Picture Critique

For a couple of weeks, Otto von Münchow kindly shares his expertise if you want an opinion about a picture – here is mine. Some suggested changes are not possible, the shot was situational, but the cropping is. So, I have followed his advice, and by comparing the photos you can see the difference it makes. I attended one of Otto’s online courses this summer, where he also stressed the importance of waiting for the right moment. I will have to practice that more… Thank you again, Otto!

Hi Otto! This is a photo taken in a cafe´in Lodz, Poland. I loved the colours and the people there, but how do I make the best of it? Thank you for taking your time and skills for this!

  • Otto von Münchow
    Leya

    This is a fun photo, playing with forms, shapes and colours—both natural as part of the room we look into as well as indirectly and as a juxtaposition in the mural on the wall in the back of the room. I think your framing is enhancing the playfulness in the room. You have a frame with in a frame by looking through a opening between two rooms, and not the least you have included a tiny bit of a red box to the right—probably a piece of furniture—and the blue seat to the lower left. It ends up being a composition with primary colours (from a traditional painters palette and not the additive primary colours), respectively yellow, blue and red. In contrast to all these geometric shapes, we have the organic forms of the people sitting in what is obviously a café. In fact, there is a hint of a fourth person around the column to the right. I like the smiling expression of the face of the woman obviously in conversation with this fourth person. It’s a little pity that the woman behind her, all the way towards the rear wall, is in her face, so to speak. Some separation between the faces would have made both of them stand out more clearly. You could have accomplished this by moving to the left, but then you would have left the bit of red furniture to the right out of the frame. The best thing would have been to await the situation, wait until the two faces had moved away from each other (but then of course you might have lost the smiling expression I mentioned before). One more detail: I think I would crop off a little bit of the yellow support in the upper part of the photo. Give it a try, at least this is easy to accomplish. In the end this is another captivating photograph.

Thank You All – And, Have a Great Weekend!

I Just want to send a heartfelt Thank You to WordPress Discover and to all my readers and followers, old and new,  who faithfully support this blog (and me!). Without you, life would lose this silver lining called blogging. Connecting worldwide, the possibility of meeting friends live, and helping each other to stay positive despite a troubled world. Thank you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Thursday Thoughts – Framed

Why do many/most people like…frames? (Or maybe not?) And what defines a frame?

This window photo displays some frames – photographed when I was looking out of my own hotel window. I like it, despite its drabness and ordinariness.

Many city windows look just like the one above…or like this one…

But a frame does not have to look like a window frame or a door frame…or a painting frame – it can be…different.

How many frames can you find in this photo?

And frames can be – very different!

It can stare at you in night light…

…or give you an irregular, sunlit moment.

So – what do you think about frames? Are you a compulsive frame user, or not? Do we need them at all?

Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: In the Distance

I guess Cee’s In the Distance also applies to a less open landscape. A glimpse of …something at the end of the path.

 

WPC: Glow

Most people love things that glow. Who can resist… a sunset? My choice for this week’s challenge is a photo from Iceland and the winter sun’s last glow after a glorious day.

 

Fire and Sand

Tonight I learned that the special light today – the sun never came through and it had a strange orange shine – originated from the effects of the fires in Spain/Portugal, like sand from Northern Africa.

I had brought my camera, heading for the forest, for some last shots of the autumn leaves – but the morning resulted in these shots of the unusual phenomenon. Not very clear or bright, but you can even see orange glittering water!