• Members 1802 posts
    April 13, 2023, 11:34 a.m.

    Love the portrait of these two. I often say animals won't do as we wish for posing but these could not have been more helpful. There is a strong diagonal with the slope of Mama's head that sets the stage for the composition. The expression is intense and grabs our attention that way. Their eyes are focused off the frame but along the diagonal. Variations in sharpness and light make Mama the star and baby the supporting actor. We even see the seeds in her mouth. The highlights in her mouth might could benefit from a slight reduction but that's a small thing. Well done on all counts.

  • Members 1802 posts
    April 13, 2023, 11:41 a.m.

    There is a somewhat fantastical quality to the image with all that gold in the water, but interrupted by the harsh reality of the bridge support post. I am undecided about whether I would remove it by crop or edit, or leave it in. Cropping it would remove the line of clear blue at the top which I think the image needs for balance. Disappearing it with editing tools would have the boatmen drifting on a larger and more magical river. But, the post and the boat are balances for each other compositionally. So I'm of two minds here. Either way, or as is, the image conveys peace, balance, and warmth.

  • Members 1722 posts
    April 13, 2023, 11:45 a.m.

    I have no idea how I came to post the same picture twice. I was trying to add a comment to Simplejoy's comment on Roel's picture. I'll work on it.

  • Members 1662 posts
    April 13, 2023, 11:46 a.m.

    That's excellent! I love the effective use of the format which further elevates the face in the artwork and makes it seem even more menacing. The highlight is of course the continuation of the red color, absolutely fantastic! It's a perfect depiction of fear and how it affects us, while we're also eternally fascinated with it and can't look away... Really well spotted and captured.

  • Members 1802 posts
    April 13, 2023, 12:32 p.m.

    Welcome to our weekly critique thread. We are thrilled to finally have a proper home for critique, something missing on the old DPR. Sounds like we have lots in common - we all value the activity of sharing photos and getting/giving feedback on them. It's how I learned photography in the first place, on this thread with its august 15 year history, and other similar sections on other photography forums, so I have a special appreciation for such. We are trying to make our activity work here in a different format, but without losing the qualities we value. It may look messy now while we learn the available tools, but we hope we will figure out a method to bring more order as we learn.

    The single post with cascade of response method works well here in this new section. It's a perfectly valid approach to get/give critique. I participate in those threads too, and have thrown in my thoughts on some of your images there. But shared threads are also valid mechanisms. Bear with us while we try and tame the flat format. Thanks for sharing your response to one of the images in the thread, and we invite you to consider submitting one of your own. See for yourself what's different about it and what's the same. There's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say.

  • Members 893 posts
    April 13, 2023, 12:40 p.m.

    Sorry to all for being somewhat absent this week.
    I have many concerns to take care of in real life.
    But I am seeing that the thread is doing what it is supposed to do, i.e. to be a gathering to share images and thoughts, in which every peer's voice is equally valid.
    Which means that there is no need for any single person to respond to every single image. That is as it should be.
    And I am glad.

  • Members 823 posts
    April 13, 2023, 4:13 p.m.

    Thanks,

    Rich

  • Members 823 posts
    April 13, 2023, 4:16 p.m.

    Thanks. I will.

    Rich

  • Members 252 posts
    April 13, 2023, 5:03 p.m.

    "Lady"

    This picture goes back to 2007 when visiting a friend at the time.

    live.staticflickr.com/65535/52814275617_f426da71b8_c.jpg

  • Members 109 posts
    April 13, 2023, 6:24 p.m.

    Thanks but I am not impressed with the jumbled format and I see no advantages.

  • Members 1497 posts
    April 13, 2023, 6:47 p.m.

