Steamboat Springs

31 views and no critiques? Come on, help me out here.

I like it. I've seen a lot of these but what this does interestingly, is that fact that you visually lead us, up, up, and away with your "placement" of the balloons. You start us in the left corner and lead us up to the top. I think it's very well done. Someone may say yeah but the balloon in the middle bottom is lower than that bottom left one but in actuality I believe it's higher, just farther away. But anyways. I like it and good job.

I've looked at your original shot and I saw two problems there. One was the man in the center of the photograph which took the attention away from the action in the sky. The second was the balloon being cropped by the edge of the frame which took from the completeness of the photo, at least to my eye. How I wished you had the full balloon captured. By cropping out the figure you have created another problem in having a disjointed horizon while retaining the cropped balloon. You could crop out the main balloon but I'm not convinced you will have a picture with more impact. Maybe this is a photo that just misses the standard that you have set yourself. Again this is just my opinion.

i haven't seen the earlier p0st s0 i can't compare/ c0ntrast the tw0 BUT
the placement of the bal00ns in flight is perfect, a little r00m to breath all ar0und where it c0unts
and the fact that the b0tt0m edge and m0untain and left ball00n is cut off fr0m the image, its like
in the last remake of G0DZILA when the direct0r 0nly sh0wed bits and pieces until y0u NEEDED to see him
i think is well d0ne, there is cOntinuity within the image. ...
if y0u need a what t0 d0 better--- maybe i w0uld make the side and t0p edge to the bal00ns the same, that's my 0nly negative ..

Gentleman, thank you! All 3 of you are among those whose opinions I really wanted. Since I first saw it, this image is one that I wanted to be right, but it never seemed to get there. You have put into words and made specific the discomfort I have had with it but do not yet have the skill or knowledge to verbalize. I like the comment about the standard I have set. It is very, very different from the standard I would have set 10 years ago when I started pursuing photography as a serious hobby; I would have loved to have produced this image then, but it just doesn't make it now. It will be relegated to the binder of prints that I keep to take pleasure from for myself late at night, but never show to anybody who knows anything about photography.Again, thank you. You all have a level of knowledge to which I aspire, but will probably never achieve.

pbromaghin said:

Gentleman, thank you! All 3 of you are among those whose opinions I really wanted. Since I first saw it, this image is one that I wanted to be right, but it never seemed to get there. You have put into words and made specific the discomfort I have had with it but do not yet have the skill or knowledge to verbalize. I like the comment about the standard I have set. It is very, very different from the standard I would have set 10 years ago when I started pursuing photography as a serious hobby; I would have loved to have produced this image then, but it just doesn't make it now. It will be relegated to the binder of prints that I keep to take pleasure from for myself late at night, but never show to anybody who knows anything about photography.Again, thank you. You all have a level of knowledge to which I aspire, but will probably never achieve.

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You have received 2 positive comments as against my 1 negative one. Based on my own experiences over the years of having my work judged at the camera club, I found after a certain time it was up to myself whether to accept the critiques or not. The exception to this was when a judge pointed out flaws which I could see in my my work but was unwilling to admit it. At this stage I might put my photo away as an also ran, but on the other hand if I still liked my shot I would continue to use it in competitions etc. My advice is to continue to show this photo until you have finally made up your mind about it. Remember these are only opinions and not rules of law and you have a 2 to 1 in your favor at the moment.

pbromaghin said:

Gentleman, thank you! All 3 of you are among those whose opinions I really wanted. Since I first saw it, this image is one that I wanted to be right, but it never seemed to get there. You have put into words and made specific the discomfort I have had with it but do not yet have the skill or knowledge to verbalize. I like the comment about the standard I have set. It is very, very different from the standard I would have set 10 years ago when I started pursuing photography as a serious hobby; I would have loved to have produced this image then, but it just doesn't make it now. It will be relegated to the binder of prints that I keep to take pleasure from for myself late at night, but never show to anybody who knows anything about photography.Again, thank you. You all have a level of knowledge to which I aspire, but will probably never achieve.

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I completely disagree about this being locked away. This is a very good picture. As for the cropped off balloon, to me it adds motion this way more so than if it was all there. And it adds tension. Photography is not a literal pursuit. We aren't necessarily record keepers, or truth tellers, we are experimenting with art. This is not an exercise in forensic photography. As for the other comment about 2-1 liking it vs not, is completely irrelevant, what percentage of people like something and don't and who's "right". Because nobody is right. There are no right answers about "art". You merely take the comments as a different perspective, something you may have not thought of, or something you haven't evolved to yet, or not. A critique is only as good as the person critiquing and the weight you give their opinions. And still you yourself can disagree. Again, no right answers, just suggestions. But back to the picture, I mentioned I'd seen a lot of balloon pictures and this is one of the best, and I wouldn't do a thing to change it, nor would I wish something in it was different. In my opinion the cropped balloon is an asset to the picture, not a flaw. And this should definitely not be stuck in some binder. Just for fun I would suggest you google the Fibonacci Spiral and see how when it is placed on its end, it mimics the movement in this picture.

Thank you all for paying attention to this. I have spent a lot of time considering the fibonacci spiral in this exposure. It is what has made me not give up on it. I actually like the cut-off balloon at the bottom left, I feel like it anchors the photo better by being incomplete and hardup against the edge. As far as the disrupted horizon, it is disturbing but I really like that it allows me to include a joke in the photo. The blue blob in the front center that appears to be an inflating balloon is actually a stocking cap on a guy's head, the very guy who ruined the earlier crop. However, I am very uncomfortable talking about art because of my illiteracy when that conversation starts. I understand beauty, but art is a mystery. Art Schmart. This is a really fun. You guys are great.