Topic: POW week 10: Self-Potraits

Turn the camera around this week, the subject is you. They can be planned or they can be casual, blurry or sharp. B&W or color.

A few guidelines:
1. Photo needs to go along with the subject in some way.
2. Use thumbnails for photos with any dimension larger than 450 px or over 40 kb.
3. Post as many as you want.
4. At the end of the week the person who chose the topic will pick someone to choose the next topic. This isn't a "winner," just someone who gets to suggest the next topic.
5. No critiques (unless requested) this is just to share our photos.
6. No sigs.

--tiki

[This message has been edited by briggl (edited 05-28-2003).]

I converted this to b&w and adjusted the brightness/contrast. Is that allowed?

mm.... this is kinda small and stuff...

Hello there








[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 06-01-2003).]

Jason

edit: found another

[This message has been edited by JKMabry (edited 06-01-2003).]

aw, man, where'd the fro go?

just a sec...

Jason

:::krets.net:::

[This message has been edited by krets (edited 06-01-2003).]

Nice work everyone. Tough call between quisja, Krets, and JK, sans big hair.

I'm going go with Krets...like the black and white and the pose.

Izzay: that one looked interesting, but its so small I can't tell what it is.

Those photos are terrible! Sorry but like, there were better ones than that. I don't mean to insult anyone but portraits are incredibly hard to do well and the wining one was just totally lame! Eyezaer's was at least interesting (if small).

hey, special one - hwo about being constructive?

how about submitting something of your own, so that we know that your opinion is one worth caring about?

..and personally, i liked JK's 2nd one...

sp.. You might think about learning to focus before making comments like that. And uh..

quote:

---

4. At the end of the week the person who chose the topic will pick someone to choose the next topic. This isn't a "winner," just someone who gets to suggest the next topic.
5. No critiques (unless requested) this is just to share our photos.

---

Yea, I think that about sums it up.

1) The competition is over
2) Focussing is overrated (EXPAND YOUR MIND, MAN)
3) "They can be planned or they can be casual, blurry or sharp. B&W or color."

See, briggl's first photo was great - wonderfully composed, colours amusingly faded and overexposed and his expression is absolutely priceless. A nice example of 'good' snapshot photography - it's interesting, quirky and full of character. Mine were *nothing* in comparison, but I do jack his style:
http://www.iol.ie/~merz/yah/page28.htm

But then, it's all down to taste isn't it?



[This message has been edited by specialpurpose (edited 06-03-2003).]

If it's all down to taste then how can you justify saying that "Those photos are terrible!" as an objective fact. Secondly, I don't see what the week being over has to do with the "no critiques rule". The only exception to that rule is if one is requested.

I don't think you have to produce your own work to give validity to your opinion, but it was unreasoned and unasked for anyway.

[This message has been edited by quisja (edited 06-03-2003).]

Dude, you're seriously a fucking asshole. This is at least the second time that I know of that you have criticized other people's photos without ever posting anything credible to make us even consider taking your opinions into account.

:::krets.net:::

Ok...SP since I picked it I guess I should respond to your rants.

Since you feel the need to critique everybody else's work in spite of the guideline against it, here is a critique of yours:

1. Focus is not overrated. If your throwing the picture out of focus just to say: "Hey, look how creative I am." then you probably should not do it. I use soft focus for a reason ie. to convay a mood (like sensuality) or to portray motion. Otherwise it just looks like you forgot to focus.

2. "The snapshot style." This style can be very cool. Jk's first shot is a good example of it. Its creating a snapshot with bigger themes or to represent some thing as a snapshot. Jk's first self-potrait has this kind of casualness. Yours...well...they just look like snapshots.

3.I don't know what you did to that second shot(double exposed, rear curtain synced) but you didn't pull it off.

Now if you want to know why I picked Krets shot here ya go(sorry krets I tried to avoid critiques)...

I liked the pose, the angle of his head and light despite the little bit of cast shadow in the background. The only thing I would have changed was the crop. I would tighten it up a bit.

As I said above I like the casualness of Jk's first shot. I like the pose and lighting quisja's picture. I like taobaybee's shots but steered away from them because of the heavy use of photoshop. I tried to look at things that could be done in the camera or darkroom only. I think Izzay's would be real interesting but I can barely make it out do to size.