    SAD

    20230412_155017-D.jpg

    20230412_155342-D.jpg

    Cathedral of the Transfiguration is an imposing structure build almost 40 yrs ago by Steven Roman, local mining magnate . Mr. Roman, who arrived in Canada in 1937 from his native Slovakia, donated the land for the Cathedral, which he built as a beacon of religious freedom for his fellow Slavs then living under the repressive dominance of the former Soviet Union, without religious freedom. Construction of the cathedral began in early 1984, and the cornerstone and altar stone were blessed by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Canada in September 1984, marking the first time that a Roman Pontiff consecrated a church in North America. Václav Havel, the first president of a democratic Czechoslovakia, following the fall of the Communist regime, visited the Cathedral in 1990.

    No expense was spared – It’s built with granite and marble, real gold gilded towers, it contains the world's largest peal of three bells, cast in bronze at the foundry of Paccard S.A. in the French town of Annecy. Real Casavant concert organ. Casavant Frères is a world-renowned Quebec company that has produced more than 3,000 organs since its founding in 1879. Floor Mosaics were installed by Travisanutto Mosaics of northern Italy. Etc, etc, etc.

    But…it sits almost abandoned due to dispute between the Slovak Greek Church Foundation and the Eparchy for Catholic Slovaks of the Byzantine Rite in Canada led to the closure of the building in 2006. An application for public occupancy was filed with the City of Markham.
    Once a public occupancy permit is granted, the Cathedral will be able to permanently open its doors to any Catholic congregation wishing to worship there. It will also be able to host concerts and other public events.

    20230412_155017-D.jpg

    JPG, 3.1 MB, uploaded by ChrisOly on April 13, 2023.

    20230412_155342-D.jpg

    JPG, 4.0 MB, uploaded by ChrisOly on April 13, 2023.

  • Members 69 posts
    April 13, 2023, 7:09 p.m.

    A gorgeous family portrait. An alternate title possibility: "Shut up kid, and pay attention!" I really like the lighting. There is just enough fill light coming from right rear to perfectly highlight ear and chin. If I had a nit, it might be slightly stronger with just a little more breathing room on the left side. But that's a very minor point, so if you want to keep the square format, then it's fine as is.

  • Members 69 posts
    April 13, 2023, 7:20 p.m.

    What Roel said!

    I studied this quite a bit zoomed it. At first, I was just a bit confused by which bits were in focus and which weren't. Then after a while I concluded that for me the focus wasn't the point. It was the overall feeling of the tiny scene, held together by perfect lighting, that kept my interest. Nicely done! This shot makes me want to get more into macro work. Might even have made me hungry for some good bread!

  • Members 69 posts
    April 13, 2023, 7:33 p.m.

    I'm getting a real Monet vibe here. The lighting is gorgeous and you captured the reflection very well. One small suggestion, you might consider a small reduction in the brightness of that stick in the lower left. It seems just bright enough to trap my eye. I'd suggest making it just slightly darker than it's reflection. That way it would blend into the scene, and help direct my eye unconsciously toward that brighter region in the lower center.

  • Members 252 posts
    April 13, 2023, 7:55 p.m.

    It is a beautiful piece really, cant take anything away from it, lovely composition, good lighting with excellent sharpness and details.

  • Members 252 posts
    April 13, 2023, 8 p.m.

    I like it a lot but I do wonder how the shot would have been when processed somewhat differently, with a little bit less contrast and less highlighting.

    Would have loved to play with the RAW but here goes

    Image1.jpg

    JPG, 329.0 KB, uploaded by MainlyMe on April 13, 2023.

  • Members 69 posts
    April 13, 2023, 8:04 p.m.

    Cute little guy. Her nose and left eye seem sharp and the side lighting is nice. There are a couple of suggestions I might make. If this was a RAW original, you might have the leeway to lighten up the right side of her face (her right, that is) at least enough that we can see some detail in that right eye. Also, I'd suggest cropping out the white cloth on our right side. It commands way too much attention and distracts the viewer from what is important. Something like this, perhaps.

    Untitled.jpg

    Untitled.jpg

    JPG, 53.9 KB, uploaded by MikePDX on April 13, 2023.