Challenge 22: Contemplation by Crystal Lake

[ish]

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/8671423-L.jpg


The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7584992-L.jpg



I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills. :)

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

[aero-nut]

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).




The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:





I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills. :)

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!
Great photos! The first is cool, but seems a little too dark to see the contrast between the silhouette and the background lighting.

I think I like the second one better because the contrast just grabs you.

[GREAPER]

I like them both very much.

I dont mind the first one being a bit dark, the colors are fantastic.

The second one is very nice, the contrast and the image on the brick make for a unique shot. I like them.

[dkapp]

I think the second one is best. I like the contrast & textures. The ripples in the water are great.

Dave

[yosemitedigitalphoto]

I think the first shot is good but I would have liked to see more than a silouette of the subject. The table and other sillouette are distractions to the composition. The second shot is exelent. I would like to know more about what I'm looking at, is that a painting, projection or computer digital manipulation?

[digismile]

The first is a little dark for my tastes but a nice photo just the same. I really like the vibrancy of the colours in the second photo and the reflection in the water.:thumb

Brad

[shooter]

Nice shots. I prefer the second, something about reflections get me. The ripples are great, as are the colors.

[ish]

I agree with you about the first shot. There is too much clutter around the subject that does not have any real relevance...

As for the second shot, I was at Millenium Park, an urban park in downtown Chicago, and there is a permanant installment there with these really tall rectangular pillars that are also video screens with water running over them.

Here are a few shots of them at a greater distance so as to give you a better context:

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7585001-M.jpg

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7585005-M.jpg

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7584999-M.jpg




I think the first shot is good but I would have liked to see more than a silouette of the subject. The table and other sillouette are distractions to the composition. The second shot is exelent. I would like to know more about what I'm looking at, is that a painting, projection or computer digital manipulation?

[ish]

Thanks everyone for the comments, I think I will go with the second one. I wish you all could have been there to see the girl running around, she was such a joy to watch. I just wish I had an extremely high ISO camera so I could have got some better focus shots of her playing... :)

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7584995-M.jpg

[ginger_55]

Thanks everyone for the comments, I think I will go with the second one. I wish you all could have been there to see the girl running around, she was such a joy to watch. I just wish I had an extremely high ISO camera so I could have got some better focus shots of her playing... :)

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7584995-M.jpg
Heck, I prefer the blur.:rofl But I wouldn't enter it. I like the second shot best, too.

And I like how Chicage has done those "things". Nice, and good photos, too.

ginger

[lynnma]

Hello Everyone,

I apoligize ahead of time for joining the forum and then making my first post a contest entry.. Feels a bit lame, but I saw the contest link at smugmug. Anyways, I am new to the art this year, never owned a camera before this summer to be honest. Now that I do I love it, and I am trying to find avenues for education and growth. I like all styles of photography from wide open landscape to gritty urban settings, human emotion to abstract expression.

Here are a few entries for this theme, "alone".

The first one is called "contemplation" because my friend was really enjoying the cool night in Minnesota, just relaxing on the dock. I had to expose the shot for 16 seconds to bring out all the colors of local city in the sky, it was like 3AM I think (I will check EXIF).




The second shot was of this girl running around at a new Urban Park in downtown Chicago. She was a joy to watch and I like the way she is contrasted here:



I will start going through the other submissions and posting my personal feedback on the other entris, and definitely do not hesitate to post feedback or criticism here, because as I said, I am new to this and I really am trying to learn some common photo sense and skills. :)

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!Hey don't apologize!!! the challenge forum is pretty new for us too... we welcome as many new entries as possible so POST AWAY. I like your shots so far.:wave
Lynn

[judyfuess]

I really like the second shot...

[landrum]

I like the first one, but other items in it are distracting. If it was just the man against the sky it would be perfect. I really love the second one! It is a very good capture...well done! :thumb


Laurie

[lynnesite]

Also, let me know which one you think is "better" or your prefereance.

Thanks for having me~~!

Hello, Ish--you have an artist's eye, and I'd be very surprised if you don't have a background in some other medium!

I even like the horizon's tilt in the first one, and it looks good on my (Mac) LCD monitor. Both are great.

Welcome aboard!
Lynne

[ish]

Thanks for taking a look~ :) I think I will go with the second one though as it seems that is most people's preference and I do prefer the second myself. I lied the first one a lot but the more I look at it the more I wish I could retake it a little differently.

:)

Hello, Ish--you have an artist's eye, and I'd be very surprised if you don't have a background in some other medium!

I even like the horizon's tilt in the first one, and it looks good on my (Mac) LCD monitor. Both are great.

Welcome aboard!
Lynne

[AltPro]

Ish...
Welcome to the forum.... Hope you learn as much as you offer...

Regarding the photos... I really do like the little girl in front of the video mural... Nice handling there of the contrast, and the surface of the water... Nice colors too. But I will add that I also like the little girl in motion... It has a certain feel to it that made me look at it several times.

I agree with Lynne here... You seem to have a "fairly good" eye, for one who is just a beginner... Keep it up and you'll be giving some a run for their money!

Again, Welcome aboard.
ginette

[wxwax]

Wow, I love this shot. Great work. As someone else said, you have a wonderful eye and aesthetic.

http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/7584992-S.jpg

[ish]

I decided to consider a few more shots from a bike ride I took the other evening.

I am still partial to the little girl as I prefer human subjects, but these next three shots are more abstract in how they fall into the theme, nonetheless I feel they capture the theme on some levels, each in their own way:

Lonely Lamp (simple enough):
http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/9205652-M.jpg

Crane and Debris (the symmetry between the tractor and the tarp or whatever it is above):
http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/9205661-M.jpg

Lonely Alley (I have always felt alleys were lonely, especially when dark!):
http://everett.smugmug.com/photos/9205662-M.jpg