[Leica] the cat came back ...

[pswango at att.net (Phil Swango)]

Jim McIntyre wrote:
"Slam away, lambaste me for using my nieces and daughter as convenient 
subjects, but please, let me know you took the time to view my work, and by 
all means let know what I can do to improve. No photographer should work in 
vacuum...except to remove the dust from the negatives!"

Jim, I took a look at your portfolio and found it to be quite interesting, 
for the most part.  You have a good eye for composition and have your 
technique under control.  The thing that keeps some of the images from 
being really compelling has to do with Lea's earlier comments, which I 
don't need to repeat.

"Pancake Girls" made me smile -- my own daughter is now 24 and touring with 
her band, and I felt a twinge of nostalgia when I saw those kids clowning 
around.  Compositionally, I liked the angular energy of the girls' arms but 
not the competing clutter of the other objects in the foreground and 
background.  My eye kept being drawn to the large rectangular stainless 
steel utensil in the foreground, maybe because that's where the focus 
seemed sharpest.  And the overhead light doesn't flatter their pretty young 
faces very much.

The images I liked best are those where your organizing eye was most 
evident, for example, in weeks 13, 26, 27 and 31.  Week 23 could have been 
terrific but for the distracting buildings in the background, and week 1 
was delightful.

My biggest complaint with your PAW portfolio is that the thumbnails are 
cropped so that we get no idea of your eye for composition, which is 
actually one of your strengths!  In looking through the index page I 
repeatedly skipped over some very nice images because I didn't like the 
composition of the thumbnails.  When I forced myself to look, I was 
pleasantly surprised!   See week 13(2) (First day of spring) for a good 
example.

I hope these comments have been helpful.  I don't often comment on posted 
pictures for a variety of reasons, but since you asked ...





Phil Swango
307 Aliso Dr. SE
Albuquerque, NM  87108
505-262-4085
714-908-7846 (fax)
pswango@att.net