Thanks to everyone for making this challenge so rewarding. Your amazing images inspired me to do some reading on technique in the area of portraiture and street photography as I have very little experience with these genres. Thus, I became a bit verbose with my comments. Sorry for the word count! Hope I don’t offended anyone with naive suggestions.
Choosing the winners was extremely difficult. The entire collection is simply wonderful to explore.
First the comments.
Yann (chti) – Far Away Thoughts : This first entry has set the bar extremely high Yann! Everything you have done to create this intimate image plays into the poignant story it evokes. The moody black and white rendering, the focus on the man’s expressive profile, the framing and depth of field creating a bubble of alone-ness in spite of his location and its patrons. I like the background graininess and oof areas created by the wide-open aperture and higher ISO. Book worthy. Excellent work.
David (Mr. Bassie) – Little Girl Immersed in Bramble Hill : The beauty and allure of this photo is the juxtaposition and tension between the little girl in pink and the vast landscape in front of her. You have captured reflective innocence, and immersion in nature I can remember from my childhood, and at the same time you show the diversity and complexity of the world. I noticed you used the DP2. There is a definite DP2 feel to the image… especially with regards to dynamic range and sharpness. I may have tried f/8 or even f/11 for the landscape even though f/4.5 worked to focus sharply on the little girl.
Tom (ramseybuckeye) – Diner : Very difficult shot into those large windows! There is a definite moodiness to this image. The old painted and chipped brick wall sets the emotional stage. Everyone seems alone in his or her thoughts, even the couple. I may have overexposed the view out the windows in favour of a little more exposure on the people, as well as raised or lowered the camera angle so the railing didn’t completely block the faces. But maybe your artistic intension was to frame it this way to enhance feelings of obscurity. Well, you captured a gritty environment and set the stage for subjects lost in (lonely) thoughts.
Lou (lukulele) – Thoughts of a previous life : A moving portrait of a very beautiful woman. This photo makes me want to meet her, know her better. Exposure, focus and composition are excellent. The black and white rendering perfectly suits the image, evoking for me an intimacy and timelessness. I absolutely adore the woman’s expression, placement of hands, slight breeze in her hair. In my mind, the woman’s hands are extremely important as they make your image special & unique rather than cliché. Also, I don’t see melancholy in her expression or posture. I feel you have found in her ‘lost in thought’, a gentleness and strength, as well as wisdom and serenity. Only one nit… there is an odd shaped (upside down “u”) cloud in the top left that I would smooth out as I find it distracting. But I nit-pick… simply beautiful work.
David (K David) – Craps : I am guessing that this is Craps as I don’t know anything about casino games. Very cool depth of field, nicely exposed, pleasant indoor warmth to the lighting in this image. Your photo is a great example of focus and concentration, as well, it tells me a story based on the actions and expressions of its subjects. There is a lot of drama as the air born dice get ready to roll. You really nailed the focus!! I am wondering what is that green object on the top of the dice throwers head? I do find that quite distracting. Otherwise, an interesting & entertaining shot.
Bill (Workingdog) – Ilsa’s Piercing Gaze : A very sharp nicely posed image of your good looking dog. There is definitely a focused “I’m ready to work” look in her eyes. I like the composition, framing and location. The bokeh leaves in the background are nice too, adding splashes of sunshine to the portrait. On my monitor Ilsa looks a bit contrasty, in that fur detail has been lost in the shadows. I don’t now if you could brighten her up a bit. Maybe bump the ev or mid-tones? Lovely model.
Charlie (charliezapp) – Surf’s Up : First impression is wow; it is as if this guy if going to surf right out of the frame and into my kitchen. You did a great job on the cropping, although the surfer’s face seems to have lost depth as a result. That doesn’t mean his total focus and concentration isn’t there… it is, in spades. I love the freeze-framed elements, the wave, the splash, the board and surfer in focus and crisp. I do see black squiggly artifacts in some of the splashes: Maybe a result of the crop or maybe too much sharpening?
Arjay Bee – back to love : A tender evocative portrait, shot and processed with care. The lighting is beautiful… side-lighting? I love the exposure, framing, and neutral background. The lighting does create both separation and intimacy between mom and baby by casting different shadow values on the faces. The camera has focused on the kiss, which is where the connection takes place. The baby’s face appears OOF, but I think it should be. Babies are soft. I don’t know much about portraiture, but for me this works on an artistic and emotional level, and that’s what matters in matters of the heart.
Tim (atupdate) – Success : Awesome action shot! The concentration in that room is palpable, most especially on the face of the young man kicking the board in half. Every one seems totally engaged and focused on the task at hand. The lighting in the room worked with your camera settings as the main subjects are perfectly exposed. You have your technique down perfectly for these types of shots. Great focus on the faces, capturing the two expressions that tell the story from very different perspectives.
