Art of Photography Exhibition (critique)

jetcode wrote in post #13055141
Of course but then again why do I gravitate towards VanGogh over Chagall?
Should that matter when judging or grading?
Should I let likes and dislikes influence?
What makes value in art?
Why do we get up in the morning?

What we like and dislike is cool and is part of what makes up who we are but should we let that influence what is realyl good or not? I say no. In fact there are many artist whose work I personally dislike but fully understand why their work is valid and considered great by others. If I apply the same judgements in how I evaluate a piece I like to something I may not personally like I can still make a judgement about how good the work is or isn't based on that criteria.

And if you are talking art I posted a great starting point in another thread and that visual language is how people have been creating and judging work for centuries. Its how artists communicate visually. And its an ongoing process. Some come by it extremely easily and naturally and others it takes time but its all part of the journey and an important part of the journey.

The more you learn, the more you see in others work and the more it starts showing up in your own work. You start finding that pieces that are easily read (immediate gratification) fade fast from what you consider good and the things that you might not of given much thought to at first, the more you learn. the more you see and the more that work becomes interesting.

Its kinda the same way with me and music too. The stuff I initially like, in many cases, wears off quickly and the deeper, more interesting work, seems to unfold itself to me over time and usually those things are my favorite pieces.

Joe a couple of quotes .

"Ask yourself, "Why am I seeing and feeling this? How am I growing? What am I learning?" Remember: Every coincidence is potentially meaningful. How high your awareness level is determines how much meaning you get from your world. Photography can teach you to improve your awareness level." - Ansel Adams

"Gene Smith's work validates my most vigorous convictions that if the documentary photograph is to be truly effective it must contain elements of art, intensity, fine craft and spirituality. All these his work contains and we may turn to his work with gratitude, appreciation and great respect." - Ansel Adams

Last week's submissions from:


Hank: Trying new things, I like that. Good nab with the composition and nice and grainy, but the content does not stir me. Does not grab me either. Now, had someone been looking out one of those windows...still, that's another story. Looking forward to seeing more of your drive-by candids.

Joe: I like non-conventional, and I like your image...but the love is not quite there for me. There is a nifty abstract in that image dying to come out, but the scene does not allow for that. Can't fault you for not being able to see in the dark, but in my brain the background needs to be a wee bit brighter to allow the horse to stand out more. You should continue this compositional approach, you may hit pay dirt!

Allen: A lot going on in that capture, mixed familial emotions coupled with hot sauce innuendos and the antithesis "Amigos" in the background. Perhaps this family started out on this excursion as Amigos, but as the time has progressed the Amigo feelings are fading into a blur. Mom appears firmly planted in "Medium-Hot", but Dad is leaning from "Medium-Hot" to "Hot"...look at his expression and where he is leaning. The Boys appear to be neutral, not wanting to get caught up in the mom-pop drama. However, the boys are clearly impatient and annoyed. Sometimes I interpret way too much, but the above is what clearly went through my brain as I viewed this image, and pulled more out as I continued my viewing. Great capture on all counts, Allen!

Me: I had to act fast with this one, as I had just noticed the broken bottle and someone was walking by it. This is capture #2 of 3. And damnit, I wish I would have nailed focus on the broken bottle and not the subject's right shoe.


Jason C

Thanks Jason. OK, I guess this one goes under "nothing ventured, nothing gained." It's probably worth millions but now we'll never know...:o

I have to put some comments together as well.

Life isn't always about expansion, sometimes it's about retrograde, and sometimes coasting, neutrality, or no expression at all; silence.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #13055317
Joe a couple of quotes .

"Ask yourself, "Why am I seeing and feeling this? How am I growing? What am I learning?" Remember: Every coincidence is potentially meaningful. How high your awareness level is determines how much meaning you get from your world. Photography can teach you to improve your awareness level." - Ansel Adams

"Gene Smith's work validates my most vigorous convictions that if the documentary photograph is to be truly effective it must contain elements of art, intensity, fine craft and spirituality. All these his work contains and we may turn to his work with gratitude, appreciation and great respect." - Ansel Adams

Me on last week:


Joe: Nice lines, angles and some curves. I like the back story and your development, otherwise I'm having a difficult time really getting into this picture. Remember, I'm a slow wit who works for the government...


