LPS Final Feedback Thread

shatch · February 25, 2008

Anyone interested in a final feedback thread for the LPS? Or is it time to move on to the next chapter of the book?

The Curious Camel · February 25, 2008

If your willing to give feedback I'd love to read it. I'm sure others are to.

Peace, gail

anwmn1 · February 26, 2008

I'll do a feedback to the finalists. I never even qualified for a SF so take it how you want to.

1. Vandana- The Lone Ranger
Well it won didn't it?

Great Color, great silhouttes, good reflection- only nit picky thing for me is I would have liked to see more water at the bottom. Cowboy's head is right on the line.

2. Tessa HD- Stage Door
Great shot- feel some emotion but not a lot

. Not sure if he is taking a break or just got booted. RT side crop is perfect. Bottom and left are a little tight especially around the person. Love the colors of the railing and the bricks.

3. photogmomma- enough
Very interesting. It totally works with most of the photo being blown out. The thing that bothers me is the title doesn't really fit. For a long time I thought the shower and bath pieces were a baby bounce. Once I realized it was the bath I was a little lost.

4. shatch- Tracks
Looks like it could be a movie or book cover for a mystery suspense novel. Pretty cool.

5. Pemmet- Bellowing the Blues
Nice conversion- nice portrait - the soft focus of the shirt and the face hurts it a little bit. Very nice though.

6. Urbanaries- Shadow of a doubt
Another book or movie cover. Area around the eyes is just too dark and overall could be a little sharper.

7. cmurph- Rocket Man
Love this one. Great idea

Not much to criticize- just some really strong competition.

8. Awais Yaqub- What's next on us?

Magnificent Portrait. Very Real Very Emotional. Excellent Job Awais.

9. LiquidAir- School Outing
Great concept- great follow through- classic shot. Very very cool. This is a portfolio shot for sure.

10. seastack- Twilight Flow
I was really surprised to see you go back to a landscape after all of the journalism stuff you have been posting. To be honest- as much as I love your seascapes- I was a little disappointed to not see a multi layered street scene. Nothing wrong with this shot- very serene and peaceful- just lacking a story and wow factor.

Overall this was an extremely strong group of photos and everyone should be very very proud.

Great stuff everyone

shatch · February 26, 2008

Thanks Aaron for the feedback. I'll try and get some coming later today. (Including yours Gail).

Greensquared · February 26, 2008

shatch wrote:

Thanks Aaron for the feedback. I'll try and get some coming later today. (Including yours Gail).

I hope to do feedback this time too. It'll take a couple of days probably though, as I want to put quality time into it.

eoren1 · February 26, 2008

Feedback for the LPS entries
Steve-
Thanks for posting this thread. I had put together a feedback post for the entire LPS final gallery but shelved it until the votes were done. I have not touched this doc file since then so it has not been biased by any behind-the-scenes or other posts that have followed.
Hope these comments/critiques are helpful. I have to say the field of entries was incredible. Congratulations to everyone involved.
E

