FILM Photographer of the Year - Requests for Feedback

February entry; Abstract & Odd:



Milking the tap - Film by Fraser White, on Flickr


Purchased a 'floating tap' from eBay for £15 as the prop & filled it with milk. The hand (my ugly one) is supposed to be miking it like you would milk a cow!
 
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Fraser Euan White said:
February entry; Abstract & Odd:



Milking the tap - Film by Fraser White, on Flickr


Purchase a 'floating tap' from eBay for £15 as the prop & filled it with milk. The hand (my ugly one) is supposed to be miking it like you would milk a cow!
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There used to be a "floating" tap in a window display in Sheffield back when I was little. I used to stare at it wondering what sort of magic I was witnessing until I figured out the trick to it. :)

It's a very good shot, both creatively and technically, and would probably have been equally effective without the "milking" element, but that adds a nice title and hook to it. I wouldn't really describe it as "abstract" as such, but it definitely fits "odd", and I decided to interprate the topic this month as shots that could be either of those things, rather than needing to be both, so this was a very good entry.

If I had to make any sort of nitpick, and this is the smallest of teeny-tiny nitpicks, I'd have cloned out that little black speck under the tap. It's really neither here-nor-there though.
 
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sirch said:
And mine for crit
CyanotypeDaffofil by Chris H, on Flickr
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Hi Chris,

you will have to excuse my ignorance but I didn't actual know what the Cyanotype process was until you posted this and then had to look it up!

This image has clearly involve some considerable effort by yourself and I have to say I am impressed.

Is it abstract and Odd? - I think so.

I'm sorry I can't offer more feedback - I liked it and was quite surprised it didn't get more votes TBH.
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Hi Chris,

you will have to excuse my ignorance but I didn't actual know what the Cyanotype process was until you posted this and then had to look it up!

This image has clearly involve some considerable effort by yourself and I have to say I am impressed.

Is it abstract and Odd? - I think so.

I'm sorry I can't offer more feedback - I liked it and was quite surprised it didn't get more votes TBH.
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Thanks Fraser
 
Fraser Euan White said:
February entry; Abstract & Odd:



Milking the tap - Film by Fraser White, on Flickr


Purchased a 'floating tap' from eBay for £15 as the prop & filled it with milk. The hand (my ugly one) is supposed to be miking it like you would milk a cow!
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So, as to theme, I thought this was odd and surreal, but not abstract as I understand it. It's a great idea, and well executed. I like the range of tones, and the framing. My main criticism would be that the milk is a little grey, and the hand a bit dark, so maybe a touch more exposure? And now that I look more closely, is that the tube visible below your hand? If so, maybe a bit more flow might have helped.

This image really appeals to me for another reason... my father was an army engineer, and I remember him once telling me about an exhibit he built for some event, way way back, maybe early 60s, and described exactly this setup. Apparently it caused quite a stir at the time. I doubt he invented it, but at that time he had to build it himself. I never saw it... but now I have, so thanks hugely, Fraser.
 
sirch said:
And mine for crit
CyanotypeDaffofil by Chris H, on Flickr
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Again, I'm not sure this really fits the theme, though the blueness for a yellow daffodil is a bit odd. That said, I really like the image, though I'm not sure it's something I could ever do. Is it a contact process?
 
ChrisR said:
Again, I'm not sure this really fits the theme, though the blueness for a yellow daffodil is a bit odd. That said, I really like the image, though I'm not sure it's something I could ever do. Is it a contact process?
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Yes it's a contact print from a 5x4 negative. Basically you mix a couple of chemicals, paint them on to paper, let it dry - all in near darkness - and then expose it using UV light. Sun light is normal but we don't get much of that in Cumbria at this time of year so I used a UV lamp. Getting the exposure time right is the tricky part, for reference I think this was about 13 minutes.
 
sirch said:
Yes it's a contact print from a 5x4 negative. Basically you mix a couple of chemicals, paint them on to paper, let it dry - all in near darkness - and then expose it using UV light. Sun light is normal but we don't get much of that in Cumbria at this time of year so I used a UV lamp. Getting the exposure time right is the tricky part, for reference I think this was about 13 minutes.
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I particularly like the texture, looks almost like a kitchen paper towel, but it definitely adds a lot to the result. And I also like... perhaps this is giving too much of a hint... the frame within the frame. Oooh yes, I can see the notch, if I were more knowledgeable I'd know what film you used!
 
