Re: [Leica] photo critique requested

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Howard Sanner asked for:
Subject: [Leica] photo critique requested


> Please have a look at
> > http://www.mindspring.com/~flagstad/lawson/
>
> These are pictures I took on 16 Feb 2004 while master horn
> builder Walter Lawson repaired one of my horns.
>
> I'm still trying to get this decisive moment business. Did I
> manage it in any of these? Ted? Tina? Anybody? (I realize the
> first and last pictures are throw aways.)<<<<

Hello Howard,
OK sir here goes: ;-)

Decisive moments? That's a tough one to answer because Walt isn't jumping
across water ala HCB's man jumping puddle. ;-)

However there are some interesting pictures.

First error and obvious in many of the scenes... you had beautiful "hands at
work" and were too far away instead of getting right in tight for the
texture of his skin and finger tips doing their work. Obviously difficult
with a 35 1.4 Summilux which doesn't focus as close as the Aspheric 35 1.4.
Or a longer lens to get right in as close as possible. I don't mean a macro.

The cross window light in each shot created beautiful lighting effects that
you didn't take advantage of in nearly every frame.

In a case like this where you're friends, you have free reign to move about
and get closer and I don't feel you did that in most cases where it could've
been effective.

Picture 1:
Definitely closer on the horns yet not too tight or you'd lose the
atmosphere feel of location. The wider angle is a kind oif setting he
location. But even so a tight close-up on the horn lying on the table
would've been quite effective as part of an essay.

Picture 2:
Tighter on the hands as that's where all the action is. Don't worry about
the windows in the background as you can get in tight and use the cross
light created from the two, maybe three windows. A lower angle looking up at
him and his hands strong in foreground.

Picture 3:
Nothing there, cut it.
However, what this shot does show is the very obvious beautiful cross
lighting and that's something I'd have been trying to use in every
composition I could. Light is the life of a picture, content is the soul.
What one must learn to be a successful photographer is combining them in
their exposures.

Picture 4:
Walt's face has such beautiful light it screams for a tight face shot.
Almost a profile of his face. Even with the 35 you should have got in much
closer. It's easy to say, but maybe the work bench was in the way. And
that's why one should always have a longer lens, in this case a 90 would've
cut some beautiful frames with the kind of light in this room.

Picture 5:
>>smoothes out a kink with a dent ball on a curved rod. <<<<<<
Look at those beautiful strong hands!!!!!!!! Where are the close ups of the
action going on while he did his work? His hands are the potential for
decisive moments. Remember it's LIGHT - EYES - ACTION! And those hands are
the magic of making all these pictures work because that's where the action
is.

Picture 6:
>>smoothes a curve in the slide.<<<<<
Bend your knees get down at a head level with Walt and move in filling the
frame with his head, shoulders and hands. It's definitely not a vertical
frame.

Picture 7:
>> Now comes a test fitting in the horn. <<
I'd have moved in for a reflection in the horn showing Walt's hands and face
reflection.  Quite frankly the top of his head doesn't help this shot at
all. It's a tightened horizontal frame.

Picture 8:
>>Soldering everything back together. <<<

See photo 7 comments.

Picture 9:   No comment! :-)

Howard I hope this is helpful and if you do have an opportunity for a
re-shoot I know you'll come away with a different set of photographs.

ted

















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