2 bgaras2001-revenge. This looks like the poster for a Quentin Tarantino movie! There is a lot of dead white space that detracts a bit. The shadows (especially on the second girl’s face) are rather harsh. The expressions are too bland to scream out ‘revenge’.
3 PaulThomasMcKee-Solace in a cup. A nice portrait of a face that has clearly earned all of its lines. I mentioned it to you earlier but the warmth of the photo (ie the background) detracts from the sense that he is seeking warmth from the bottom of the cup.
4 Izzy Garavito-Classic. A nice high-key portrait with good use of light. The model’s expression is quite neutral and does not endow the photo with any added depth.
5 VisualXpressions-Behind the Blue Door... A well done still life with a very interesting collection of items hanging there... I’m not a huge fan of still life as a genre and so this image did not grab me.
6 vandana-The Lone Ranger. Wonderful capture with a beautiful sunset and excellent use of silhouettes as well as reflections. Very well composed with the barn and old windmill balancing the cowboy. Definitely in my top 10.
7 TessaHD-Stage Door. I followed this one closely to see what would come of it and was sad to hear that the snow effectively ruined any other attempts. As-is, the model feels photoshopped in place and slightly blurred as well. It is in contrast to the exquisite sharpness of the rest of the capture. Thus, despite the great work with the shadow on the back, the model doesn’t quite fit.
8 photogmomma-enough... A very nice black and white high-key portrait. I’m stuck trying to reconcile the scene and title in my mind. Enough of what? And why is she sitting on a table in the bathroom looking so upset? There’s a story there but I may be too concrete to appreciate it.
9 shatch-Tracks. Wow! This one floored me when I saw it. Excellent capture of the model. Amazing background. The moon bothered me at first (and I just saw the comment at the bottom of your entry). Felt too large but the story behind it is just awesome. Especially with the broken fence and the lights on in the house. Hope that rifle is loaded with silver bullets! Definitely in my top 10.
10 pemmett-Bellowing the Blues. Very nice capture with good emotion ringing through. I wish you were able to put some more of the hand in the frame though I know how tough these shots are to get. I also can’t help but feel that the black and white conversion could be punched (for lack of a better word) a bit more.
11 Swartzy-The Session Player. A nice capture with good control of light and perfect shutter speed to control the drumstick. It has a bit of a sterile feel to it and that is likely because it is in a studio session and lacks the audience to provide power and emotion.
12 urbanaries-Shadow of a Doubt. (#1 overall). This is just plain awesome! Great composition. Love the portrait orientation including the buildings in the background. Wonderful black and white. Feels so very noir-ish. It has story...characters...emotion...what more could you ask for??? Congratulations. You’re the Last Photographer Standing in my book.
13 cmurph-Rocket Man. Very, very creative! I love the fisheye look. A perfect location for this whimsical shot. Just a really great idea and you pulled it off very well. Definitely in my top 10.
14 Greensquared-Stepping Through Time. This is well done with good captures, good use of light and great photoshopping. Not to get into the photoshop or not debate but this image feels like a photoshop exercise. After viewing it, I care more about how you did it and being impressed with the effect than caring for the image itself and what it tries to convey.
15 Awais Yaqub-What’s next on us? Another wonderful portrait Awais. The inclusion of the hands is great as are the ‘dead’ eyes. We now know what is next for you with the election having ended. Hoping for the best there... Definitely in my top 10.
16 ravic-Postc@rt. This feels like a product shot. It’s a well done one to be sure but just didn’t grab me.
17 sherstone-King of the Castle. A beautiful location and the inclusion of the lone bird adds a sense of scale (though I expected those rocks to be bigger!) and mystery. I can only imagine what this place looks like during a warmer sunset. As-is the colors feel muted and monotone. I wish the exposure was longer still to give more movement to the water. Just made my top 10.
18 LiquidAir-School Outing. Where in the world do you come up with this stuff??? A very cool concept and exceptional photoshop work. This image transports me to a world where fish do indeed go out on school trips to see the Golden Gate. And, of course, what better means of transportation could there be?!?!?! Very nicely done. Definitely in my top 10.
19 quark-I should have bought her chocolates. I just don’t get much out of this photo. Not sure why he’s sitting there with a card and flowers. The model seems quite neutral in his stance and expression.
20 Povertybarn-That will leave a mark. A very cool capture and it feels as though the poor guy is getting clobbered. The sweat droplets are catching the flash in such a way as to make them feel fake. Just missed my top-10.
21 annna8888-In the Gorge. A beautiful landscape! Excellent use of slow shutter speed. The saturation is perfect as is the depth of field. The mist/fog adds immensely. Definitely in my top 10.
22 rddphotos-38.15852n... A beautiful location and nicely captured. I can’t help but feel as if I’m looking down on a scene that is too perfect for me to ever reach - and that may be the whole idea!! Made my top 10.
23 imax-The Corner. Nice scene and good capture. I know these are difficult scenes to capture well which you have done. I think shifting the rider to the left of the photo (ie cropping a bit on the left) would have helped this shot.
24 The Curious Camel-Once Upon a Forest. This one is very in-your-face photoshopped and, I’m sorry, not very well done. The child and squirrel are very clearly painted in and are too separate from the soft effect used for the trees.
25 seastack-Twilight Flow. This is another wonderful landscape and, as has been stated elsewhere, a ‘signature shot’. That being said, my eyes bounce around the scene without settling on one object. I go from the foreground stones to the background rocks and the sky only to come back again. The long shutter speed is used well and gives the soft fog like effect which is well done. The distant large rocks have a strong halo which likely is from oversharpening. Made my top 10.
26 JFreeman-teething. Comical! Interesting subjects to say the least. The backdrop works well. I love that the duck is holding up his hands...
27 BeachBill-The Canal. The wonders of Vegas! This image suffers from the scene that it depicts. Namely that it is a Vegas version of reality. The lighting is all too bright and the water a completely unnatural shade of blue. The image is technically good but depicts a very artificial place.
28 saurora-Sharing Space. Not sure what to make of this shot. Very high-key. The capture of the bird is well done. Just doesn’t grab me as some of the other images did.