Chris Sterns – Launch Ready : As I try to type this I have two Border Collies and an Australian Shepherd staring at me with similar intensity (walk time). So I know ‘that’ look well, and you have captured it perfectly and artfully. The composition draws me right into that great face and gorgeous focused eyes. This is one of the only entries where the “stare” is right at me and I can reciprocate. All others I am a voyeur into strangers worlds. I am also impressed by the camera angle. The depth of field is wonderful, but the bokeh typical for that lens… not the smoothest bokeh, but the direct stare and your black and white rendering lessens the distraction. Nice work, beautiful dog.
Kevin (screwloose) – Must be Clean : This is one of those interesting street-type shots capturing the subject’s emotion and focus as he polishes the bumper of his pride and joy. You can tell he is so intent on the task at hand he is unaware of the camera. The age of the car and the age of the gentleman suggest a story or two wrapped in memories of yesteryear. I wonder if this might have been one of those shots better served in colour? I am not sure the black and white adds to the emotion or timeline. Also, I would have tried to get the whole man in the frame and wait for the passers-by to exit the frame. I know, easier said than done! Storied image all the same. I have the song Forever Young humming in my head now.
Phoenix Vision - Shave & Haircut : Okay, where to start with such an amazing shot. I was immediately drawn to the character lines within his face, the slight smile, far away gaze. Then the relaxed posture, hand casually in pocket, and I noticed the purple shirt, stylish hat, and shiny marble wall upon which he leans. That reflective wall gets even more interesting the longer I look at it. The colourful barber’s pole balances the image. The composition works…there are nice diagonal lines from hand, elbow bottom of light, and head to the round light on top. I am sorry; I cannot find any meaningful constructive suggestions. I really like this artistic street shot.
Mike (Wolvesrule) – Where are the squirrels : What a handsome boy Scooby is! I love how he blends in with the leaves, his confident stance and his intense gaze as he hunts the evil enemy. The composition is nice as you left room for him to look out of the frame, tree beside him acting as an anchor. I see some post processing potential here to bump the shadows and lighten the mid-tones, bringing out his eyes and muzzle, as well, I’d add colour saturation and a touch of vibrancy to showoff his reddish orange coat. (Curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a go if you want to see my results.) A lovely dog with a lot of gameness in his stance and stare.
Norman (normhead) – Man on Tail Boardwalk – Nice leading lines drawing the viewer into the frame and to the man quietly gazing down the trail. The yellow leaves to the left and right are nicely angled, add splashes of colour and visual interest. The man seems to be lost in thought, lost in the mysteries of nature, and your photo shows that beauty in the landscape. I would have used a longer lens for more compression so the subject was a bigger part of the frame. However, still a nice sharp colourful dynamic image in a great location.
Mike L – Elderly lady lost in thought : A lot of emotional impact with this portrait. She is definitely lost in thought, and I feel sadness in her expression and body language. The happy hat at her feet and pastal background colours add tension and balance to the overall shot. I really like your camera angle. I do appreciate the colours and objects around her…they provide a sense of place while not being distracting as she stands out against the background with her white outfit and expressive face. Too bad the whites over exposed…but even so, it doesn’t detract from the power and sentiment of this image.
Francois (Rampage 2K5) – Focus Concentration - Lost in Thoughts : Yes! I do like this shot! I have that 50mm 1.7 lens and I love that you used it wide open for this close-up portrait. You nailed the focus exactly where it needs to be. And even though he is not looking at the camera this profile carries a lot of visual impact due to lighting, high contrast, tilt of head and intimate details of face and skin. It looks to me like total concentration in some task. I really do feel like I’m ‘eavesdropping’ on this unsuspecting subject.
Steve (68wSteve) – Guarding the DMZ – Well, someone appears to have built a blue building right on top of the 38th parallel! Funny photo and I do like the select colour and framing. Is that a real person? I am also drawn to the background, to the top of the stairs where there appears to be another photographer shooting back at you. Thanks for the smile☺
Rob (robjmitchell) – Bird Obsessed : Terrific image both technically and aesthetically. The backlighting is beautiful; love the abundance of lit whiskers, some fading to black on the shadowed body, the soft feathering of fur outlining the cat’s body. The textured screen is a great backdrop. I feel the dark shadows work extremely well in this image… such a wide dynamic range from the sky to the cat’s body. Cleverly handled. Of course the tack sharp gaze and tilt of the head really makes this image a purrrfect kitty portrait. Lovely in all ways.
Bruce Clark – Really enjoyed the story you added to your photo. My initial thought was Birder. Terrific depth of field and nicely focused. I would have liked him closer to the right side of the frame, more space in front, but the angle does work for the binoculars. It is an interesting image and his focus is apparent, even in the expression of his mostly obscured face tells a story.
