DigaPixBlog

 Photographers should always be trying to get viewers to see common subjects in unexpected ways.  It’s what you might call the ‘Ah Ha’ moment when the viewer says I know what that is but I have never seen it in that light, from that angle, with that detail, etc.  The photographer’s job is not to record the world but to interpret it in their own style with their own vision.

We have seen this shot of hot air balloons before but this photographer’s image is one of the better ones I have seen.  The simple pattern of the inflated canopy is in contrast to the tangled fabric yet to be distributed.  I like the leading line, the most chaotic bundle of nylon, leading from the lower right hand corner to the person standing in the small opening.  This man gives scale to the rest of the composition.

The color has shifted to the yellow hue due to the filtration of sunlight through the material.  This is offset by the true daylight in the opening.  My only suggestion would be to have placed the opening just a little more to the right taking it even further away from the centerline of the layout.

Click on Image  

Share This

Patterns can make an interesting subject but they often work best when they are used as a backdrop or a primary subject.  This allows the subject to standout amongst the repartition of their surroundings.

This photo-artist has found the ultimate pattern of waves and color.  The primary subject is placed far to the right allowing room for them to move through the frame, in this cast at high speed.  The expressions of joy on their faces add to the feeling of the fun on the ride down an exhilarating slide.  I particularly like the way the photographer has tilted the graphic to add even more tension and movement to the composition.

I played a little with the color saturation and when I increased it by 100% there was no discernable change in the hues of this rainbow of color.  The artist could have named this image ‘Riding a Wild Rainbow’.

Click on Image 

Share This

This image is alive, human, and exciting, with excellent technical skills. 

It takes my breath away.

There is nothing more to say, except it’s perfect!

    Click on Image 

Share This

A common composition in photographer is the use of repeating patterns.  These patterns can be found all around us and are too often overlooked by photographers.  When used properly they add depth to the image as well as amplify the primary subject like reflections in two opposing mirrors.

This scene from a balloon launching illustrates the use of patterns.  Note the two balloons on the left; thou they are not as obviously part of the pattern of the other four subjects they lead the viewer to imagine that the pattern is repeated again out of sight.  These two partial balloons also frame the people on the ground which in turn amplify the size of these colorful globes.

Taking a scene with this extreme lighting condition presents is a challenge to any photographer.  Unfortunately the glow from the flames blows out any detail and that cannot be retrieved.  I would suggest that the photo-artist use the burning tool selectively to tone down the people on the ground and some of the colors in the balloons.

Click on Image 

   Modified 

Share This

Balloon festivals around the US such as Paris California and Albuquerque New Mexico can be a photographer’s delight.  There is so much color and excitement that it is difficult not to come away with a number of excellent images.  But don’t show up at noon or you will get the same shot as a hundred other photographers.

This image was taken before dawn.  The only light source it uses is the flame from the heat source for the hot air balloon.  The silhouette of the people in the foreground gives depth to the composition.  You will note the photo-artist has cropped the balloon so that the top portion of it stops at the top of the frame.  It would have been to common to show the entire subject.  This way we get a nice horizontal format rather than a square layout.

The only objection I have to this work is the operator in the lower right hand corner is not sharp.  Perhaps this is due to a slow shutter speed at the time the photograph was taken.

Click on Image 

Share This

Minimalist is a style of visual art or music which has been stripped down to its fundamental features.  Detail is not important; the graphics of line and shape become the subject.  This type of design is common in the Japanese traditional architecture and art.

The illustration presented by this photo-artist has these same qualities of line and shape without the detail of environment.  The lighting is direct giving a very two dimensional feeling to the image.  The composition uses negative space to balance the two independent objects in the layout.  The graduated hue of the light switch plate adds interest to what would otherwise be a smooth flat surface.  Even the photo-artist’s signature contributes to the composition.

There are a number of things you could do with the arrangement of these two simple elements to alter the composition, as it is composed now the vertical line is directly over the center switch.  You could move this feature to the right or left of the escutcheon plate to alter the graphics if the photo-artist wished.

Click on Image

   Modified 

Share This

This is the third and the last of a series of surfer photographs. When I first saw them I wondered how the photographer was able to get such wonderful images, what vantage point was he able to use to get these close up shots?  It turns out there is a pier in San Diego near a surfing location that overlooks the action.