The Curious Camel · February 26, 2008

eoren1 wrote:

Steve-
24 The Curious Camel-Once Upon a Forest. This one is very in-your-face photoshopped and, I’m sorry, not very well done. The child and squirrel are very clearly painted in and are too separate from the soft effect used for the trees.

Thank you

The Curious Camel · February 26, 2008

shatch wrote:

Thanks Aaron for the feedback. I'll try and get some coming later today. (Including yours Gail).

Thanks, gail

lynnd0526 · February 26, 2008

Geeeez...............
Regarding feedback from "eoren"

Pardon the cliche', but in my opinion, beauty (and photography) are in the eye of the beholder....that is the beauty of art!!! It is subjective!!! And what one person perceives as beauty or art, could be completely different from another's stand point, which you have so (pardon the sarcasm), eloquently pointed out.

I do not mean to be rude here, but if people are going to make comments about other people's work, they should be constructive. Some people do not do photography to see how many votes or contests they can win. For some, it is a passion and something they are proud of. I am sure, good fellow, that in your career you have encountered students or patients for that matter who would be completely discouraged depending on how you spoke to them regarding their career or diagnosis. The same is true here. If someone has a passion for photography, let us not douse the very flames that propel them into the wonderful depths of their imagination.

Just my opinion....for what it matters....since it seems everyone is entitled to one.

Have a passion-filled day.

Lynn

eoren1 · February 26, 2008

Lynn-
I don't want to derail the point of this thread which is to critique and comment on the incredible entries that made their way to the LPS finals but I do want to address your comments. I meant my critiques to be constructive but did PM CuriousCamel a bit ago to apologize if my comment on his entry came off as curt. That was not the intention but I can see how it could be interpreted that way. If you read the rest of my critiques, I think you'll find that they offer constructive comments and/or suggestions. My intent was far from wanting to stifle anyone's creativity. If you go back and read any of the 200+ posts I have made during the duration of the LPS contest, I think that would be quite clear.
Now, let's get back to providing these entries with their well deserved critiques. After all, there were some 400 (!) judges for this round.
Eyal

BPerron · February 26, 2008

I am new here and thus do not pull much weight...but a couple things...I was not into the major photoshoped stuff...

Also the winner the photo looks almost identical to the photo on the back cover of
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson

That just kind of ruined it for me...however to each his or her own...but like I said, I am very new and did not participate so my thoughts do not hold nearly as much weight.

anwmn1 · February 26, 2008

lynnd0526 wrote:

Regarding feedback from "eoren"

Pardon the cliche', but in my opinion, beauty (and photography) are in the eye of the beholder....that is the beauty of art!!! It is subjective!!! And what one person perceives as beauty or art, could be completely different from another's stand point, which you have so (pardon the sarcasm), eloquently pointed out.

I do not mean to be rude here, but if people are going to make comments about other people's work, they should be constructive. Some people do not do photography to see how many votes or contests they can win. For some, it is a passion and something they are proud of. I am sure, good fellow, that in your career you have encountered students or patients for that matter who would be completely discouraged depending on how you spoke to them regarding their career or diagnosis. The same is true here. If someone has a passion for photography, let us not douse the very flames that propel them into the wonderful depths of their imagination.

