This page contains selected July 2002 submissions from photographers who wished to have their photographs reviewed
by the publisher of this site,Michael Reichmann, as well as by other readers on ourDiscussion Forum. 

Because of the large volume of submissions, as the month progresses you will find that this page loads slowly. Be patient.

For details on how to submit a photograph for critique please see theCritique / Contestpage. 

Paul Marcus

Paul Marcus
Oakland, California, USA
ParadisePk@aol.com

Olympus D-490Z Captured in uncompressed TIFF. Converted to JPEG (best quality) with Photoshop 5.0

I made a series of horizontally oriented masks, which I used to apply different tone curve adjustments to different parts of the photo. See the original, unadjusted (except for conversion to JPEG) athttp://www.pbase.com/update_image/2636960. A full-size version of the submitted (cropped and adjusted) image is at http://www.pbase.com/update_image/2636977

Ranier Sunrise 11/25/2000

I took this from the deck of my dad’s house when I was visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday in 2000. It is an eastward view from Home (Lakebay) Washington over Puget Sound and towards Mount Ranier. I had only had my digital camera for about a month, so I was using it in fully automatic mode. This necessitated (too much) post-processing, but I really liked the way the two gaps in the clouds allowed a splash of color to frame the mountain.

I’ve been tempted to apply a "watercolor" filter to it and have it printed on canvas…

Michael’s Critique

This is a lovely scene well photographed with apparent affection. It is marred though by the branches in the lower right. They should have been cropped or digitally removed as they distract from the clean simplicity of this image.

You can add your own comments on Paul’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Paulo Antonio Mangabeira Brochado

Paulo Antonio Mangabeira Brochado
Porto Alegre/RS – Brasil
paulobro@alt.net

Minolta Dimage7; RAW. Linear polarizer filter. Early autumn morning (~8 AM)

Michael’s Critique

The sky is wonderful and the lone figure on the beach adds a needed focal point. I don’t care for the boardwalk (or whatever it is) in the lower right corner. It’s bright and distracting and should be cropped out. Again, it’s the details that make a difference.

You can add your own comments on Paulo’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Jeff Grant

Jeff Grant

Sydney, Australia

Jeff.grant@pobox.com

I took this shot as an experiment in exposure (eight minutes @ F/16) to see how the sea would look with moonlight about 40 minutes after sunset. I didn’t expect it to work with the lights in the distance, but found that I liked the result.

Taken on a Hasselblad 503CW with a 60mm Distagon on Provia 100F

Michael’s Critique

This photograph almost works, but in the end there’s too much black space. The real interest is in the water and the silhouetted hills and town lights. Now that the technique has been perfected it’s time to try for a more compelling composition.

You can add your own comments on Jeff’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Daniel Rice

Daniel Rice
Olympia, Washington
daniel_c_rice@mac.com

Nikon F-5; Tamron 28-105 around 105; Fujichrome Astia

I was wandering around Mayfield State Park in Washington one early morning when I came across a flock of geese. At my approach, the geese, along with several baby geese, took to the water and I captured this scene.

Michael’s Critique

This shot has potential, but is largely let down by a too bland sky. Silhouettes need to either have bold elements or fine detail. This sits on the border between the two.

You can add your own comments on Daniel’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Kai Blanke

Kai Blanke
Ismaning, Germany
kai.blanke@maihiro.com
www.maihiro.com

Taken with a Rollei 35 S (Sonnar 40/2.8) on Agfa CT Precisa 100; shot at 1/30 @f5.6 handheld.

I drove to work early and came through this alley which itself is nice to look at (and drive through). But that day in fog it looked so fascinating that I had to get out, get my car-camera and take the picture. I’d really like to redo this one in MF 6*6 or at least with a tripod, but the weather is unpredictable – never had the opportunity until now, though my real gear is in my car now most of the times.

Michael’s Critique

The themes this month appear to be heavily blue and black. Strange how these things go. In any event… this photograph has appeal, but doesn’t hang together compositionally. There’s no symmetry and no focal point. My eye wants to be drawn into the misty center of the frame but when it gets there there’s nothing to hold my attention. The light and dark areas to the right and left vie for attention but again, provide nothing to hold the eye.

You can add your own comments on Kai’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Clayton Mansnerus

Clayton Mansnerus
Santa Cruz, CA. USA
clayton@cruzio.com
http://members.cruzio.com/~clayton

Pentax K-1000 35 mm camera, Sigma 28-70 mm lens, Fuji Provia 100

In sticking with this month¹s blue and black theme, here is a photo of Mt. Johnson (?) reflected in a pond at first light near Dana Meadows, Yosemite, CA. The original composition was interesting, but quite cluttered. After experimenting with several different croppings I settled on this one. Although this version is still busy I find it appealing.

Michael’s Critique

Again, cropping is what’s need to simplify this composition. The log’s reflection at the bottom of the frame adds little. If cropped out it tightens the image up and makes the eye focus on the mountain reflection.

You can add your own comments on Claton’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Thomas W. Earle

Thomas W. Earle Pendleton, Oregon (USA)
twade@bmi.net"Sunrise over Mt. Scott" was taken at Crater Lake, Oregon.  I felt Wizard Island provided a nice anchor to the photo since it’s one of Crater Lake’s icons.  The light reflecting off the bottom of the cloud created a nice rainbow effect in the water too.  Any suggestions on cropping?   Fuji Provia @ ASA 100, 1/30 sec @ f16, Pentax 67, SMC Pentax 165 mm f/2.8

Michael’s Critique

Little needs to be said about this very strong photograph, though I don’t find that the foreground-right silhouetted land mass contributes much. The frame could be cropped just above it to create an attractive panoramic format image.

You can add your own comments on Thomas’ photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Philipp Schneider

Philipp Schneider
Munich, Germany
phil_schneider@gmx.net

Canon EOS 30, Tokina 19-35, Fuji Velvia, Polarizer, handheld

We were driving towards Moab, Utah, when we saw this rainbow forming in front of dark storm clouds in the last light of the day. We quickly pulled over and I managed to take a few shots before the rainbow vanished.

Michael’s Critique

Makes me want to rush into the frame and find the pot of gold. I’m not terribly excited by the foreground bush. I might have been tempted to move forward a few feet and isolate the distant hills, cloud darkened sky and rainbow.

You can add your own comments on Philipp’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

Robert Allen Schambach

Robert Allen Schambach
Tucson, AZ . US
rallen@azstarnet.com

Nikon F100 80-200mm 2.8. Scanned with Nikon LS-4000ED

Used Kodak Ektachome E100SW. This was an exceptional day for shooting, if you look at the link below most of the photos there were shot on this same day. Adding to your article on the dangers of going out there alone, that afternoon I almost fell into a 20 foot deep mineshaft that was located along the ridge on one of the mountain tops I was photographing from. From then on I never left my cell phone in the car again, when shooting.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=175264

Michael’s Critique

Great light, but there’s something lacking in the brightness and contrast levels. I would also crop the bottom of the frame and take a bit off the top as well to better focus the eye on the lovely textures and shapes.

You can add your own comments on Robert’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.

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