Pablothomas – Absorto : First, welcome to the Pentax Forum Pablo. What a fantastic entrance you have made with this fine photograph. My first impression was Wow! This is different, dynamic and oh so absorbing!! What has so piqued my interest is the tension between movement and stillness, the oof ghost people and the focused. This image is a vibrant slice of time, well 7/10ths of a second in real time. The still woman in the bottom corner anchors the composition, with the large piece of artwork supporting the right side of the frame. It took me awhile to notice her as the man right of centre immediately drew my attention. I have spent a lot of time looking at this memorable photograph. Nice work.
John (jheu02) – Steve Howe : So like my job wasn’t hard enough already! Wonderful portrait! Love the tilted gaze, bright eyes, and facial expression. I think your focus is spot on. The dark background supports the weight of deep concentration and leaves space for lyrics to roam. The jacket and guitar add colour, and his veined hands and bright blue eyes (and gap between his teeth) add character. I do think you captured something special here.
Arnold – Thinking Quietly, mid seventies : I truly appreciate this vintage photo. The angled shapes of legs, arms and fern work nicely with the round table, textured wall and grainy nature of the film. Love the way the highlight and shadows work to create tension and reveal the expression and cigarette. The high contrast is quite dramatic. Actually for me this photo borders on the feel of ‘film noir’ and if it were black and white I might find his “thinking quietly” quite sinister.
Klaus (kiberkli) – Arts & Crafts project : A very sweet image capturing the creative imagination of this little girl. The aperture setting is perfect … really nice bokeh background and a gentle focus on her face. I like the tilt of her head and the framing is lovely. The arm in the foreground is a bit of a distraction, but only on my study of the image, as I didn’t immediately notice it. The lighting is very nice and I find the colours appealing.
Dave (scomatic) – a racing car : I wondered if someone would interpret the them literally and I think you did, bringing the speeding racing car into perfect focus I assume through panning to freeze the action. Crisp, colourful, dynamic with the whirring striated track and background revealing speed. I like your post processing too. I imagine the driver has to have complete concentration and focus so he doesn’t crash. I am interested to know how you captured this image… the aperture and shutter speed setting especially. Good work.
Mingdie – Archer : Yes, total concentration and focus. The eyes and face are as taut as and the bowman’s arms and bow at full draw. Super lines from elbow to arrow, and eye to arrow. I like seeing the protective gear. It would be great to take some shots of this fellow without the other people in the frame… but then again, the background does provide context to the story. Really interesting image, perfectly themed.
Noel (noelpolar) – Dog and Man : One of my favourite shots from among a bunch of favourites, and taken with a lens I covet! I love the far away look in the man’s face, the one eye squinting, and the relaxed pose. He seems to be deep in thought about something amusing… or he could be trying to work out a confusing problem. The fact that his expression changes as I study the photo is one of the reasons I like it so much. I really like the lines and angles of the chair, crossed legs, bent arm, checkered shirt against the rough stucco wall. The relaxed puppy looking in the same direction as the man knocks this one out of the park for me. Yep, a quietly satisfying image that I enjoy viewing again and again.
Dieterson – Focussed on me : An effective and evocative image. I do love how you framed this little lamb, tucked into the side of the hill at the very bottom right of your frame. Leaving the hillside to fill the rest of the frame adds an artistic touch and provides perspective on how tiny and alone she is. The black and white rendering provides feeling tone and removes the distraction of colour, putting the sole focus on that expressive face and eyes. I am guessing her stillness is survival instinct. If I don’t move you won’t see me. I am sure the lamb was relieved when she no longer had to focus on you!
Justin (MadMathMind) – Equations : You have definitely captured intense study in this photo. I love the framing, and that she is leaning into the left of the photo. The lighting is lovely, soft, and the highlight accentuates her profile and expression. Nice warm tones too. The concentration is palpable. And thru my lay eyes, the calculations look difficult. You have successfully told a story with this image, and I find the scene very sincere.
Noel (noelcmn) – African Wild Dog : This is a very interesting looking dog. She looks alert and you have nailed the focus on those brown eyes and extremely large forward pointing ears. The framing is nice as she looks out of the frame towards the unseen Alpha Male. I don’t see fear or flight in her gaze or posture, just an intense awareness. (Did she know you were there?) She must have moved her body slightly as her legs and feet are slightly out of focus. The focal length on your exif says 300mm. That is a pretty good distance especially if this was hand held. I’d love to see more photos of your wild dogs. The long legs suggest they run like the wind and the colouring is remarkable.
Here is the beginning of a great book!
First Place and next week's host - Noel Polar
Second Place - Pablo
Third Place - Lou
And all the other images I found especially great on many levels, in no particular order:
Rob
Phoenix Vision
John
Arnold
Yann
Arjay
Dieterson
Mike
Originally posted by noelpolar 
Post #1 by tessfully
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