FishyFish said:
In fo a penny, in for a pound, here's mine for your feedback. :)


FILM - Child by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr
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Yet again Nige I find this shot excellent! I have mentioned that your photography definitely has a 'style' and is instantly recognisable.

The Baby swimming makes the abstract & odd theme for me but may have been a stronger entry for picture within a picture?

I like the composition with the person viewing and the reflection on the floor by her feet.

The high contrast and grain fits very well also.

- Top Notch. (y)
 
ChrisR said:
I particularly like the texture, looks almost like a kitchen paper towel, but it definitely adds a lot to the result. And I also like... perhaps this is giving too much of a hint... the frame within the frame. Oooh yes, I can see the notch, if I were more knowledgeable I'd know what film you used!
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It's a heavily textured water-colour paper, the paper needs to be something that can stand washing and which is pH neutral and I liked he texture. I did some from 120 and you can see the film edge and frame number on those.
 
FishyFish said:
In fo a penny, in for a pound, here's mine for your feedback
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It's a good photo, even more so given the gallery lighting conditions. The tiniest nit-pick and it might be my eyes or monitor but it does feel like there is a bit of distortion, more noticeable in the left hand half of the picture. The subject is certainly odd but if there is such a thing as a scale of abstraction then it doesn't seem so abstract to me (then again the same could probably be said about my entry this month).
 
sirch said:
It's a good photo, even more so given the gallery lighting conditions. The tiniest nit-pick and it might be my eyes or monitor but it does feel like there is a bit of distortion, more noticeable in the left hand half of the picture. The subject is certainly odd but if there is such a thing as a scale of abstraction then it doesn't seem so abstract to me (then again the same could probably be said about my entry this month).
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I think you're correct about the distortion. The lens I used does distort at extremes of focal-length, so I corrected it in Lightroom, but I think it's off a smidge. I can sense it in the lines of the skirting boards and wall corners.

One problem for this subject was that I had photos that were "odd", or at least had an odd feel, and some that were abstract, but nothing that covered both camps although, that said, I interpreted the theme more along the lines of "Abstract OR Odd" in terms of entries.
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Yet again Nige I find this shot excellent! I have mentioned that your photography definitely has a 'style' and is instantly recognisable.

The Baby swimming makes the abstract & odd theme for me but may have been a stronger entry for picture within a picture?

I like the composition with the person viewing and the reflection on the floor by her feet.

The high contrast and grain fits very well also.

- Top Notch. (y)
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Thanks Fraser.
 
I didn't do too badly at all this month, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in any critique you might have for my entry. :)


FILM - Grit by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

With the wisdom of hindsight, I wish I'd named the topic differently (March's was one of my sugestions) when it went into the hat. Maybe, "Things that look like faces" or something. The idea behind the topic was that the subjects should look like faces, but not actually be faces, or representations of faces (search for "Things that look like faces" in Google images for a good illustration of what I intended).

Suitable candidates are surprisingly easy to find - your house is likely full of "faces", and most cars have a "face" - some moreso than others. Once you start to notice them, they're everywhere.
 
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I thought it was outstanding. The way it had been spotted (it was small after all) was brill. It looks like a little creature holding a padlock for a handbag. The "Grit" adds context and your composition is really nice and wide. Super.
 
FishyFish said:
I didn't do too badly at all this month, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in any critique you might have for my entry. :)


FILM - Grit by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr

With the wisdom of hindsight, I wish I'd named the topic differently (March's was one of my sugestions) when it went into the hat. Maybe, "Things that look like faces" or something. The idea behind the topic was that the subjects should look like faces, but not actually be faces, or representations of faces (search for "Things that look like faces" in Google images for a good illustration of what I intended).

Suitable candidates are surprisingly easy to find - your house is likely full of "faces", and most cars have a "face" - some moreso than others. Once you start to notice them, they're everywhere.
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Nothing to fault at all here Nige a big (y) from me and also a well deserved vote.
 
It was the pick of the month for me, I love the cartoon nature of the over-sized eyes and it is well framed with the inclusion of the of the word Grit and the subject being completely surrounded by yellow
 
Really struggled to get motivated for this theme but here's what I ended up with, it was suprisingly hard to get a decent shadow

FaceOff by Chris H, on Flickr
 
sirch said:
Really struggled to get motivated for this theme
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Well that was another one that got a vote from me. I thought it was ingenious, careful, well composed and generally very well done.
 
sirch said:
It was the pick of the month for me, I love the cartoon nature of the over-sized eyes and it is well framed with the inclusion of the of the word Grit and the subject being completely surrounded by yellow
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Thanks Chris. Although there were loads of things around the house that I could have photographed for the theme, I knew about this little guy (I'd taken another photo of it on my phone about a year earlier) and intended to get a shot of him for the comp. As it happened, I had one shot left on the roll I'd been shooting for Expired Film Day, so made a detour to grab the shot.

