Hi Everyone.
Apologies again for the delay. After going home for the Winter break I found the internet didn't work so I have only now managed to have a stable connection to the outside world!
Cheers!
Straight out of the camera, no tweaking at all. This is from my first digital camera, a Sony F505, which was essentially all-auto. An amazing amount of detail left in the highlights, the shadow was basically pitch black to the naked eye unless you got right in there.
I have a bit of a gripe with this so please don't take it the wrong way. I don't quite get people that mention that it's straight out of camera with no tweaking! Even with film photography photos aren't shared SOOC. For me I see post processing as part of the process of photography and therefore to put that it required no tweaking doesn't get any marks in my books! Sorry about that.
Moving on. I think exposure wise you could have taken it down half a stop. Although in the shadows I can't really see any blacks and mostly a mixture of white and greys. With some more blacks some of the highlights might be recovered! The reference image you posted is perhaps a little too dark as the subject would have disappeared but at least all the highlights are retained!
Not sure if this counts as I intentionally blew the highlights whilst exposing for the shadows of the leaf.
I really like this shot. The OOF elements have a really nice pattern to them and the flare hits the bottom of the leaf nicely. I realise the leaf isn't a uniform shape but it feels a little off centre. I feel like a colour version could have gone a little further to separate the leaf from the trees but maybe they were all the same colour.
Great shot. Great mood and great lighting. Those eyes really seem to share a story! I like the strong shadow along one side but we still have detail. Not sure what effect you've put on it but it has some sort of painted feel to it. The white versus black background on the left/right adds another element to the picture!
From a recent trip to Amsterdam:
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Nice atmospheric shot. Personally I would have gone even more punchy! Darker blacks an brighter whites! I like the catch light on the right eye but not sure if I can see the other on the left (camera right) might have been nice to accentuate this a little more.
Lurking in the shadows...
Darth Vader by
MCH-1138, on Flickr
I like this. It's a glance and then look again photo! The only distracting element I can initially see are the red/blue flares in the bottom of the frame. What were these from? Unwanted flares or some hidden meaning? I like the subtly but think that the rim could have maybe been a bit brighter. It's actually so perfect it made me think it was CG!
Alley by
charpi123, on Flickr
I like this. A chap lurking in the shadows. What's he doing, where's he going what is he waiting for! Definitely a story to this one. From a technical stand point if it had been a little sharper and more clear it would have been great. I want to see more of him and more about what he is up to! To be able to pick out more of the bottom of the facial expression would have been great. I like a punchy look so maybe it could do with more brights and darks.
Clicked this in Apple store on 5th Ave (NYC) back in 2012.
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Took a few seconds to really focus on what I was looking at! Have you changed the colours a lot to give it that sepia effect! I like the patterns and what's going on I assume the in the shadows part is the base of their feet but I feel like we aren't necessarily seeing a darker side as they aren't intentionally hiding!
This is really nice. Just to be a stickler and a pixel peeper it would have been great if that shaft of light was directly on his eye as some is being cut off. I really like the jagged nature of the source and the fact that it's not perfect. The rim light is great as well.
I do feel like this picture is showing us more about what is in the light rather than what is in the shadows!
The shadow of Mt Shasta (14,180) stretching out over Northern California.
Wow! That's a shadow if ever I saw one! Stretches out for miles and miles! I like the idea of the man but I'm not sure if he's going up or down or looking at his shoes! That really is a sight to behold though.
Nice. Really like these. I don't need any context as I like having the questions to ask. You've captured them at the right moments as well. From a technically POV the blooming around the right pillar from the sun could be sorted with maybe a sharper filter or better glass but that's getting really pinnikity! I like the fact you left it caption-less and title-less leaving even more intrigue.
Taken near Hanging Lake in Colorado:
Stairs to Nowhere by
Paul Kohler, on Flickr
This one doesn't resonate with me so much. It's titled stairs to no where but it seems that the path keeps on going. Stairs to nowhere for me implies on the edge of a cliff! Without the title I wouldn't have been sure what the focus of the frame was as it quits a busy frame! I wonder if the shot had been taken closer to dusk whether the lower light would have added some more mood to the shot.
Hampstead Alley
Very moody and atmospheric. A great shot. To add to the intrigue for me I would have perhaps placed the character under the lamppost totally in shadow as though he's possibly waiting for someone or something (maybe even one leg propped up and a glowing cigarette!).
A nice moment. Until I saw she was just browsing her mobile phone! The tilt as well is a little distracting. I like the fact that they are mostly in shadow, it always leaves more for me to question as a viewer.
A nice dynamic shot. Has a very zen feeling to it! In this instance I don't feel there is a huge amount in the shadows as the eyes are in plain sight! I feel that more could have been used with the pillar and the character to creative more of a story.
I know the contest is closed, but I just wanted to upload this one from a local Ribfest event taken in the summer. It was the first time I'd used my Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART lens. I'm very impressed with it's sharpness, even at crazy iso's.
Very sharp results with that! What sort of ISOs were you pushing your camera too? I like the mass of information on the board and the fact that all the characters are hidden in the shadows. A really nice shot! Did you think about a colour edit on this shot? I actually really like the look of one of the vendors looking, what feels like, right down the lens.
