[Leica] Such are the dreams: IMG

[afirkin at afirkin.com (Alastair Firkin)]

Thanks to all who commented. 

http://tinyurl.com/5f39uj

Let me ?defend? the shot, and by that I don?t mean to be defensive to to 
imply that I am offended. I just love getting critical comments: makes me 
think and re-think what I?m doing and why. 

First the back pack: Helen did not like it either, but for me it ?came? with 
the wires heading under the head scarf. She is so calm so serene that the 
wire and pack are a little out of place -- part of the story I was trying to 
tell: modern girl, ageless emotions. 

Background: yes, its a confusion of scratches - lead graffiti, with everyone 
trying to have there say. Its a famous monument, its chaos up there, narrow 
stairs and passage ways, yet in this chaos she ?escapes? for these few 
moments: again for me (for me remember) they are part of the story and I 
?love? the background -- does anyone agree?

Verticals: well of course nothing is vertical up there and the roof she is 
leaning against is not vertical either. In fact, I like the curve of the 
girl and find the slight slope of the roof fits it: I hadn?t noticed that 
before. 

Muddy blacks: I?m not sure, I kept the contrast lower here, as I would have 
in the darkroom. The subject seemed to ask for a softer feel. Despite your 
explanation of the under-exposure, I don?t have time on the street to 
shoot/check and adjust, so I would much rather tame the highlights: when the 
image loses highlights that really bugs me, so I don?t know how to avoid it 
without a slight under exposure. 

And for Geoff: the serial number is too low for the Dior :-) its the older 
M8, the newer one is for wide angles and the older on focuses the longer 
lenes slightly better.

Others wrote:

WOW!

A great shot of a beautiful girl.

Jim

devastating

ric

Alastair, wonderful light, expression and composition. I think that you 
may
need to consider reducing the background here. The forest of graffiti
scratchings is distracting. Maybe sufficient to just blur it down a 
little??

Cheers
Geoff

Excellent.  I might have burned the left side a little, maybe not.  Fine
image IMHO.

Ken

I agree with Geoff in all respects.

Doug Herr

striking shot  
beautiful face framed
in fine light

[homage to George's eloquence]

I would like to see a version with all of the pack cropped off=
even greater simplicity.

Alan

Looking closely at Alastair's file, I see that this is from his 
Christian
Dior Leica! No wonder it sees poetry in Paris.
Since I know Alastair well, I thought he might endorse a further 
dissection
on this pic. As mentioned, like George I really like the light and 
striking
face.
I like what the (nearly ;-)) vertical gaps do for the composition and 
the
placement of the woman in the frame. All of the scratched surfaces 
behind
definitely distract me. On exposure, I think that underexposing the 
capture
was a mistake here. The darks (at least as shown) are just flat and a 
little
muddy to my eye. It is diffuse light of course. OK, have at me, if you 
want.

Cheers
Geoff