So I had to pick one so I picked Krets...because it really isn't a competion. So grow-up. A piece of advice: If you do plan on entering your work in competitions, make peace with the fact that the results can change on any given day. It just comes down to opinion.

Everybody else: I'm sorry I didn't post one...I meant to post one but I ran out of time. I had do an emergancy portrait of one of our VPs for ad this week, so I had the lights ready to go. Here's what the lighting would have been for mine.

--tiki


[This message has been edited by tikigod (edited 06-03-2003).]

All I wanted was for people to get a bit more passionate about photography. Sure I never said I was any good at photography. Nothing is certain in photography. Taste is subjective. Credibility is a matter of taste, which itself is a product of critical consistency. I have my opinion and that's just as valid as anyone else's. How can it be that art critics make fair, legitimate careers for themselves without being artists themselves?

The snapshot style began as an attempt to subvert conceptions of 'good' photography. Those photos were snapshots. That's all there is to it. Clearly your taste differs to mine and I'll be the first to admit that the photos I posted weren't particularly good, they were just close to hand. Clearly we have different ideas about photography - and isn't that great?

Tikigod, thanks for taking the time to explain why you chose that photo, I appreciate it. Isn't it fun to get passionate about something we all enjoy?

Edit: Oh, and the reason for the blurry focussing is because the camera is primitve Russian instamatic with zone focussing. My SLR and medium format photos are perfectly focussed.


[This message has been edited by specialpurpose (edited 06-04-2003).]

guess what, sp - this passion you speak of can be constructive as well, you know...

but more to the point - save your contributions for when they are asked for.

stop making excuses for your actions (and photos), and ignite the passion of this board with encouragement, thoughtful criticism, and your own interesting pictures.

So far, i daresay your posts would simply dissuade future participants, and nothing more.

1) You do not have to be a photographer to be able to tell if a photo is good or not. (Just like you do not have to be able to sing to tell f someone else is a good singer or not.)

2) reitsma: "save your contributions for when they are asked for" ????? If everyone did that, this board would be a boring place!

3) specialpurpose: Thanks for the nice comments.

Wow I stay away a couple of days and I miss all the "verbals". Where to begin?
SP I was genuinely taken aback by your comments...
"Those photos are terrible! Sorry but like, there were better ones than that. I don't mean to insult anyone but portraits are incredibly hard to do well and the wining one was just totally lame! Eyezaer's was at least interesting (if small).

I posted here specifically because of this:

1. Photo needs to go along with the subject in some way.
2. Use thumbnails for photos with any dimension larger than 450 px or over 40 kb.
3. Post as many as you want.
4. At the end of the week the person who chose the topic will pick someone to choose the next topic. This isn't a "winner," just someone who gets to suggest the next topic .
5. No critiques (unless requested) this is just to share our photos .

If I wanted a critique of my photos I would have asked for it in a different thread. (and I can think of no place better than here at the Asylum where I know the comments would be worthwhile).

[quote] "All I wanted was for people to get a bit more passionate about photography".

I don't need goading into being more passionate about photography. If anything, your comments have put me off posting anything up here again!
This thread gave me the opportunity to:
1) Try out my new DC
2) Get used to the conventions of posting photos, with size and linking etc. You see this was only the second or third time in my life that I have done this, so I need the practice.
3) See how other people approach the subject.

I know I have a great deal to learn to produce quality photographs. As soon as I think I am ready I will submit my work for a constructive critique from people whose judgement I have learned to trust. What started out as an enjoyable exercise for me, you have turned into some quasi intellectual argument about,,,,
(" Nothing is certain in photography. Taste is subjective. Credibility is a matter of taste, which itself is a product of critical consistency. I have my opinion and that's just as valid as anyone else's. How can it be that art critics make fair, legitimate careers for themselves without being artists themselves ") ?????????
Well whatever that quote from you means??

Today I have learned not to trust your judgement.




[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 06-05-2003).]

Think this could be here (Reloading)

that naked guy

[This message has been edited by Wakkos (edited 06-18-2003).]

meh