Critiques

  JuanBaldero (0) 2007-02-21 16:17

Sohrab,

A friend pointed toward your photos and I like the shots quite a bit. However, as others have mentioned the print quality could be improved. I know some have commented on how you might bring up the highlights in the negatives you have already exposed. The question is what to do in the future. I'm not sure what your goal is for your prints, but many/most of them have blown out skies and excessive halos from your dodging and burning. Additionally, the shadows are very underexposed. If this is a particular look you are going for, then great. It looks as though you are trying to correct these problems in the print stage, so I will assume this is not your final goal, but rather the result of trying to fix bad exposures. Your shots look like you are underexposing in the camera and overdeveloping the negatives. Hence, the lack of detail in the low tones and the blown skies. You might want to experiment with giving a little more exposure and cutting your development times by 20% or so. At the very least, I would cut the development times. This will contract the brightness range, limiting the highlights a bit. I think this is better than getting bogged down in the more advanced printing techniques Luko suggests. His recommendations are certainly good for getting a better print out of a poorly exposed negative, but it is best to get the exposure nailed in camera, then think about print techniques. Hope this helps.

As for the photos, my initial impression is that they show a different side of India. There are so many good shots of India because of the population density. It's hard not to get something interesting, particularly for Western eyes. Your shots have something that sets them apart, but I can't describe it well. Many seem a little edgier, more primal than the usual India photos. Keep it up.

Juan

  JuanBaldero (0) 2007-02-12 10:29

This is a good shot. I guess it explains the black eye you're nursing. My only complaint is that the horizon is slanted. You could fix this in photoshop really easily.
Juan

  JuanBaldero (0) 2007-01-29 16:19

Nice photo. I like the juxtoposition of the two figures passing by. One technical note about the note: the streets actually radiate out from State Circle and Church Circle, an interesting organizing principle in many older--and perhaps newer--cities. I know; I'm a smart ass.

Juan

JuanBaldero (0) 2006-10-10 19:59

Goodwill,

Well, here it is. I really like the content of this photo. The boy in the foreground has an interesting look, as if the bubbles are routine, but his gaze appears to be elsewhere. I like the fact that we don't know what he's looking at, not to mention what he's thinking. However, the two men behind him are even more interesting. They are obviously engaged in something, but we do not know exactly what. Moving beyond them, there are more isolated figures in the far background. Once again, very intriguing. Are they setting up shop, closing shop, passing by, or something else? This is what I referred to earlier in our other discussion. There is a sense of wonder that allows the imagination to to work. Also, because of the various layers of the photo, I can look at it repeatedly and grow with it. If you had explained everything in detail it would lose some appeal, though not all. On the technical side, I think it would have been better to use a faster shutter speed, assuming your camera allows manuak adjustment. There is a little too much blurring for my taste. Having said that, I think this is an example of a photo that succeeds in spite of what I perceive as a technical shortcoming. Content is much more important than mechanics.

Juan

JuanBaldero (0) 2006-10-10 10:10

Just a quick comment. Although we are often compelled to explain the circumstances in which a photo was made, the explanation usually diminishes the mystery of the photo. If we are fortunate enough to capture something of interst, something that draws one into the photo, then there is no need for legnthy explanations or quasi-philosophical rants. It's impossible to anticipate how a viewer will respond to a photo, but it is surely better to allow a response based on the actual picture rather than one colored by commentary. One could always skip the note, but my obeservations on TE have led me to the conclusion that most describe what is not contained in the picture as opposed to what is in the picture. In other words, posters project their own emotional state onto the photo when that state is not captured photographically. I think this disconnect impedes one's development as a photographer, if that is what one is after. Anyhow, this photo would have been more interesting to me had there been more DOF. The woman with the cart in the background would be nice to see clearly in contrast to the man in the foreground with the birds.

Juan Baldero

JuanBaldero (0) 2006-10-01 22:04

Good day to you my brother,

I'm bubbling over with joy after reading your masterful notes on the condition of the working class in the great state of Mary Land. I am inspired by the intrepid waterman motoring into the fog of the unknown. Perhaps they will have a bountiful catch. However, dare I think it, I fear they will merely net a Godzilla.

A peaceful existence to you,

Juan Baldero