Critique Submissions
This page contains selected October 2001 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.
The winner this month’s contest and a free issue of theVideo JournalisTony Lewis.
For details on how to submit a photograph for critique please see theCritique / Contestpage.
William J. Scott

William J. Scott Bellevue, WA USA[email protected] Canon EOS D30, Lens: Canon 100-400L IS @ 400.0 mm
This shot was taken above Ross Lake in the North Cascades in Washington State. The fog in the trees only lasted a few minutes after the sun first hit the area.
Michael’s Critique
As is often the case in landscape photography, timing is all. William has done an excellent job of showing us this fleeting moment. A tough exposure as well, nicely handled.
You can add your own comments on William’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
Jeffrey Goggin

Jeffrey Goggin
Scottsdale, Arizona USA
[email protected]
This is my other favorite image from Lower Antelope Canyon. It was shot with Fuji Provia 100F in a Minolta Autocord LMX … no filters were used and no Photoshop "magic" has been performed. I composed the image fairly tightly because I was hoping to capture the unique character of Lower Antelope Canyon while not making it immediately obvious exactly where it was shot. I’m not sure how successful I was on that front but I like photo regardless…
Michael’s Critique
I’ve commented on photographs from Antelope Canyon on these pages before, and noted that it’s very hard to come up with anything original. For some 15 years now this has become one of the most photographed landscapes in the American Southwest. This doesn’t make it any the less enjoyable though.
Jeff has handled the contrast difficulties well and has produced a nicely balanced composition.
You can add your own comments on Jeffrey’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
Ovidiu Moise

Ovidiu Moise
Bucharest, Romania
[email protected]
Nikon F 601, Nikkor 35-70 @ 35mm, Ilford SFX
This image was taken in one of the ghost towns in the middle of New Mexico during a trip I took two years ago. The whole place seemed deserted, but he graves looked reasonably well maintained. What got my eye here was the repetition of the cross symbol combined with the dramatic sky above.
Michael’s Critique
All the pieces are there; interesting subject, great clouds and near-to-far depth. But somehow I find the composition to be too static. The cross is large in the frame, but uninteresting, while the church looks fascinating, but is too small as seen here to add sufficient interest.
You can add your own comments on Ovidiu’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
G¸nter Haika

G¸nter Haika
Vienna, Austria
[email protected]
http://haika.de.vu
Sunrise in the Austrian alps. Shot taken from Krippenstein (Dachstein region), looking east. Sept 29, 2001. Hasselblad 503CX, Sonnar SA 5.6/250, tripod, proshade.
I had expected to be shooting in the Canadian Rockies this week, but the attacks of Sept. 11th forced me to stay in Austria. However, since I had my mind set on shooting mountains (normally not my favorite sujet), I went to try my luck at home, just 3.5 hours drive west of Vienna. This scene was inviting, yet deceiving: While looking through the viewfinder, I was tempted to follow the clouds and tilt the camera, but the spirit level in my quick coupling plate told me not to.
Michael’s Critique
Clearly G¸nter isn’t afraid of adventuresome cropping. It’s exciting to be able to use a square format camera to create such an extreme panoramic print. The strong black foreground range helps frame and set off the pastel shades of the further mountains and sky. An excellent composition and execution.
You can add your own comments on G¸nter’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
Tony Lewis

Tony Lewis
Matcham NSW Australia
marjo@terrigal net.au
Canon D30, Lens: 100-400 zoom @ 400, ISO: 400, Exposure: 400 sec @ F11
Digitally processed in Photoshop 6, contrast increased slightly and slight Gaussian Blur
Shot at a river crossing (Mara River) during the migration of Wilderbeest (Gnu)in August this year in the Masai Mara, Kenya. We were lucky, we only waited 4 hours in the midday sun to get this action, some come to the savanna for years and don’t see a migration let alone a river crossing. It’s one of my favourite shots!
Michael’s Critique
I wish we could all see this in an 11X14" print. It must be stunning. Unfortunately in the small size that I am able to display here the image loses a great deal of impact.
You can add your own comments on Tony’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
Paulo Bizarro

Paulo Bizarro
Portugal
[email protected]
Camera: Eos 3 Lens: 17-35 f/2.8 Film: Elitechrome Extracolour 100 Other: Tripod
Digital details: digitised at 600 dpi from a 13×20 cm paper proof from the original slide. Unfortunately, I do not have access to a film scanner…
This shot was taken close to sunset, in the SW coast of Portugal. I had to plan to be there at low-tide, to capture these dune formations.
Michael’s Critique
A very eye-catching composition. Great light and graphically strong subject matter, but it’s let down by the flat and boring sky.
You can add your own comments on Paulo’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
David Whelan

David Whelan
London, England
[email protected]
Canon EOs1nRS, 17-35mm 2.8L, Neutral Density Filter, Agfa Scala 200x B&W Transparency film, scanned on a Nikon Coolscan II
Location: Sand Dunes National Monument, Colorado, USA
Michael’s Critique
How can I not be impressed? It isn’t just that this is so reminiscent of my signature image, but the interplay of clouds with dunes and light with shadow is truly compelling. The composition works perfectly as well. Very nicely done indeed.
You can add your own comments on David’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
Pascal Jappy

Pascal Jappy
Aubagne, France
[email protected]
Minolta Dimage 7. White balance set to cloudy for a warm up effect. Sky darkened slightly and two small pilones removed in Photoshop.
Photo taken in the evening from the TGV (fast train) roughly 100miles South of Paris, traveling at over 170 mph.
Michael’s Critique
The warm light is what makes this image. The intersecting lines of the various field planes makes for a visually stimulating frame.
You can add your own comments on Pascal’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
John B. Wislar

John B. Wislar
Rancho Santa Fe, California USA
[email protected]
Canon D30
Lens:28 to 135
Focal length:135
1/350 sec,f/9.5
White Balance:Cloudy
ISO:100
This Photograph was taken at the top of the switch backs on Rt.18 in the San Bernadino Mountains. It was about 10 am and what I think is "smog" from Los Angeles was settled into the foothills of the mountain range. Only levels and some slight sharpening were used in Photoshop. The image is not cropped.
Michael’s Critique
This is a fine example of what I callThe Layered Landscape. Very appealing. I’d be tempted to increase the contrast just a bit to increase the graphical nature of the shot.
You can add your own comments on John’s photograph on the Critique section of ourDiscussion Forum.
All Photographs on This Page are the Copyright of Their Respective Photographers
All Rights are Reserved
Read this story and all the best stories on The Luminous Landscape
The author has made this story available to Luminous Landscape members only. Upgrade to get instant access to this story and other benefits available only to members.
Why choose us?
Luminous-Landscape is a membership site. Our website contains over 5300 articles on almost every topic, camera, lens and printer you can imagine. Our membership model is simple, just $2 a month ($24.00 USD a year). This $24 gains you access to a wealth of information including all our past and future video tutorials on such topics as Lightroom, Capture One, Printing, file management and dozens of interviews and travel videos.
- New Articles every few days
- All original content found nowhere else on the web
- No Pop Up Google Sense ads – Our advertisers are photo related
- Download/stream video to any device
- NEW videos monthly
- Top well-known photographer contributors
- Posts from industry leaders
- Speciality Photography Workshops
- Mobile device scalable
- Exclusive video interviews
- Special vendor offers for members
- Hands On Product reviews
- FREE – User Forum. One of the most read user forums on the internet
- Access to our community Buy and Sell pages; for members only.