Allen: Your black and white conversion is great, I wish the image was bigger so I could get into it. What is the flow of the trip? The top image seems to be the front left quarter panel and wheel fender, the center image is the rear left wheel fender, but what is the last image?


Hank: My favorite of the week. Oddly, I wish it were a little wider. I like the lines and the visual statement.


Me: Fluorescent lights outside of my office, i got what I wanted but it don't seem like much. My last-place pick for the week.

Jason C

Light Jason ... light. That's all I can say. In the literal this is the high school I went to and the title play is on the light at the top of the stairs which alludes to ascension because of the path we can take to get there. Mostly I was just loving what this looked like on ground glass and see if I could frame a nice architectural rendition. Nothing more than that. A few others found it less interesting but I personally get lost in every brick, stair, railing, and the way the light plays from two sources. This is one of my better LF images. I lean to classic sense in LF work. I have some LF nudes that have a more definitive art presence but we can't go there here.

It's late but I still wanted to get some thoughts in on the week prior (the one where I submitted an incredibly sublime image that no one liked...wtf was up with that anyway?!)

Joe - (Midnight Pony) - I like this image for several reasons, none of which garnered any extra points, unfortunately. It's different - definitely not what we would normally post in other comp threads. What I enjoy about participating in AoPE is that the unconventional can spark an interest to try something new. It looks almost film-like in some respects. But what ultimately caused my lower score was the abnormal coloring as a result of the high noise level. I understand it was intentional and I enjoy the effort, but let's face it, extreme ISO noise isn't attractive to look at. I may try something like this myself at another time. I also think that with some NR work this is an image that could become stronger.

Jason - (Sidewalk of Broken Dreams) - Very much enjoyed this effort. I like the motion, the context, and gritty feeling. The thing I am discovering as I try a bit more unconventional shooting method is that I don't care so much about sharp focus throughout - it's nice, but I'm more into the moment - and if I missed focus by a bit or have a subject that is moving erratically and was inside of my hyper-focal range or I didn't quite pause enough when I pressed the shutter, then sometimes those results are better than if I had a "perfect" image. All I know is I'm having more fun shooting now w/o the need for the "perfect" image and I'll take this effort in a heartbeat.

Allen - (Family Vacation Amigos) - Always liked this shot because it has a lot of body language on display. If you're a parent whose been on a trip or vacation with younger kids this photo is highly amusing. We have "hit the wall" so to speak and just want it to be over. Or at the very least, make it less painful with a cold beverage (make mine a double please.) I can relate to this shot. I'd like to hear what each of them would have to say if they had a chance to view this.

I have nothing profound to add to mine for the week.

Which incredibly sublime image are you talking about chief? Ah yes ... urban drive-by ... a real classic for sure ...

OK - thoughts on last week:

Joe (Path to a Higher Education - High School) - Soooo, since I read comments before posting this I will just say that yes, this image is all about the light - which is why I gave it my #1 spot. I can happily view this photo and admire the nuances of how the light wraps and flows and I find it very easy to ignore the fact that it is, in essence, a set of stairs and a brick wall. It certainly surpasses such a simple explanation. Well done.

Allen (Triptych #41) - I doubt the sizing requirements are doing this image justice. To me it seems too small to properly get a sense of perspective of each component. Also makes me wonder more about what I'm not getting to see than what I do get to see.

Jason (Gradual Illumination) - Sorry Jason, not working for me this time. To be honest, it just looks like someone screwing around with a camera. I even tried to trick my brain into observing it in terms of negative space but was unsuccessful.

Regarding my shot of the blue wall, I liked how everything was just sitting there, waiting for me. There was never any doubt to shoot it vertical (Jason - looking at it wide just didn't do anything and stepping back and framing it in the viewfinder didn't appeal to me either.) I have seen that chair, in better condition than it is now, sitting in that same spot from images taken a couple of years ago (found it on some urban explorer forum.) Also noticed how much the sun has faded these buildings - they are really losing their color.

