Photo of the Week #9

5/29/2020

Title: Untitled #1
Photographer: David Dieli

Title: Untitled #2
Photographer: David Dieli

I am open to any constructive comments or opinions. I would say the one I took in Portugal and the one from Maine, are ones I worked a lot more (in Lightroom), than the one of the Egret. The photo from Portugal, I would appreciate any comments of the expression or effect it elicits, or any feelings at all, did I get it right? The black and white photo I would appreciate any thoughts on the composition or angle of this photo, as well as any feelings it might elicit. I might be way off on all of this since I am new at this whole thing. Thanks.

Title: Untitled #3
Photographer: David Dieli

6 Comments

Sally Perreten

5/29/2020 04:55:27 pm

3 interesting images.I always wish we could see these images much, much larger. The egret is stunning. I would remove the white blob in the upper left quadrant. I might also play with very slight cropping. There seems perhaps a lot of background in relation to the subject. Of the 2 street photography images I prefer the second one. The one in color. I would suggest a bit of desaturation of the red in the fire extinguisher. It's unfortunate that it's there, but it's rare we can pick our backgrounds in street shooting. The image has narrative, raises questions in the viewer's mind, and I think that makes it a strong image. As to your first image, my preference with toning is that it is subtle enough that the viewer's first thought is not, "Oh. Sepia." In this image it's the dominant trait of the image and, to my eyes, that detracts from the subject matter. I'm pretty sure there are other eyes that will think it's wonderful. And that's one of the great things about photography - it's so totally subjective.

Dave Rathbun

5/31/2020 01:48:01 pm

Of the two street images, the one in color is my favorite. The impact of the young lady consoling the young man immediately said something to me. I agree with Sally’s suggestion to desaturate the fire extinguisher. Although it doesn’t necessarily take away from the image, it also doesn’t benefit it. The other street image left me with a question of what was transpiring between the two individuals. I tend to look for a story in an image but can’t find one in this case. I dId enjoy the fact that you captured the Dirty Dishes sign. The final image of the egret is my favorite. I thought, what’s causing the ruffling of feathers on the bird’s back? Was it the down draft from your overhead shooting platform, a helicopter possibly or drone? Or, maybe harsh wind conditions? The impression of this image is one of simplicity, the egret being the single overriding element in the photo. Well done, but I do agree with Sally’s comment that it would be helpful to remove the whiteish element in the upper left area.

Allison Maltese

6/4/2020 11:12:52 am

I like the emotion of the woman consoling the man, but the fire extinguisher and the slight blur in the woman are a bit problematic. Although I don't get the same response from the couple at the top, it nicely captures a moment in their ordinary life, or perhaps illustrates urban distance, and I like the toning. If it were my image I would clone out the lamp behind the man's head. I suspect that the egret image is magnificent, but it is hard to tell or comment at this size. You might trim a little off the top and clone out the whitish blob at the top left.

Maryann Flick

6/5/2020 01:22:15 pm

For me Street Photography is the hardest to critique. The monotone image seems to convey isolation; 2 people who are sitting near one another but may as well be on opposite sides of the room, so a coldness, an antisocial vibe to the image. Maybe they know each other and are having a little spat. Perhaps the sepia reinforces this feeling. Suggest cropping in the right side just enough to remove the partial lamp. I like the sign too. Looks fairly sharp and the tones are good. I like the angle of view.
The couple in color is a nice story. I agree that the extinguisher and the blur are a bit distracting. No reason to show the whole thing--crop down from the top to leave just a bit of space above their heads which cuts off half of the extinguisher--you get probably a square image.
The egret is a nice capture of action; both the wing spread and the wind ruffling the feathers. The image seems a bit under exposed. And I cannot tell if the bird is sharp enough in such a small image. The suggestion to crop in (use same aspect ratio but cut both sides and the top) so the bird fills more of the frame is a good one. The image is already close to monotone so it might be nice in B&W.

Rob Nardino

6/6/2020 05:21:22 am

There have been some insightful comments so far. I am inexperienced at street photography (humans in general); Maryann mentioned it but my initial take on the first image was noticing the angle. With the second one, Dave mentioned story, and I think what's interesting is trying to imagine what it is here; the presence of the fire extinguisher makes me wonder where they are - my background makes me go immediately to some kind of healthcare waiting room. I agree with everything said about the egret; I like the flared wing tips - I only wish the bird had turned it's head just slightly for you!

Jeannine S. Smith

6/7/2020 05:48:41 am

Because of our individual, rich experiences in life we all "see" differently. Which I find immensely fascinating! My deepest response and connection is to your sepia image. The angle, facial expressions, and signage create a story of power imbalance, dominance, asymmetry, patriarchy, passivity, judgment....there is conflict but perhaps that would speak louder with more contrast if processed in B&W. In response to your "did I do it right?", I am finding the technical aspects weighing less as time goes on....connection and feeling are becoming greater guides.
I imagine you *felt* this moment drawing you to click it even if you didn't articulate that then - or even now. Energy is palpable, it may shift quickly and I believe street photography a fantastic tool to capture and illustrate that. Thank you for the inspiration!

Photo of the Week #9

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