Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] The cat came back...
From: dorysrus at mindspring.com (Don Dory)
Date: Sat Sep 25 19:25:32 2004

Jim,
Welcome back to the wonderful world of the LUG.  Serious criticism of
images is difficult here.  Members include world class professionals,
serious photographers, Leica fondlers, at least one truly outstanding
Leica slacker, and newbies.  With such a wide range of abilities, it is
very difficult to know where to start.

Another reason you don't see much comment is the thin skin on some
members part.  As a family member, you learn places you don't want to go
if you want peace and harmony.

However, you did ask for it so in some sense you should be ready.

Your pancake girls potentially, are a great capture. You almost
successfully caught one of those moments that everyone with young almost
teenage girls witnesses and remembers back.

Almost, meaning that you should have used a longer lens, leaned further
over the counter to get closer, or cropped in tighter.  You wanted to
lose the dead space on the sides, counter, and some of the ceiling.
This is an intimate moment and you want to draw the viewer right into
the moment.

Almost in that the exposure gave your wonderful women dark eye sockets.
This was not one of Kyles Goth moments.  What could have been done?  A
touch of fill flash although distasteful would work.  Some sort of fill
card such as a newspaper reflecting some of the light coming down into
the eyes would work.  Another approach would be to add more exposure so
that there is some information in the eye sockets so that you could
bring out the detail in printing.

>From the image posted it appears that the image was a little thin on the
negative which increases the contrast.  Consider downrating your film at
least one stop to add meat to your C-41 film stock negatives.

If the above is inaccurate, please continue the conversation.  We all
learn from each other and too many are afraid to talk for whatever
reason.

Don
dorysrus@mindspring.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf
Of Jim McIntyre
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 9:28 PM
To: lug@leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] The cat came back...

Hello LUG

I unsubscribed a few weeks ago. I was a little annoyed with some of the
off-topic chatter, the "cliquish" and self-serving dialogue, and the
general meandering of the group, etc. More to the point, I posted 5
PAW's in a row, and got zero -- nada -- feedback. I'm under no delusions
that I'm the next HBC, or anything close, but I do think I have
something to offer. And I really do appreciate feedback -- laudatius or
otherwise. The lack of response is worse than negative (and hopefully
constructive) feedback. It's like talking to a dead phone line....

However, I have been checking the LUG archives, and looking at the
posts. I've skipped over the more off-topic messages (which admittedly
can be quite entertaining and educational), stayed away from the
vitriolic political threads, and checked all the PAW and photograph
postings I could. The truth is I have valued the feedback I have
received in the past, and knowing I had an "obligation" to keep up my
PAW activities for the LUG kept me active with my camera (no small
challenge with rebuilding a career and 3 kids...).

So I'm back. And to put my money where my keyboarding is, I've posted a
PAW:

http://members.rogers.com/jmcdesigns/jamesstreet/2004-33.htm

Slam away, lambaste me for using my nieces and daughter as convenient
subjects, but please, let me know you took the time to view my work, and
by all means let know what I can do to improve. No photographer should
work in vacuum...except to remove the dust from the negatives!

ciao...

Jim

_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information