Just my opinion....for what it matters....since it seems everyone is entitled to one.

Have a passion-filled day.

Lynn

Lynn-

Though I am sure some people may take offense to being critiqued it is part of photography. Anyone that has participated in the LPS challenges or any contests/challenges for that matter understands it. This is a friendly community and people do not critique to knock people down but to rather share how, as another artist, they view and interpret the image.

There are those that are purists, there are those that are uber technical, and there are those that are passionate. It is up to each and every person to decied how to critique as well as receive a critique.

BTW- Welcome to dgrin and look forward to you sharing your own critiques as well as photography.

anwmn1 · February 26, 2008

BPerron wrote:

I am new here and thus do not pull much weight...but a couple things...I was not into the major photoshoped stuff...

Also the winner the photo looks almost identical to the photo on the back cover of
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson

That just kind of ruined it for me...however to each his or her own...but like I said, I am very new and did not participate so my thoughts do not hold nearly as much weight.

Haven't seen the book back cover

This isn't a pyramid scheme or a union so your time here has no relevance on your opinion of photography. I am sure everyone is open to a new critique.

Honestly sometimes it is more meaningful because you do not have any emotional ties to the person and can therefore judge the work only on the work itself.

Tessa HD · February 26, 2008

shatch wrote:

Anyone interested in a final feedback thread for the LPS? Or is it time to move on to the next chapter of the book?

I can't help but want to move on, especially since I'm tired of thinking about my entry, and everyone else's!

But that being said, it has been quite educational to read the different perspectives and critiques, AND it'll give us something to do until LPS II begins. Guess that means I too should voice my thoughts. But I'm not ready.

Izzy Garavito · February 26, 2008

4 Izzy Garavito-Classic. A nice high-key portrait with good use of light. The model’s expression is quite neutral and does not endow the photo with any added depth.

Thanks for taking the time to write some feedback

Really do appreciate it

Izzy

seastack · February 27, 2008

I'm done.

Izzy Garavito · February 27, 2008

seastack wrote:

I'm done.

What do you mean?

Tango · February 27, 2008

i will comment on a thing or two...

1st round i voted for
pemmet - blues
the emotion was great, loved the capture.

2nd and final round,
i changed my vote to
seastack - flow
it was overwelming, serious talent or luck i dont know...
but that really does not matter....
fact is the mood was placed within me, just what photography should.
thank you seastack

thanks everyone for
inspiring me.

pyroPrints.com · February 27, 2008

seastack wrote:

I'm done.

shatch · February 27, 2008

AaronNelson wrote:

i will comment on a thing or two...

shatch, i thought your work with the model and her lantern was great, you did a awsome job getting the emotion from the model. seriously

Thanks Aaron for the feedback.

pemmett · February 27, 2008

AaronNelson wrote:

1st round i voted for
pemmet - blues
the emotion was great, loved the capture.

Aaron, Thanks. It means a lot to me - even if you did jump ship in the second round

kwalsh · February 27, 2008

Well, I'll only comment on the top 10 because I don't have enough time, but for what it's worth in the first round I didn't vote for one of these 10

. And before I start with the crticism I've got to first say there were all excellent images anyone would be very, very proud to have in their porfolio. With that said, let the nit-picking begin.

vandana - The Lone Ranger - A very nice image which I did like quite a bit. It came off a bit cliche to me, but hey things are cliche for a reason and often they work quite well! It sure did in this case. The composition is very nice. The only technical niggle I'd have is the upper edge of the clouds have what looks like JPG artifacts in them, a little distracting to my eye.

