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Untitled

© Brandi K. Mills

Untitled

Uploaded: March 13, 2013

Description

Exif: F Number: 11, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/125 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 250, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 85.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS REBEL T2i

Comments

Brandi K. Mills March 14, 2013

85mm, ISO 250, f/11, 1/125

So this is the one that was chosen for my cultivating gratitude assignment... I'm really not satisfied with the results honestly and felt rushed... but I'd like to know your opinion.
Go easy on me :)
#1519168

Dale Hardin March 14, 2013

That was quite a difficult assignment Brandi and you did well. I am a bit surprised at the choice but not being privy to what they had in mind and what the other choices were, there is no way to tell the reasoning. In this image the message is that the gratitude is to be expressed to God, so the choice makes sense in that case.

Technically there are a number of things that I would change. The most obvious is the tilt. While it can be a dramatic tool, the fact that the clouds and sunset colors are not level, I believe
is more of a distraction than an artistic element in this case.

Two other suggestions. One is to correct the colors near her legs and along the horizon so that they match the sunset colors. Even though those are probably clouds, it has the appearance of a clone gone bad.

But the most important suggestion is to reveal the face of the lady expressing her gratitude. She holds the meaning of the shot and cannot be seen. A silhouette is not enough to put the message over.

I'll post an image with the corrections to save you the trouble of trying to figure them out. #10609824

Dale Hardin March 14, 2013

Here is the image with the suggestions applied. #10609825

Stephen Shoff March 14, 2013

It looks like a good choice to me for expressing gratitude, Brandi. I'm not going to look at Dale's level of analysis. His suggestions speak for themselves. I can sympathize with directionality the tilt implied.

The only suggestion I might add is an 8x10 or 5x7 crop that starts at or near the right margin and extends just a little past the point where the sky meets the hillside. That would place her a little more to the left ROT so that there is more room for her to look into. #10609874

Beth Spencer March 14, 2013

I like the pose and think it makes a great composition. I do like the horizon being straighter and think a crop would be helpful. I look forward to seeing your edits. #10609890

Brandi K. Mills March 14, 2013

Man! I wish I wouldn't have been so rushed to get this to them and I could've used your suggestions before submitting it... Oh well, I guess I'll try and learn a thing or two in the process.
It is in fact suppose to suggest gratitude to God. I'll post a couple others that I gave them here.
Dale, I really like what you did with it. Like I said, if only I had had more time... #10609945

Stephen Shoff March 14, 2013

I like the crop, but I wish you had been able to keep more space on the right. #10610091

Jeff E Jensen March 15, 2013

Yup, a little more space to the right would be beneficial. Otherwise, looks good.

Brandi, it is easy to get emotionally attached to our images. It's when we can take a step back and look objectively that we are able to progress in our art. The challenge is that it can be incredibly difficult to do that. That's the advantage of being open to having your images critiqued.

By the way, Dale is the undisputed king of submitting images prematurely :o) #10610578

Rita K. Connell level-classic March 15, 2013

Jeff you make me laugh....for sure Dale is the King!
Brandi I really like the image that was selected. Gratitude definitely comes to mind when looking at it. I do like the crop it make for a strong images. Jeff is so right about getting critiques on our images, 90% of the time it only improves them. great job, under the pressure you were under! What a compliment that was given to you. #10610635

Dale Hardin March 15, 2013

LOL! And Jeff, that is the reason I've been "crowned" so many times. One of these days I'll learn, maybe..... #10610753

Peter W. Marks March 16, 2013

And Brandi, thank you for giving me yet another excuse for disagreeing with Dale (well, just a bit!).
The tilted sky was deliberate and makes for a much more powerful image. I see the brighter white cloud suggesting our ultimate journey upwards to be with our Saviour and this thought is mirrored by the figure. The almost silhouette, again in my humble opinion adds to the power of the scene. I would have been happy with even less of her features being visible as then she could be representative of all man/woman-kind rather than being one specific person.
You are the artist Brandi and it is your intention not mine and certainly not Dale's that really counts so thank you for this.
And incidentally, wouldn't you just think that old Dale who dates back to the Revolutionary war when you got rid of my king, would be insulted by his title? I guess if you guys have enough flakey presidents you might be welcoming one. #10611977

Brandi K. Mills March 16, 2013

Thank you all for your input! Makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. #10612012

Elaine Hessler March 16, 2013

Sorry for the late post. I was having trouble with this one. Now that I see the edited picture, I think it was the angle of the first that was throwing me off. I do like the edited version better. And the other images are nice too-especially the one with the daffodil.

I had not suggestions for you for your gratitude picture-I couldn't come up with anything better!!! Tough assignment!

Did they like what they got? #10612104

Debbie E. Payne March 16, 2013

I don't do this very often, but I totally agree with Peter on the not straightening. ( don't anyone faint just yet -- let me explain")

Brandi -- First of all, your original has great impact. It implies that the girl is exuberant and is offering herself up to goodness she has been given. But I am also going to challenge Peter on the issue of who she may be giving thanks to. She may very well be giving thanks to God. She could just as easily be thanking the universe, or another deity. This is a universal posture and it can be adapted to many points of view.

I like the edits, but, to me, they pale in comparison to the overwhelming joy and abandonment that the original possesses. Straightening in this instance made the image less strong and more conventional. I am ready for all the disagreement I am going to hear from very soon. :) #10612594

Kristin Duff March 17, 2013

I like the original the best but I wish she was about three feet back in the photo so there was more space in front of her. #10613774

Peter W. Marks March 19, 2013

Well Debbie, let's see here. I will not disagree with you that the subject could be "thanking the universe or another deity" except that Brandi tells us the image represents giving gratitude to 'God', so the only argument could be that by the use of the word 'Saviour' I am putting my own deeply felt Christian belief on the line. That is what I see in Brandi's image and it is just that, "what I see" and not at all what I think others should see.
But I am very happy that we side with each other on the tilt which somehow agravates the 'flat earth' theoreists. Let's laugh together Debbie. #10615666

Kristin Duff March 19, 2013

Dale...how did you straighten just the background? and not the whole photo? #10615684

Dale Hardin March 19, 2013

Kristin, I did rotate the entire photo. This produced bare areas in the corners that I filled with cloning. #10615748

Kristin Duff March 19, 2013

Thank you...wish we could see the photos side by side! #10616471

Dale Hardin March 19, 2013

Your wish is my command. #10616488

Kristin Duff March 20, 2013

DAMN...You're good! Thanks Dale. I can see the changes much better this way and where you cloned and the shift in her body! Awesome. #10616983

Dale Hardin March 20, 2013

By the way Kristin, it has been suggested, and I agree, that it could use more space on the right and less on the left. That is also easily accomplished. #10617027

Kristin Duff March 20, 2013

...ok...so is it the same process? crop and clone? #10617142

Dale Hardin March 20, 2013

Similar, but in this case you would select an entire area, such as the area past her on the right. You would copy and paste that on the right side of the image (after you had increased the canvas size) and then use the clone tool to touch up areas so that it didn't look like a copy. #10617289

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