with the stuck tongue. While their cheeks should be read, the skin seemed a bit too contrasty.
6. pemmett-Waiting. Nice capture and I much preferred this over the first entry. I missed the cropped version and still wonder if that would have been stronger compositionally. Great use of the silhouette.
7. pyroPrints-Planet princeton. An amazing technique put to very good use. I love the light in this one with the glow around this 'planet'. The cost of that glow is the brownish grass as the predominant color which detracts a bit from the final image.
8. greensquared-Hanging the Moon. This is a wonderful image and I greatly appreciate the ‘behind the scenes’ discussion. This just missed my top 3 but is definitely in the top 10 for this round. Very well done.
9. awais yaqub-One more day is ending. #1 overall. This one floored me when I first saw it in the Landscapes forum. Perfect light. Great mood. Tells a wonderful story.
10. VisualXpressions-Needful Things. I was a bit lost with this one. I couldn’t tell what the focal point of the shopper was. Also the reflection in the window detracts from the shot.
11. quark-Contemplating the City. A very nice portrait and backdrop. She has a great pose. This looks like it would make for a great shoe ad as those sneakers keep pulling me in. In my top-10.
12. DrDavid-1nd look. A technically well done portrait but a story is missing for me. Nice b/w conversion and a lovely model.
13. My photo. Thanks for the critique Nikolai. It is a good point that the eyes keep bouncing between the two.
14. tinfish-Drip. A nicely done portrait with excellent lighting and the splash makes for a nice focal point. The model looks a but ‘frozen’ to me. As if this wasn’t a capture of her in movement but rather that she is hunched over very still and not participating in the drip of water.
15. kwalsh-colored light and ammonite. A very neat study in texture, shape and color. The back story of light use helps. It would make for a great print and just made my top-10.
16. Izzy Garavito-For Gold. I liked the original but agreed with the others that it looked like the poor skier was headed for a nasty landing. Not sure if cropping the foreground snow would have helped. This shot has a ‘standing in front of green screen’ feel for me. I can’t put the skier and the environment together.
17. drdane-Crystal Sunrise. Nice colors and texture in the snow. The image doesn’t quite work for me as-is. Maybe a lower vantage point to allow the view to see the shapes flowing under the branches with the golden light behind would have helped.
18. Adrian_k. Sunrise over misty valley. A nice landscape with good use of the tree and sun to balance the image. I think Shay’s good old 4x10 pano crop would help immensely. So would bringing out the fog/mist a bit more.
19. ifocus-My Kiss. Perfect DOF, colors and very nice concept. Made my top-10.
20. urbanaries-pint-sized philosopher. #3 overall. Wonderful portrait. Excellent expression and great high-key black/white conversion.
21. NanaMo-Orinetal beau…tea. A nice still life with good colors and composition. Just did not get a story out of it. Just missed my top-10.
22. LiquidAir-Moondance. Great concept. Amazing behind-the-scenes. Excellent colors and composition. Made my top-10.
23. KurtPreston-Power on the Patuxent. A nice landscape but the color treatment detracts from the image. It feels ‘muddy’ to me. Wish there was more in the foreground to hold my gaze.
24. PaulThomasMcKee-twilight afterglow. An interesting composition. It feels like two completely different places. The wood pylons seem like they should lead me to a moonlit lake but instead draw me to a bright city. The extreme contrast of the city contrasts quite strongly with the foreground and detracts from the image in my opinion. Made my top 10.
25. sherstone-The Collector. A nice, dark portrait. I guess this is a follow up to the hand image. The saw in the background is brilliant! In the end, it didn’t have the power of urbanaries portrait. Made the top-10 but not the final 3.
26. renstar-Snow and Creek. A nice b/w landscape but my eye wanders around looking for something to settle on. The lack of a focal point detracts from this otherwise serene scene.
27. ravic-Floating market. A great scene with wonderful activity and colors. I think the fisheye pulls the viewer to far away from what is going on rather than pulling him/her into the scene. A lower angle and/or longer focal length may have helped.
28. stednovan. Collective. Strong colors and great DOF. The composition is lacking a bit with the focal point being front and center. Would have preferred the two stacks in the background leaning left and the center pushed to the right 1/3 of the frame.