Tessa HD - Stage Door - I can't put my finger on why I liked this one so much. One thing for me though is the person sitting doesn't do it for me. That said, without the person there I think it'd be missing something as well. I think it needs just a little more. Maybe if the guy had a guitar or something. The composition with the staircase is very strong. I might have moved the trashcan/ashtray to one side or another, at present it is just barely but not quite centered, I'd prefer it more off center.

photogmomma - enough... - The lighting and high contrast processing works well. Most of the image is very high-key except for the subject and I think it works very well on technical grounds. That said, I miss any sort of story. Besides the bathroom seeming to be the refuge for many women and the emotion of despair being fairly obvious I have trouble connecting the emotion and the location.

shatch - Tracks - This could be a great movie poster. There is definately a story to this shot and it conveys it very well. I really like those aspects of this a lot. For me personally though it came across a bit too "photoshoppy" for lack of a better term. I'm all for composites and image manipulation, in this particular case it went just a smidge to far for me to relate to. The very strong composition and communication of a story and emotion still worked enough for me to connect to this entry and like it a lot.

pemmett - Bellowing the Blues - A lot of people liked this one. I didn't. I couldn't figure out why. Eventually I realized it had nothing at all to do with the photo, it had to do with my personal tastes in music. I have very myopic musical tastes and whenever I see performers screaming into microphones wearing trendy clothes my connection is not to the music but to record exec's shoving bad music down peoples throats. This is of course totally unfair to most performers, but it is just my emotional reaction and I think it completely dominated my response to the image. So, I think it is really a nice photo but the subject matter utterly failed to connect with me for reasons no photographer could predict!

urbanaries - Shadow of a Doubt - A really nice execution on what I'll call a "storyline" kind of photo. The mood is perfect. I really can't think of anything specific to criticize, I liked some other photos better but I can't think of what I'd change with this one. Sorry I've got nothing to offer!

cmurph - Rocket Man - This is a really amusing photo. For some reason the first time I saw it I could swear I'd seen something similar before. Anyway, photos like this in the "weird" category are really risky. I think it worked great here and based on the votes connected with a lot of the voters. One thing I might *try* would be to intentionally add more barrel distortion to get the horizon even more curved. Would go nicely with the astronaut theme.

Awais Yaqub - What's next on us? - Man, Awais, you really can nail portraits. This is way out of my league, don't know what to say really. Beautiful as always.

LiquidAir - School Outing - I in general don't like obvious composites but I really loved this photo. The concept is just brilliant and amusing and the exectuion perfect. Very clever, don't know what I'd change.

seastack - Twilight Flow - I like shooting landscapes myself. Wow... A landscape seems to really need to have a lot of punch to compete in this contest and this one definitely pops. Wonderful.

Well, I don't know how helpful that was, but there it is for whatever it is worth. Congrats to everyone who entered!

Ken

shatch · February 27, 2008

kwalsh wrote:

shatch - Tracks - This could be a great movie poster. There is definately a story to this shot and it conveys it very well. I really like those aspects of this a lot. For me personally though it came across a bit too "photoshoppy" for lack of a better term. I'm all for composites and image manipulation, in this particular case it went just a smidge to far for me to relate to. The very strong composition and communication of a story and emotion still worked enough for me to connect to this entry and like it a lot.

Thank you Ken for the feedback. I appreciate your honest input. Very helpful.

Awais Yaqub · February 27, 2008

Thanks all for the comments

Wacrer · February 27, 2008

My one cent
I was not able to able to participate in LPS so have decided to give a critique instead! I have been watching all the goings on for LPS and must say there are some brilliant photos out there. In critiques my teacher would always remind us that “If it fits let it sit, if it doesn’t apply let it fly.”

1. Vandana- The Lone Ranger

This photo really rubs me the wrong way. Its to perfect!

There is not a single convergence in the entire image and for something this intricate that is near impossible to accomplish without a big hand from el Photoshopo. The sharpness of the rider is in contrast to the to the rest of the image. To me it feels that he has been copy and pasted from another photo. Remember this is a critique and purely only my opinion. Also the shadows, they are running directly 180 deg from the elements. According to that sun they should be heading more left. There are to many contradictions in my mind for this image to make any sense.

2. Tessa HD- Stage Door

I see an emotion coming from this guy, a longing almost.. I think the framing of this Photo is very well executed. Great use of design elements. No one element is competing for the others space and so makes for a well balanced image. I think you could have improved it by balancing your subject (the guy) or at least that is the assumed subject. And because he is so “non existent” in the image, being the assumed subject you become disappointed that he is not as important as the rest of the image.

