Andy from Florida

Discussion Open - 8 Comments

1. dsenf on 6/17/08

   Craig,

   it's my first post here at the Radiant Vista. Let me say that I am flabbergasted (in a positive way!) again and again when I see you doing your color choices. That seems to be a mode of thinking I'm not yet able to do. Thanks for illustrating this.

   As far as the horizontal vs. vertical orientation goes, I really like the vertical better, because of the strand of hair you mentioned. But maybe that's just because I saw it vertically first, who knows.

   But another thing: Apart from the hand in the lower right corner that you dealt with, the bracelet in the background draws my eye out from the main subjects, so in my perfect world that would at least have less contrast, if not disappear altogether.

   Nevertheless, this is a great shot, thanks to you and Andy for letting us take part in the experience.

   David
2. deepjay on 6/17/08

   Craig,

   I don't know where it appears on the color wheel, but I envision a medium to dark brown blanket. The blue seems cold to me; not an appropriate feature in a warm picture.

   David
3. craigtanner on 6/17/08

   Hi David and David,

   Thank you for being here. I was aware I went out on several limbs here. And I fully expect to hear about it!

   I think a warm earth tone is a good suggestion from an emotional standpoint...I still like the idea of a compliment or counterpoint to the people and while blue is cool, to me its peaceful where the off green was unsettling. But I like bold graphic color. And color is such a subjective, intensely personal element of design..... managing color (from start to finish) to me is by far the most technically challenging area of design.

   I agree that this was a really beautiful shot to start with. One of the big reason's I chose to work with it was the concept of how framing on a diagonal, off of visual sea level can be a creative choice along with a corrective one.....Craig
4. helpman on 6/18/08

   When I saw the photo, it crossed my mind that the hair on the right could hang down, I was not really aware of this thought. In your discussion you mentioned the black triangle and then I got aware of my first thoughts; it confirmed that I can see right. I don't know how to explain. Maybe you understand.

   I also liked the color treatment of the blanket, in that sense that when it was turned into the blueish color, I really saw what you ment with the connection of the faces. It made me aware of things, it opens up things that are rather essential, I think. Thank you.

   Peter
5. rickallen1231 on 6/18/08

   Craig

   From the perspective of the faces, the vertical is a much stronger image. But there are aspects of it that are disconnecting. Perhaps the bold blue reinforces that disconnection. I am thinking primarily about the vertical right edge of the (now) blue towel -- where to my eye, this feels more like two pictures. In that sense, your initial comment about too much separation between mother and child is emphasized. Given enough time with PShop, that could be reduced a reasonable amount.

   From a contextual or story telling perspective, the picture is really quite beautiful. Given the image has nicely controlled DOF, I would consider lassoing the child, placing her on a new layer, and then rotating her to create a more dynamic line with respect to the mother's face. No doubt, this would take time and patience to make it look realistic, but I think the image is worthy of the effort. The image would also be stronger with an unconventional crop much closer to the mother's face - removing virtually all elements except the faces. Adding more focus by "selectively lighting" the faces, and pulling down the luminosity of the towel would also improve the image, best done slowly with a low opacity brush on an overlay layer, focusing on sculpting of the faces.

   Andy from Florida, this is a beautiful image and a wonderfully tender moment -- well deserving of framing and as such also deserving of its fair share of retouching. And no better time spent than with ones you love.

   Thanks for sharing,

   Rick
6. jsimons on 6/20/08

   Craig,

   Yet another great critique filled with all of the inspiration I have come to expect.

   More important, I want you to know I am both thrilled and overwhelmed with the changes to the radiant vista website. To put that in perspective, I only joined radiant vista a couple of months ago when my photography was doing fine but my enthusiasm seemed to be on a plateau. During the very first daily critique I watched, you talked about the color wheel. My eyes were opened and a lot of excitement poured in. My images immediately began to take on new life. I was really not adjusted to all the new possibilities when you started discussing street photography. Now my enthusiasm was pulling me in two directions at once. No rest for me, however, since I am yet again stimulated by the potential of the lensbaby but am afraid of buying one for fear I will not be able to handle so many possibilities. [ I will be going out this afternoon to purchase one]. With all the new changes, I am a little wary but cannot wait to see the future you have planned for us.

   Thank you for coming along in my photo life at just the right time.

   Joe
7. craigtanner on 6/20/08

   Hi Joe,

   Thank you for being here. Your encouraging words and enthusiasm are contagious. Thank you!....Hope everyone has a great weekend....Craig
8. suellen1111 on 6/28/08

   Craig, thanks for another challenging, thought-provoking critique!

   I like the vertical better, I think the horizontal version loses the

   "protective" aspect of the story that is so touching. But I do agree

   that tilting the camera to the left might make it more interesting. I am

   certainly going to keep that possibility in mind when I shoot protraits

   from now on. I like the blue blanket much better than the sea green

   one ... except that I would never put my baby girl in a blue blanket :)

   Thanks so much for all your excellent efforts, Craig. You've been a

   major influence on my photography as I have progressed from the rank-novice

   stage to seriously-addicted-intermediate. I especially appreciate more time

   taken to explain the how-to of some of your more complicated Photoshop

   processes.

   Keep up the good work!

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Juergen from Germany

Inspiration Showcase, April from Illinois