RE: [Leica] photo critique requested

["Phong" <phong@doan-ltd.com>]

Hello Howard,

re.  http://www.mindspring.com/~flagstad/lawson/

Here's my 2 cents.  All in all these are very decent
environmental shots, where the decisive moment is
not paramount.  What I thrive for in these is 1. fill
the frame with details of the story/environment and
2. work on the spatial and emotional relationship
between the central figure and the background, for
example to provide a clean separation between central
figure and background.

For example, in shot 2, I would have moved in closer
and shift more to the right to eliminate a bit of the space
on the left which does not help the story much, and also
to give a bit of space between Walt's head and the window
opening on the right.

In shot 3, I might have shot vertically, also lowering
myself a bit.  I don't know.

Shot 4 is almost perfect; I would have shifted a tad to 
to place Walt's head in the window opening.  (The image
seems oversharpened though, unusually grainy anyway).

I would have liked to move a bit closer in shot 5.

Shot 6 has good separation of subject and background;
I would have liked to move a bit to the left, and lower myself.

Shot 7 move a bit to the left, and get more of the stuff on
the table in the photo.  Move closer, and shoot lower.

Shot 8.  Big booboo in my opinion; should have gotten more of the
horn opening.  Perhaps shoot closer, composing with Walt's head
as the main subject, with the round horn opening as a contra
figure.

Shot 9, definitely a keeper.  :-)  [Hi, nice meeting you]

There are a million ways to frame and shoot a scene, depending
on one's mood, the story to tell, the equipment at hand, the
space available, the movements allowed, etc.  and I only offer
one possibilty that might improve the photos.  One thing I have
learned in shooting wider angle is that a slight shift sometimes
makes all the difference; including a foward shift.  I might
try to throw in a few close up/detail shots in the mix.

Anyway, thanks for indulging my presumptuousness (?).  I still
need to work a lot on my own environmental shots.

- - Phong

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