3. photogmomma- enough

Excellent lighting/exposure! I love the light on her hand covering the face. And for some reason the ring on her hand stands out to me. The picture on the wall, a bit distracting but achieves a balance that would otherwise be lacking. Oh! I was having the most difficult time with the bathtub, is it symbolizing something….And then it hit me! The bathtub is really foreshortened, to me very confusing to the rest of the simple feel that the rest of the image portrays, because of this its intended symbol is lost. One nitpicky thing is the knee along the wall gets eaten up and there is no separation there, your mind completes the image and also makes it converge with the edge of the photo. The image is trying to tell a story and it seems there is something missing, or maybe that was the intent all along J

4. shatch- Tracks

Personally I stay away from Photoshop as much as possible, this image screams Photoshop to me and so did not digest very well. As I continued to look at the photo I began to see that you had really pulled off a technically superb image. No competing elements, a clear and simple story that had been told with a little bit of a touch of irony to it. The light on the face, it works being that bright, adds to the dramatic appeal the image is going for. Great image.

5. Pemmet- Bellowing the Blues

This image does not do anything for me, I want to see more of the hand, more of his eye, more more more!!! *pout* This man is sharing his soul it seems and you went and put him in that tiny little box!

Great DOF though!

6. Urbanaries- Shadow of a doubt

The eyes, they are so important in this image and they are lost in that “shadow” I know she should be afraid, everything about this picture screams run! But for all I can tell she is out for a quick dumpster dive completely oblivious to the guy behind her. And her hand…what is in that hand? The guy in the background seems to me that he would rather be taking a nap. I don’t see a connection between the two people.

7. cmurph- Rocket Man

Ok, you really hit me hard with this photo J I grew up on the shores of lake Michigan, I have always been obsessed with astronauts and everything they stand for, flying kites was a weekly thing for my family. So needless to say that’s why I voted for your photo!!! This is a testimony to the power of the familiar and symbolic. It allows the viewer to be taken to a place that is pleasant, even if the image has nothing to do with them personally it enables them to escape for a moment to a better time and place. This image did that for me J Thank you. I liked the horizon curvature, it really added to the moonwalk feel. Just the concept alone was brilliant! It is very random and seemingly well thought out. There was one other top choice I had, and it was the foot prints in this one that swayed me.

8. Awais Yaqub- What's next on us?

You captured a moment here, his hands tell a complete story in themselves, the roughness of them, the way he is holding them, and his eyes….wow. I feel pain in those eyes, sadness. And then I think to myself, I have seen pictures like this in every other national geographic. The lack of originality was the only thing wrong with the otherwise superb picture.

9. LiquidAir- School Outing

You have an imagination that most would envy J I love the title, the idea the location and especially the clouds! I am left wondering how in the….. But yet I am content not knowing because everything I need to know is right there in the image. And title. I don’t want to know more! I want my imagination to fly away with the little fishes. Only second to one, in this instance J Good crop, great layout,

10. seastack- Twilight Flow

Your image is really really really good! And as most have probably noticed my critiques are getting consecutively shorter

The blue of the water is very nice. And then I start to work up the image and notice a halo around the taller rocks. A little to much on the unsharp mask? Something is out of balance there. And for such an exacting image I was disappointed when I saw this.

When it comes down to a collection of images of such quality as these, it’s the little things that make the difference in the end. All in all you guys rocked the house!

photogmomma · February 27, 2008

photogmomma- enough
Very interesting. It totally works with most of the photo being blown out. The thing that bothers me is the title doesn't really fit. For a long time I thought the shower and bath pieces were a baby bounce. Once I realized it was the bath I was a little lost.

Thank you so much for taking the time to critique my photo!

Too weird that it looked like a baby bouncer!