This photograph is more of the typical surfing shot, the board skimming the crest of the wave with the surfer in complete control of the situation.  You can almost hear the sound of the water and feel the movement.  The arching water creates a simple but dramatic background.  The man’s body language is excellent.  Also note the location of the subject in the frame, a less experienced photographer might have placed the surfer in the center of the composition.

I find only one distracting element in this photograph and that is the water droplets in front of his face.  If the photo-artist wished these could be cloned out.

 Click on Image 

Share This

Finding drama in sports photography is what will attract our attention to one particular image out of dozens.  If it is something that we have not seen before or it has drama the photograph we want to show others is the one that makes us say ‘WOW’.

This image is defiantly a wow image.  This surf rider, who appears to be about to be crushed by the wave, makes us ask how did he get that shot.  And the next statement we think is ‘I wish I had taken that photograph’.  The success of this image is due to the fact that the photo-artist has eliminated everything that does not tell the story and his split second timing with the action.

I would like the photographer to consider making a little alteration to the contrast and hue of this photo in order to reduce the slight blue cast and brighten up the color.

  Click on Image 

      Modified

Share This

Under extreme conditions it takes a cool head and superb hand eye coordination to capture the action.  To have the presents of mind to follow, compose and capture the peak moment takes planning and forethought not luck. 

This outstanding image is not just your average surfing photo  it’s an excellent example of a number of photographic principles.  The first is composition.  The surf rider is positioned not on the bulls’ eye center of the frame but to the left one third allowing space in front of him for anticipated movement. The stop action is perfect; this must have been shot at a very high shutter speed to get every water droplet in mid air.  The lighting is excellent with no harsh mid day shadows.  You will note he is moving from the dark water to the light again dividing the image along the one third line.  And finally the scene has been boiled down to the surfer and the wave with no extraneous information.

This image captures a moment that tells a story.  The fins of the board are out of the water, he is about to either swing back over the wave to fall forward onto the face of the wall of water.  His out stretched arms are pointing along a converging axis of with the surf board taking our eye up and forward breathlessly into the next second yet untold.  In short the viewer is also riding the surf.

If there were one thing I could change it would be to give the surfer a haircut.  The photo-artist may like the crop of hair flowing out to the right but to me it appears counter to the movement of the rider and the board.  It may be the way it was but it could be removed if you desire.

Click on Image 

  Marked Up    Modified 

Share This

Sometimes a part of a scene tells the whole of the story.  And sometimes a part of the story is all we need to complete the image in our minds eye. 

The repeating patterns of the muscular legs in the running shoes tells us that a race is about to begin.  By not showing us the first or the last set of legs we don’t know how may runners there are in total so we assume there are quite a few more than we can see.  The fact that there is a horizontal line at their feet gives us the impression that they are at the starting line for the race and that it is about to begin.  This single image tells us a lot about the story without showing us anything but a few carefully selected details.

I know the photo-artist made some important cropping decisions but I might suggest trying the image without the second horizontal line.  I don’t feel it is necessary for the story and it causes the image to be divided at the centerline of the frame.  This is the photographer’s call to make, ether way works for me.

Click on Image 

    Cropped 

Modified by Photographer 

Share This

We are all looking for that image that is both an artistic and a commercial success.  For that to happen you need a story being told by the image.  What do I mean when I say a story?  Can the viewer, who was not there when the photograph was taken, create in their mind what is going to happen next or what has already happened? This is not required of all images but the ones that sell are the ones that talk to the viewer on some level.

This image has movement, drama and most differently it has a story.  The dust hanging in the air filtering the sunlight on the horizon gives the story drama.  Can you imagine what this photograph would be like if it had been taken at mid day with the sun directly overhead?  The man on the horse is captured at just the right moment with the lariat suspended in the air about to be released.  You should note the layering of dark and light bands going back into the image until they reach the hills and the sun in the distance.  There is just enough light reflected back on the cowboy to give good detail in his shirt and face.

Click on Image 

Share This

Barrel Racing is a timed rodeo event where the horse and rider have to complete a clover leaf pattern around three barrels in the center of the arena.  It was originally a contest for women only first organized by the GRA (Girls Rodeo Association) in 1949.  They have since changed their name to the WPRA (Woman’s Professional Rodeo Association).  Men can compete but they are not eligible for the national champion ship National Finals Rodeo.  You’ve come a long way baby.

This is a photograph that captures the excitement of the event at the peak of action.  You will note that both of the horse’s hoofs are off the ground as it turns the barrel.  The background is clean and yet has enough information to tell the story.  The subject is placed off center giving them room to move into the scene.

