Hi everybody Please check out http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=172276 I put in 15 pictures, all shot with Leica M6, no flash. Do this photos work for a portfolio? Your comments are highly appreciated. Thank you, Michael

-- Michael Wildi (michaelwildi@yahoo.com), December 29, 2001

Answers

Michael, quite a unique body of work.

RE: Your picture of the Western Wall

Could perhaps benefit from tighter framing of the main subject (the man in the foreground). I think the out-of-focus group in the background isn't needed to tell a story in this photo. But what do I know? I'm not Jewish. Generally speaking, try to get a little closer to your human subjects, if your going to "humanize" your pictures make sure the human element is prominent.

All IMHO (in my humble opinion).

Cheers,

-- John Chan (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), December 29, 2001.

Some very interesting photos, but does it work as portfolio? I dont know. Please take a look at portfolios of "Group VII":

http://www.viiphoto.com

Takes a while to load, but well worth the wait. This is IMHO what great portfolios should look like.

-- Alexander Grekhov (grekhov@wgukraine.com), December 29, 2001.

Nice work. My favorites are, the street cleaner, the bus in Warsaw and the man walking in Estonia. I have always liked to find a good environment and then wait for the perfect addition of a human element to put everything in context. These are usually very quick compositions and would not work 2 seconds later... like your bus picture and the man walking in Estonia. Good eye and fast trigger finger Michael!

If I were to eliminate anything, in terms of a portfolio, it would be the crane / derrick and possibly the laundry shot... simply because they are missing that human element that the other shots all have.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), December 29, 2001.

I don't see the common thread for the portfolio. I really like the photo of the machine, though. Looks almost a beached ship at the bottom of a dry ocean bed.

-- Peter B. Goldstein (peter.goldstein@us.cgeyc.com), December 29, 2001.

Interesting work Michael, as long as conforming a portafolio, I think it has to do with you and your relationship with your work, I agree with Al in the human motive of your pictures, sometimes I see a diferent atitude from yourself in your diferent pictures, may be noy one but some potafolios, but with more images on the same rute, for example pictures 1,5 and 9, can go together pretty well, but 4, 6 and 8 belong to another way of seeing, there is juxtaposition on this women and their enviroment, you may want go on seaching for this. Pictures 10,11,12,13 and even picture 15, put you in the observer behind the observer, also a subject to explore, not as interesting as juxtapositions and human element as Al point before.

I have a question; how long have you been interested in photography? and how old is this portafolio of pictures?

What is clear to me is that you have a good eye for images, go with it Michael.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), December 29, 2001.