! I had had one other person mention that they didn't realize it was a spigot for the bathtub (I'll explain that below) and I cleaned it up some, but obviously not enough.... I'll explain my ideas below! Thanks again!

photogmomma-enough... A very nice black and white high-key portrait. I’m stuck trying to reconcile the scene and title in my mind. Enough of what? And why is she sitting on a table in the bathroom looking so upset? There’s a story there but I may be too concrete to appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your critique! It seems like I probably entered the wrong photo since several others are feeling the same way - I wanted something with many meanings, but people really didn't catch the meanings I intended.... Definitely a learning experience for me!

!

Thanks again!

photogmomma- enough

Excellent lighting/exposure! I love the light on her hand covering the face. And for some reason the ring on her hand stands out to me. The picture on the wall, a bit distracting but achieves a balance that would otherwise be lacking. Oh! I was having the most difficult time with the bathtub, is it symbolizing something….And then it hit me! The bathtub is really foreshortened, to me very confusing to the rest of the simple feel that the rest of the image portrays, because of this its intended symbol is lost. One nitpicky thing is the knee along the wall gets eaten up and there is no separation there, your mind completes the image and also makes it converge with the edge of the photo. The image is trying to tell a story and it seems there is something missing, or maybe that was the intent all along J

Thank you! I really appreciate your detailed feedback!

How odd that the tub is foreshortened! That's actually not photoshopped at all. It must have been the angle that made it look odd since I didn't do anything to it.

And it does sound like I didn't get enough of the story there....

First a little of what I meant by the photo and then more of the back story.

I really wanted to depict someone depressed, who had had enough of life and was just ready for things to stop coming at her. But I also wanted to leave a little bit of ambiguousness about it. Did she just get out of the tub to try to relax and deal? Or is she about to get into the tub? Is she going to give up completely in it? I wanted to hint at something darker with the tub - that it might be the end.... I really pushed the blacks and lights to try to symbolize that she was dark, in black, sad, depressed - behind her, beckoning her to come to it was the bright light, a promise to end whatever it is that was so bothersome would go away.

I played with taking the tub out (a few people didn't like it and didn't get it), but to me it ruined the composition and she jsut became sad, not truly depressed. I considered taking out the frame above her, but that ruined the composition, too.

I tried several different titles: "enough...." "please, no more...." "i can't take any more", but I liked the simplicity and ambiguity of "enough...". I had hoped to have people read more into it and hopefully even put themselves there - that rock bottom place.....

Anyway, a bit more about the back story as to how I came up with this shot.

I had a friend (who can name herself if she'd like!) who shared some photos that she was using for inspiration - and I really loved one of them. That was the impetus for the location and the back lighting.

But the depression came about because of my life. We live in Crested Butte, which is getting record snow fall this year. I literally have 7' of snow in our front yard, can't see out of several windows and we've had a LOT of things go wrong lately: we paid several hundred dollars to have 4 dumptruck loads of snow hauled and then our neighbors roof slid into our driveway locking in our car. Which wouldn't have mattered, but our other one broke - we were carless. And we had just paid a few thousand dollars to have it fixed - and we had to have it towed 4 hours away to get fixed again! Then the snow fell off the roof and hit a window and shattered the really old glass - and it took me 3 hours to clean. Our washer and dryer had broken and after 7 failed attempts, I had to go to the laundrymat and try to do enough wash to make it through another week. And my husband was traveling during some of this... And... and... and... sick kids... and....

I was just done. I had been SO strong through this, but that day it just all broke down.

So I did a self portrait and this is what I ended up with. I planned it out for a few hours and did several takes and got this. I tried many other ideas that just didn't feel as good to me.

But what I've learned from this is that I need to make sure I'm getting feedback from other people who don't know me. I had a LOT of people LOVE this photo - even people I didn't know that well. But maybe knowing a little of the back story made it stronger, I don't know. So the fact that several people didn't delve in and see the turmoil she (I) was feeling makes me realize that I didn't tell it strong enough - and that I definitely need to get more feedback next time!

Ahh, well! Live and learn!