Do they have to advertise on everything with a vertical surface?

  Click on Image 

Share This

When photographing any subject remember the rarity or the notoriety of the subject does not improve the quality of the image.  If you have to travel half way around the world and clime the highest mountain to get a photo of the last snow leopard in the world, if the composition is bad and the lighting pore it’s still just a so so picture of a cat.

I am told the woman in this photograph is a celebrity.  That’s nice.  But does it change the image in any way? 

I like the position of the horse and rider in the frame, off to the left of center with lots of room for the subject to move into.  The lighting appears to be low to the horizon which gives us softer shadows and more even illumination.  The fact that the photographer cropped off the hoofs of the animal works just fine.  I also like your soft background created by dust and a shallow focus.

There are a couple of items the photographer may wish to consider.  The first cannot be controlled.  I believe the lighting on the horse is uneven and causing the allusion that the horse changes color or sheen from the rear to the head.  I think this may be the angle of light on the nap of the hair.  The second is a small thing.  In the back ground there is a phone pole that could be removed.

     Click on Image 

      Modified     Second Image 

Share This

In the 1920’s and 30’s the traveling air circus known as barn stormiers would travel the country thrilling spectators with their daring and skill.  Today we have the sky divers that perform at fairs, rodeos and just about any outdoor  event.  Someday this novelty will pass too.

The image presented here would be perfect for the life styles section of the Sunday paper.  It tells a story about a local event with color, action and pantheism.  The photographer captured the image just at the moment when the flag was about to hit the ground.  A minute sooner and the performer would have been to small and insignificant and he would have only had sky as a back ground.  This photo captures the excitement of the people on the ground and yet has a clean background.  I also like the four small flags in the back ground.  You will also notice that everyone on the ground appear to be in both red, white or blue shirts and trousers.

If I have any suggestion it would be to use the old trick of unknown quantity continuation.  By cropping just a little off the left side up to the first group of people coming out onto the field the observer does not know how many people there are in the crude.

  Click on Image 

        Cropped 

Share This

I assume the title of this photograph refers to the Arno River in Tuscany.  Not that that makes any difference to the subject as photographed.  Generally where and when an image was photographed is of little importance.  The image has to stand on its own without detail explanation.

I like the graphics in this photograph.  It is breaking one of the rules; you should leave room for the subject to move into.  In this image the photographer as selected placing the front of the skull close to the bottom frame and allowing us to see the trail of paddle ripples left in the wake of the moving boat. 

This appears to have been photographed on an overcast day.  I would like to recommend to the photo-artist that they do some color and contrast manipulation on the computer to give this illustration more punch and snap.  You may want to take a look at the Darrel Priebe web site ‘Dazzling Photography’.  He has good step by step instructions for Photoshop users.  There is a link to his site on the right side of this page under ‘Sites of Interest’.

  Click on Image 

           Modified 

Share This

When shooting sporting events the photographer has to have split second timing and luck to capture the athlete at the moment of the peak point.  The nonprofessional photographer is often hindered by their armature status and cannot get access to the best shooting positions.

This sports photographer has accomplished all three; access, timing and luck.  She has caught the swimmer at precisely the right second when her head is out of the water, in focus, and the body and arm are captured in active motion.  This photograph has the right combination of  shutter speed and panning to give us this moment in time.  

Graphically the ascending diagonal lines of the lane divider and the swimmer gives this image power and accentuates the effort the swimmer is exerting.  The movement of water both in the water caught in mid air and the bow wave at her head attests to the split second timing of the sports photographer.   

   Click on Image 

Share This

Power, youth, energy are all represented in this young man.  The back drop of  soft focus  indigo surf and pristine sand say California cost.  This young surfer has just immerged form the surf and is jogging up the beach.  His posture and body language tells us he has all the enthusiasm for life that youth can bring.

The photographer did what is essential in any action or sports photography, capture the moment.  The subject’s weight has just been shifted to his left foot and the next forward stride is about to be taken. 

This image violates one of the golden rules of composition.  Allow room in the frame for the subject to move into or through it.  In this case the moving subject is close to the right hand edge but traveling at only a slight angle to the camera plain.  The rule has been bent and in this composition works extremely well.

The only thing I might suggest is to clone out the small bit of debris in the sand next to the right frame edge. It’s the photo artists call.              

                   Click on Image     

    Original       Modified       

Share This