From: caroleigh@c...
Date: Fri Oct 8, 2004 7:14 am
Subject: Critique: Rich Baker
Fall Squash - Looks like some horrible skin disease, doesn't it?! Very
interesting picture (and I say "interesting" in a good way)
in that it intriguingly depicts the bumps and the nature of certain squashes.
Very good light, very good depth of field -- not so much that the background
is distracting, but enough so that the bumps show up from front to back.
I like that the squash is entering the shot at a slight angle. The round
thingie where the squash stem attaches to the squash is sort of distracting.
I think had there been an actual stem, it might have been more appealing;
or you could have turned the squash to eliminate the stem-attachment thingie
altogether. Good shot though, Rich.
Place it Just Right - The way you frame the guy through the hay bales
is very good! The white pumpkin, being the lightest, brightest part of
the photo, draws your attention right where you want it. The vertical
format is perfect for this type of photo, concentrating all of our attention
toward the subject. The blue shirt and the orange pumpkin? Complementary
colors again! My only regret is that there are some straws of hay sticking
out and obscuring part of the man's face. Overall, nicely done!
Picking Baskets - Very cool, especially the complementary colors of the
red and green. I like the line-up, the repeating pattern, the light, the
rusticness of the scene. The light is especially good here -- not harsh
and contrasty, not blue and shadowy. Depth of field is rather shallow
(just the center basket is in focus) and totally appropriate. Wish I'd
seen baskets like this in my travels . . . How could the photo be better?
There's something white just to the right of the beige basket that's rather
distracting; had you moved your camera slightly to the left, you might
have eliminated the white thing AND included more of the green basket,
which would have balanced the shot more. Good eye, though, and good shot.
Carol Leigh