Sorry for the late response BTW - I have an alert set up for this forum but it never seems to work, and (like most other people it seems) I don't tend to frop in that often.

sirch said:
Really struggled to get motivated for this theme but here's what I ended up with, it was suprisingly hard to get a decent shadow

FaceOff by Chris H, on Flickr
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This is brilliant. I can only imagine the amount of experimentation, faffing around, pre-work cutting out the pictures that went into this shot to get the final shadow. Really great shot and the only thing I'd suggest is that it might look good as a B&W to give it that "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" feel. :)
 
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Here's my "After Dark" entry for your critique. This place is in Sheffield city centre and has been in business for donkey's years.

It got a middling response in the comp, so it obviously didn't have any mass appeal :) but I like it nontheless - the subtle glow of the neon on the pavement and the fact that the counter is out of sight adding a whiff of mystery. My only wish would perhaps to have had someone sat in those window seats.


FILM - Chubbys by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr
 
FishyFish said:
This is brilliant. I can only imagine the amount of experimentation, faffing around, pre-work cutting out the pictures that went into this shot to get the final shadow. Really great shot and the only thing I'd suggest is that it might look good as a B&W to give it that "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" feel. :)
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Thanks Nige, it's weird how the alerts are hit a miss on here. I hadn't considered B&W but it's a good idea.

I feel kind of guilty for not getting anything in this month but your photo is up to your usual high standard, well exposed, very little grain, good details in the shadows. Some people might have added to the story but I can see that hanging around outside a kebab shop with a camera is not necessarily a comfortable place to be.
 
FishyFish said:
it obviously didn't have any mass appeal
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I loved it. I loved the colours, the way the pavement is subtly lit by the red neon, the graffiti on the wall on the RH side, the sliver of light reflected on the lamp-post, the composition with the leading lines, the irony of being open with no customers and being brightly lit next to the dark building...

It got my vote.
 
FishyFish said:
so thought I'd seek feedback.
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I struggled to see what the subject was with this one, but "garden" wasn't as clear to me here as it was with other shots this month. The house is a distracting background for the fountain, or the fountain is obscuring the house... It's a nice idea, but it's doesn't work for "garden". Would be a winner for "pressure" or "spray" or "water" though :)

:coat:
 
Harlequin565 said:
I struggled to see what the subject was with this one, but "garden" wasn't as clear to me here as it was with other shots this month. The house is a distracting background for the fountain, or the fountain is obscuring the house... It's a nice idea, but it's doesn't work for "garden". Would be a winner for "pressure" or "spray" or "water" though :)

:coat:
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I think Ian might be close to the mark here Nige. I was expecting several veg garden and allotment type shots, so I went for colourful flowers instead. Even then, I felt it needed the human interest, and that possibly made a difference. Maybe a strategically placed figure would have helped, but I'm only guessing.
 
I think this is down to how people vote. I voted for pictures of gardens and not pictures of things that you might find in a garden. I was looking for subject = garden. In your image above, subject (for me) = window or possibly tree-in-pot.

This probably needs replies from some of the people who voted for "things in a garden", because there were quite a few.
 
I've not posted one in here for a while, but wondered what people thought of my entry for last month's comp. It got a trio of votes, but not as many as I might have hoped, and I'm wondering if the expired film put people off? Although I didn't explicitly state it for the comp, I thought the implication of a ruined building on ruined film was a good way to go.

At least it won one of the Expired Film Day 2020 prizes though, so I have that! :)


Expired Film Day 2020 #1 by fishyfish_arcade, on Flickr
 
FishyFish said:
wondered what people thought of my entry for last month's comp.
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I got the concept but personally preferred other photos. There were a good set of entries this month and it is always hard to choose, again it comes back to a balance of what are we judging, the finished photo, the skill, the application of the theme, etc.

FishyFish said:
At least it won one of the Expired Film Day 2020 prizes though, so I have that! :)
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Well done, probably means more than a FPOTY win :)
 
The blotchy look did put me off it has to be said. It's only in the sky but not in the grass or buildings noticeably. It's oddly jarring.
 
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