Thanks again for the feedback! Hopefully this helps people understand my photo better.

shatch · February 27, 2008

Wacrer wrote:

4. shatch- Tracks

Personally I stay away from Photoshop as much as possible, this image screams Photoshop to me and so did not digest very well. As I continued to look at the photo I began to see that you had really pulled off a technically superb image. No competing elements, a clear and simple story that had been told with a little bit of a touch of irony to it. The light on the face, it works being that bright, adds to the dramatic appeal the image is going for. Great image.

Thanks for the detailed critique Scott. Good stuff.

darkdragon · February 27, 2008

photogmomma wrote:

But what I've learned from this is that I need to make sure I'm getting feedback from other people who don't know me. I had a LOT of people LOVE this photo - even people I didn't know that well. But maybe knowing a little of the back story made it stronger, I don't know. So the fact that several people didn't delve in and see the turmoil she (I) was feeling makes me realize that I didn't tell it strong enough - and that I definitely need to get more feedback next time!

Ahh, well! Live and learn!

Glad to read your reply and realize that I "got it" correctly - I was worried because everyone seemed so confused. I think that what you wanted did come through in the photo - perhaps though it takes someone who has actually been in that position and felt that way to recall the feeling when seeing the photo? I dunno.

It is a good photo and good design though.

Wacrer · February 27, 2008

photogmomma wrote:

But the depression came about because of my life. We live in Crested Butte, which is getting record snow fall this year. I literally have 7' of snow in our front yard, can't see out of several windows and we've had a LOT of things go wrong lately: we paid several hundred dollars to have 4 dumptruck loads of snow hauled and then our neighbors roof slid into our driveway locking in our car. Which wouldn't have mattered, but our other one broke - we were carless. And we had just paid a few thousand dollars to have it fixed - and we had to have it towed 4 hours away to get fixed again! Then the snow fell off the roof and hit a window and shattered the really old glass - and it took me 3 hours to clean. Our washer and dryer had broken and after 7 failed attempts, I had to go to the laundrymat and try to do enough wash to make it through another week. And my husband was traveling during some of this... And... and... and... sick kids... and....

I felt that emotion from her/you in the picture. There was sadness there and then......nothing.....after the sadness I didn't know WHY you were so sad. That may be the piece that was missing. The why. I commend you on your journy through life

Knowing the story is huge! Alas we are not always there to share how we were feeling when that shutter went 1/260th of a second. How do we put all that emotion and feelinging into such a short amount of time? I am asking cause I have no idea.....:) One day when you look back on that time in your life your going to have a good chuckle and it's not going to matter. That is hard to see when your neck deep in the fluffy snow.

photogmomma · February 27, 2008

Glad to read your reply and realize that I "got it" correctly - I was worried because everyone seemed so confused. I think that what you wanted did come through in the photo - perhaps though it takes someone who has actually been in that position and felt that way to recall the feeling when seeing the photo? I dunno.

It is a good photo and good design though.

Thank you, darkdragon! I'm so glad ot hear it wasn't too obtuse!

! I think if you've never really been that down it might not resonate. Or if you don't feel like "that" when you're down. But I really appreciate your comment!!

Wacrer wrote:

I felt that emotion from her/you in the picture. There was sadness there and then......nothing.....after the sadness I didn't know WHY you were so sad. That may be the piece that was missing. The why. I commend you on your journy through life Knowing the story is huge! Alas we are not always there to share how we were feeling when that shutter went 1/260th of a second. How do we put all that emotion and feelinging into such a short amount of time? I am asking cause I have no idea.....:) One day when you look back on that time in your life your going to have a good chuckle and it's not going to matter. That is hard to see when your neck deep in the fluffy snow.

I actually DID have another photo that I was trying to explore to make it a bit more literal, but didn't know if anyone would be able to relate. (not many people have THAT much snow!

!) I also couldn't get it to come out the way I wanted....

To me it didn't have any dark undertones - she wasn't going do anything drastic because of that.

!

Anyway, THANK you for your feedback - it helps a lot! And I'm past that huge down time now. We got our washer/dryer, the car is fixed and our driveway is clear...

!

Tessa HD · February 27, 2008

wacer - I loved your critiques - great job putting it out there.

tessa

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