It has come to this again. I need to submit some more images for the next Leica Club photo contest and I need your help. Offer your opinion (good or bad) with confidence that your honesty is appreciated.

I have chosen to choose prints out of my Indonesian collection. These shots were not documentary style shots like Rob's, but portraits or snapshots as it was my first time using a Leica as well as shooting in Indo. My trip to Indonesia was mainly for family matters and my engagement, so photography was a side dish I was able to serve up when the odd opportunity arose. I tried to keep it simple and hope to improve the next time I go.

boy&bike

workin'

bored

eyes

eyes

green

smoke

Thanks very much. Your advice was very helpful last time and I look forward to more this time. I need to choose the best three.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002

Answers

Sorry, swap one of the "eyes" with twowomen

-- kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

Maybe if you post them on the photo.net photo critique board you will get more input rather than just on the Leica board?

As to the pictures themselves I would say they are ok but to be honest none of them really does anything for me...

-- Russell Brooks (russell@ebrooks.org), April 16, 2002.

Hi Kristian, I really like your funky use of colour.

I like 'bored' but I don't think the title is appropriate. The woman looks bored but to my mind, that's at odds with the vibrant colours and your use of dynamic diagonals.

'Green' is - well - very green maybe tighter cropping so that the whole background was the green timber? - off centre head and shoulders kind of thing.

'Smoke' is the winner for me - again great use of colour and an interesting off balance composition.

Good luck with your competition.

Cheers, Angus

-- Angus Macniven (angus_macniven@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

Kris,

Nice environmental candids. Your street shooting technique is outstanding considering you probably stuck out like a sore thumb.

twowomen

smoke

swimmingingreen (adjust exposure digitally)

bored

workin'

anyone would do. especially like smokin's framing - out of the box.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

My vote:

1. Green (good "competition" characteristics, IMHO: simple subject, easy to read composition, excelent colour treatment, well exposed and sharp enough) 2. Bored (I agree that the tittle doesn't attach well to the photo but Cristóbal, my son, who is a photographer too, just saw it while passing by and said: "How good. It has lots of story . . .")

Best of luck, Kristian ! ! !

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), April 16, 2002.

I would be more drawn to these photos if the people in them were doing something.

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), April 16, 2002.

Or if they looked like formal portraits. They seem caught in between.

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), April 16, 2002.

kristian.

i cannot pick three, but if i was to pick one it would be "bored". i am not too excited about your titles. i do not have any suggestions on this topic (i truggle with it myself all the time) but the simpler the better.

good luck

-- john molloy (ballyscanlon@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

My choices will be:

1) Workin 2) bored 3) eyes

IMO convert the above photos to black & white i think is best to show more of their emotion.

-- edgaddi (edgaddi@msn.com), April 16, 2002.

Woman in green does it for mee, but I would push the top a bit and hold the bottom

Reinier

-- ReinierV (rvlaam@xs4all.nl), April 16, 2002.

Very nice stuff. I like "eyes" and "green". "Green" would be perfect if you could remove the somewhat darker area that unfortunately goes across the woman's face...but not a big deal.

-- Jim Tardio (jimtardio@earthlink.net), April 16, 2002.

My favorite is "Funny eyes" (the two boys). I like both of their facial expressions. I like the way the vivid blue door in background and the diagonal lines of the steps work to offset the boys. I think all of these qualities would be enhanced by cropping off a little of the left side of the image, so as to place the boy on the left closer to the left edge, and both boys more off center. Try it by placing a piece of paper over the left bit of the photo, and see if you agree. My second favorite is the woman with vivid green background. In this one I would see if the upper half of the face (which is shaded) could be dodged a bit, to brighten it. I also agree with the comment above regarding a little cropping so as to make the entire background fill the frame with green. I enjoyed seeing them. Thanks for posting them.

-- Ollie Steiner (violindevil@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

Kristian,

First of all: I like them all!

If I were to choose I´d pick 1) Hey, I´am working for it´s outstanding colors, 2) Green as it looks very spontaneous, and 3) Wanna smoke for the original composition.

Keep up the good work and good luck!

phew...luckily no night shots....:-)

-- Eric Kragtwijk (e.kragtwijk@hccnet.nl), April 16, 2002.

I don't really like any of them,but that's not to say they are bad.

-- Phil the blind (philkneen@manx.net), April 16, 2002.

The eyes have it.

Steve

-- Steve Belden (otterpond@adelphia.net), April 16, 2002.

Thanks guys. I am pleased with the reponse so far. I agree that they aren't doing anything, but this was my first go at this sort of thing and I could stick around long enought to interact and be part of the environment. I did stick out and I was being rushed by my fiances family. Next time I will attempt to take it to the next level. Possibly adopt some of Rob's pointers and techniques.

Thanks for the comment Phil.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

You already know what I think about peasant pictures.

-- pinhead (blieb@sheridanross.com), April 16, 2002.

Hi Kristian,been working in the smoke(london)back for a while.Bored is best photo of this bunch it tells a story.

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), April 16, 2002.

Whats up with Phil sounds semi-human,has he had the chop.Strange goings on since i have been away.

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), April 16, 2002.

Opps just a bit of fun Phil sure you can handle it.

-- Allen Herbert (allen1@btinternet.com), April 16, 2002.

Pinhead, are you referring to my photographic ability (which is ok) or are you referring to the actual subjects in the photos? Which isn't ok! Beacuse they are people, not peasants and I think that the term peasants shouldn't be used lightly or at all.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

Here we go again. Where's Travis?

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), April 17, 2002.

Rob, please don't submit useless comments. It is people like you with plenty of talent that have little to offer in posts like this where advice is asked for. A post like that is just asking and provoking trouble.

Thanks to the others for offering there advice. But there is always at least one that has to spoil it. :-)

It is sort of like the old HCB post. We were debating many things, and one of them was whether it matters if a photogrpaher is a nice person or not. I say it does matter, and so too does "effort".

Sure you don't need to be a good person to be a good photographer, but it is nice to know someone who is both. And I'd rather associate with good people who take lousy images as apossed to good photographers with lousy attitudes.

But thanks for contributing so well to my post Rob. I know what you were insinuating, and it is not welcome here thanks.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Kristian, I was "insinuating" that the travis/kristian/philkneen insults were going to start up again - judging by the use of "pinhead" in your previous post. I haven't looked at your pictures, and wouldn't dream of commenting on them, because by now the "critiques" only lead to arguments. Which is a shame, IMO.

However, I would suggest that since they're your pictures, _you_ should select them for the competition, otherwise you're just trying to doubleguess the judges by getting them pre-judged here. It's your style, your photography, about things you think are important - do you want your entry to reflect your own convictions or someone else's? You say "I need to choose the best three" - I agree, _you_ need to choose them, rather than acting on the advice of a committee.

Good luck with the competition.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), April 17, 2002.

Rob, U were looking for me?

Im not abt to start anything..

Kristian, I think Green is pretty strong graphically. It did something for me. The colour is striking.

But u'll haveta choose.

good luck.

-- Travis (teckyy@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Sorry Rob. I was wrong. But i would've very much appreciated your comments, as you know I admire your work. C'mon baby....critique me! :-)

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.