29. Jet-abandoned. A great landscape shot but the final color treatment detracts from it. The horizon is now nice and straight. The use of the train tracks to lead the viewer to the mountain is great. However, the image should, in my opinion, be all b/w or all color.
30. Dalantech-alien invader. A nice macro capture. Great lighting on this little guy. I would have liked to see some other element in here besides the bug to bring out a story. Made my top-10.
31. vandana-Hindu Astrologer. A nice capture of an interesting subject. The background detracts as does the processing. Feels like the contrast and sharpening were pushed a bit too much. I think a shot of just the expression-filled face on a neutral background would have made for a more powerful image.
32. annnna888-On the shore. A great landscape with good use of the shore as a leading line to the rest of the image. Nice details captured. The crop bothers me and I think you could have cut off ½ of the sky and ended up with a stronger image. Made my top 10.
33. darkdragon-Sky Fire. The sky certainly is showing off some great colors. However there are no other elements in the frame to complement it. The silhouette of buildings (?) is not recognizable or strong enough to compete with the sky.
34. Agila-Pacifica. Great light and use of long shutter. The pier makes for a great element (although the fence bothers me a bit and I would have cloned it out). Made my top-10.
35. Swartzy-Room to Play. Great looking model who seems to really be enjoying himself. Just didn’t have the power of urbanaries’ or seastack’s portraits in the end. Perhaps a foreground element (toy) would have helped. As it is, he looks like he is looking at the camera rather than playing.
36. Douglas-Serrated Wave. Can’t wait for the behind-the-scenes on this one. I see a knife edge. The drop of water seems to be hanging there though and I’m not sure where it came from. Then there are the fish… the story leaves me confused. Are the fish jumping out of the bowl to land on the knife???
37. HoofClix-Optimum Time. This one is too blurry for my taste. I would have liked to see some part of the horse in focus though with panning to give the sense of motion. I’m also very confused by the exif – since when does Nikon make an f/1.0 lens? And how did you shoot at iso 100 f/1.0 and get 1/15 sec during the day?
38. Justiciero-Revenge of the reform school debutantes. A nice portrait but not as strong as some of the others posted. The strong shadow from the flash detracts quite a bit.
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Thanks for the comment! much appriciated!:D
Winston
I totally understand you WERE there before sunrise, otherwise you wouldn't been able to capture this one
Looking for tips on macro photography? Check out my Blog: No Cropping Zone.
Thanks! Jumping spiders never sit still -I had to get him back on the background several times, and the background had to be small so could turn it (and get the critter to face me). Much, much easier to shoot a refrigerated subject but I'll never do it -even though it's just a spider I can't harm a subject just for a photo...
Looking for tips on macro photography? Check out my Blog: No Cropping Zone.
Good Luck, and Onward!
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and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
Best of luck to all!!! This looks like another great round. Can't wait to see the Final entries...should be AMAZING!!!! I know I had problems sleeping last night as my image starting coming together in my mind.
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Thank you. And I did like your idea of grunge! In theory, it was great. When I tried it in PS, the shot just lost something. The "dead space," I found, really contributed to what I wanted the photo to convey: disconnection from the world.
Thank you! I found your interpretation of the story interesting when you mentioned it in PM. I actually wasn't trying to convey that the plug had been yanked out of the wall at all--I was trying to illustrate its desire to make its way back to the power source after the owner chose to eliminate his connection to this world. So it made more sense for the plug to be closer to the viewer in my version of the story. I loved seeing a different interpretation of the image! Your version of the story never occured to me! :giggle I love when that happens. Different perspectives are so enlightening.
Thank you both so much for taking the time to express your thoughts and feedback.
Live and learn.
Thanks Nik!!
Maureen
Thanks so much for including me!
What great company I am in
Maureen
I felt in love with this image the moment I saw it. One of the times when such overused techniques as sepia toning and selective coloring are called for and together bring a marvellous result. Clever title, too!
Nik, thanks so much! I was a little apprehensive about using those techniques also but for some reason it just felt right. And I am so pleased you agree!!
Maureen
Nice image, looks like a commercial product shot.
Thanks for the nice comment!
Maureen
Drat!!!
Maureen
Thanks for taking the time to comment on these.....that be lots of work...much appreciated.
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Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
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I hope we start up with the old contests soon. Or a new LPS. Or something.