Also found this promo on youtube last week as well - made in 1998, it sure doesn't look like that today. Kinda made me wish I had seen the video before stopping. http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=Uuj6_SxlHZI

jetcode wrote in post #13084933
Which incredibly sublime image are you talking about chief? Ah yes ... urban drive-by ... a real classic for sure ...

I jest, of course.

macroshot wrote in post #13084935
Jason (Gradual Illumination) - Sorry Jason, not working for me this time. To be honest, it just looks like someone screwing around with a camera. I even tried to trick my brain into observing it in terms of negative space but was unsuccessful.

Please, no need to apologize at all. Funny thing is I shot GI2 yesterday...


Jason C

macroshot wrote in post #13084937
I jest, of course.

I jest, of course (as well) because it was such a fun line to respond to! I have all my classics mounted and lining the recesses of my mind, next to the laundry, and the dog turd on the front porch ... !! LOL!

I am feeling a little less pressed for time than last week. My critique as follows:

Allen (Triptych #41) - A classic juxtaposition of elements belonging to the same subject spread across 3 canvases. I want to see it live and big and on a wall with great light! One of my favorites from your collection and it has been for a while. The mystery for the observer is understanding how the pieces relate and what prompted the photographer to arrange the elements in this particular order. Nice work Allen.

Hank - Hanging Out - This image relies solely on the movement caused by the ladder and the resting spot in the chair all bathed in baby blue. What's not to like? While graphically the image isn't a Rosetta Stone in the mind (it all makes sense from every angle) it is never the less interesting and demands viewing time. Excellent find.

Jason C - Gradual Illumination - My first thought is how I would do this with a black canvas and photoshop. Essentially we are viewing a diminishing point of view in a rectangle with maximum contrast. Might be nice on a wall somewhere but most likely will not be a center piece to an art exhibition unless the exhibition is titled "the other side" or "the not so obvious obvious" or a show on shapes and graphic intention.

Well the critiques are backed up a bit but never the less ...

First of all last week I didn't have the energy to want to commit a piece so I threw up something interesting to my eye but certainly far from anything of significant value. It's a bit much placing in several competitions and I was starting to loose some steam between here and work.


Louisiana, MO
The buildings are historical which is nice to my eye and the truck belongs but how I wish for something more fitting to the area's history. A tractor or a team of horses. Or empty closed down town front. Still though the color works well and the frame is interesting.

Reflective #9
I call this style of rendering "two world" rendering. You have a context in one world and a surprise from the other. In this case the reflection is the context and the leaf is the surprise. Not so sure about the exact placement of the boat in the frame as it feels a bit centered. As usual the payload in your images (the leaf) breaks all rules of composition in the frame. Hurray.

Rush Hour
This image is refreshing for me. I love that open sparse half planned half abandoned hotter than hell where to F... are we and how come I'm broke feeling I get stranded here in no-where-ville.

Emptiness Enters
This is an unusual image because it is literal and unorthodox in terms of subject. Obviously we have generous geometric shapes coexisting and playing off each other. In one shape is the circle and the other the rectangle. there is a slight tilt of the B/W texture which adds a bit of tang to the mix. It's unusual.

Grand Illumination II
This piece is satisfying for me. It doesn't threaten and there is something about the ratio between the two lines that generates a relativity and in that relationship lies the movement. The statement is stark and somewhat controversial. Because it has no immediate connotation the viewer is left to come to their own conclusion in quick glance or a long and thoughtful gaze.

Something Different
This is a left turn from the normal daylight work you do so well. The frame is packed with relationships and connections. Graphically there is a lot of movement between the various forms. Add visual context such as the relationship between toes and feet, real and man-made, and the image becomes multidimensional. The perspective is refreshing from standard horizontal view. The light is somewhat flat and a slight color cast at least on my monitor.