print study, fall 2005

This negative was massively over-exposed. I used Tri-X 400 in an agfa Click I. I had to expose the paper for 60 seconds at f8 to get this detail. I like the Avedon-ish quality that the burnt sky has. I think it has a silly/grotesque nature. I'll re-do it at 8x10 later.

Dave's comments:
My biggest beef with this one is the fact that we can’t see his face. I love everything else. Exposure is good. Framing is good. I just wish we could see his face. Even just peeking between the jug and the apple.

My thoughts:
I have other versions of this. I'll try those on Thursday and see if I can get that face in.

Gordon's comments:
This doesn't work for reasons both perspective-al and technical. Might be a good picture to be made of that image yet but this isn't it.

londonhair's comments:
coffee guy-I actually kind of like this one for some reason, I think its that I like the plain background and the subject is just kinda weird and obscure ( but in a good way to me) i think that it is very hard to take pictures of statues and other peoples artowrk in any case so this angle works for me because it is not too obvious.

The Wrong Side of the Tracks

This scene is what you see coming over the railroad tracks from the black side of town to the white side, I think, as some kind of warning.
I feel bad even working on this but I need more range which means lightening the trees and darkening the flag.

Dave's comments:
This one is a touch dark. The flag has the same zone of gray as the trees, so it gets a bit lost. It would have been cool if you had kneeled and put the sky behind the flag so it stood out. I like the line of the flag poll.

Overall, what is it you are wanting us to see here? Don’t forget your rule of thirds, even in the square format. The biggest issue is that I am unsure of focal point. Is it the flag? The trailer? They compete for my attention.

Dodge in the trailer to give it some detail. I guess overall, I would like to see your images have more punch. Some pure white, and some pure black. The flag at a nice midtone to make it stand out.

mtbbrian's comments:
This one kind of has a Sally Mann quality to it.

Gordon's Comments:
The Confederate Flag is an icon that has legs but this seems like an image that has been collected. Not much to say about it but there's a flag. The surrounding information is almost interesting. An actual human might help this one. I keep trying myself to get a confederate flag image that works but I haven't managed myself yet after many attempts. It is a potent symbol and I see it quite a bit around here.

londonhair's Comment's:
flag-too dark and see the one step rule from no.1 (see the vw shot)

Not much to say here. I like the angles. It needs stronger tonal range but more as time passes. It's a little flat. Not sure where to fix it though.

Dave's comments:
I love the moment captured in this one. The balance of the three men works. I do wish one of them was dominate. Maybe looking at the camera to give us a personal connection to the scene that is unfolding. Wait for that decisive moment.

Guy on the left merges with the building, and I find that distracting. Lean to the left, and get him out of the trees. Then the lighter gray will frame the darker gray and give more separation.

Biggest issue… the connection. Pull the viewer into the picture by waiting until that human connection is there.

mtbbrian's comments:
I like the this one becuase of the interesting action going on with the three guys on stilts. The building kind of keeps your eye down towards them, Iam not sure if it's the lines, it's size or position in the frame.

Gordon's Comments:
I kind of like the tall guys loping around too but more because the subject has the circus sort of appeal kind of gets my attention than any type of particular sophistication of the image.

londhair's comments:
Stilts- This I think I would like better if shot form a slightly lower angle so that they and the building seemed taller- like exaggerated more than beingon stilts already is. Also it would be better with hte current picture if you tried to bring the subjects out a bit more, they kind of blend into the building.

Note to self: Try Dave's #5 filter idea set but then try other negative for more detail. I'm not convinced there is more detail to draw on at the bottom of the frame.

Gordon's Comments:

I like the second image, mainly for the crusty claustrophobic sense of things which is in keeping with the subject. Very nicely framed in fact. I like the thin negative vibe on certain images. The whole sign would have been giving us the whole rucksack full of shoes, the suggestion of the sign however, right on top of us, is teaching us how to squash bugs with those shoes.

londonhair's Comments:

This is probably my favorite of them all but it is a bit dark. If you have a really tricky negative have you tried using a higher filter or are you maxxed out on 5? If possible it needs to be a bit lighter. I do like how the private property sign dwarfs the house. Its kinda surreal and makes the house look like a toy to me.

I'm happy with this one.

Dave's Comments:
Dave had no comment.

Gordon's Comments:
The image to me is boring.

londonhair's Comments:
I just do not find this one all that intersting of a subject to be honest, but to each his own, and one of my photography teachers said this- most photos could be a heck of a lot better if you just tried taking one step forward or one step back. So maybe if it was a bit closer to be abstract or a bit farther to show the whole van- I dunno