Would like to have your opinions on these snaps please...

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi All,

Our local photo club is having a small competition amongst its members next Wednesday.
The topic is: "A beautiful red isn't ugly".

Being very late as usual, this morning I've walked around the town center where I live looking for some red items. I have found a few worth photographing, and then it started to rain so that I had to come back home. The few shots I could take can be seen here: Cem's Red Album (http://opf.mediacentric.nl/albums/main.php/v/Cem/Red_001/)

My "favorites" among this poor batch of samples are these (all taken with a Canon 400D and an EF 24-105mm F/4 L USM IS):

Window Protection Rails
http://www.mediacentric.nl/opf/others/20061112_01046_m.jpg

Knocking on Castle's Door
http://www.mediacentric.nl/opf/others/20061112_01064_m.jpg

Letter Box 1
http://www.mediacentric.nl/opf/others/20061112_01080_m.jpg

Letter Box 2
http://www.mediacentric.nl/opf/others/20061112_01083_m.jpg

So what do you reckon? Is it all rubbish, or can I use one of the pictures? Thanks in advance for your kind advice.

Cheers,

Cem

[Charles L Webster]

I see no images here ;-)

Problem at my end? I just upgraded my browser to FF 2.0 on XP Pro.

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the heads up. I can see the images with Opera, FF and IE. Maybe you have disabled the option "Enable Referrer Logging" in FF? If so, that would explain it. Please let me know if that was the case or not. Thx again.

Cheers,

Cem

[Sid Jervis]

If you are asking for a personal favorite, for me it is the last image, but I would suggest that you crop the left door out of the image.

I looked at your gallery, I agree that the images posted here are the better of the group.

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Sid,

Thanks a lot for your input, I appreciate it a lot :-).
The thing about the last image is that it shows extreme urban ugliness but also in line with the motto, some beauty of the reds. I will play with the cropping to see how it works out.

Cheers,

Cem

[Asher Kelman]

Sid,

A good point. The left part of the door removed makes the picture!

This last shot does indeed comment on city life.
Red is always an attention getter. This much red is never seen in nature! The closed door, to me, at least, symbolizes need for protection, privacy and compartmentalization of humanity in our urban environment.

I like this sort of work.

Asher

[Ray West]

Hi Cem,

I think number 2. I would try and get everything exactly square, same distances to borders for the nails, get the 'hinge' of the door knocker dead on 1/3 -2/3 lines. I'm not sure if I'd even work on the red, to make it a bit more different, maybe, try and bring out the detail in the black. I think a lot of folk would do a post box, but then they may not, since they think a lot of people would do a post box. It has been said, that black and white images win these club type of competitions, dunno if I'd risk it here, ;-)

Best wishes,

Ray

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Ray,

I think that your hunch is right, since the family and friends I've shown the pics to (all laymen to photograpy) all go for picture nr. 2. I should say that printed at A4 size it looks almost alive, one can see the dust, dents and scratches on the door surface. The wavy structure also makes it look like kind of 3D. I still have some time till Wednesday, maybe I'll go out to shoot some other pics today/tomorrow. But now, I have to go get some real work done (you know, the mortgage paying kind) ;-).

Cheers,

Cem

[Asher Kelman]

Yup,

Ray is changing! Slowly, imperceptibly but the transition is real! He chooses the most avant-garde composition, edgy, nearly uniform, clean and simple. But guess what, Ray, you, this time, may be right.

Cem when you talk of the texture, dust and scratches being resolved, this is going to be very real and impressive. Go for it. My realistic-metaphorical discourse on the last one still is as valid or invalid as when I offered it. However, the 2cd image is, I now am persuaded more impactful in this instance.

Asher

[Cem_Usakligil]

Sid,

A good point. The left part of the door removed makes the picture!

This last shot does indeed comment on city life.
Red is always an attention getter. This much red is never seen in nature! The closed door, to me, at least, symbolizes need for protection, privacy and compartmentalization of humanity in our urban environment.

I like this sort of work.

Asher
Thanks Asher for your kind words. I did play with the crop and it is indeed better. However, I'm now doubting whether I should also crop the black door handle or leave it in.
I'll try to post some new examples later today. I'll also do a crop of 100% on the red door panel showing the dust/scratch details.

Thanks everybody, much appreciated :-)

Cheers,

Cem

[Cem_Usakligil]

..Cem when you talk of the texture, dust and scratches being resolved, this is going to be very real and impressive. ...
This was kind of eerie. I've printed the picture and came back later to take a look at it. Then I saw this ugly dust particle on it and tried blowing it off, only to realise a second later that it was on the door itself, not on the paper. That's how realistic it looks when printed (LOL).

Cheers,

Cem

Edited to correct a typo (eery -> eerie)

[Asher Kelman]

When that happens, Cem, you know you either need different glasses, to check whose tablets you're taking, to join a 12 step program at AA or to accept that your picture is indeed perfect!

So how large will it print?

Good luck!

Asher

[Cem_Usakligil]

When that happens, Cem, you know you either need different glasses, to check whose tablets you're taking, to join a 12 step program at AA or to accept that your picture is indeed perfect!

So how large will it print?..
You've made me laugh out loud Asher, thanks for that :-).

I guess it can print as big as A3+ (which is roughly 13x19 inches).
But this contest prescribes a maximum size of 8x11. BTW, I am not into this competition to win prizes or anything like that. You see, this is a very young photo club that has just been established in the small town where I live. Many members are just starting with photography as a hobby (they have bought their first digicams or entry level dSLRs), we also have 2-3 experienced people who have done some professional photography in the past. Having never done any pro work, I am somewhere in the middle. It is a mixed bag and only time will tell how it will settle in the end. My impression from the first couple of club meetings is that anything too subtle and/or advanced will go way above the heads of many members as they won't be able to appreciate the hard work which has gone into creating that piece of work (which may or may not be art). As Ben Lifson can explain much better than I ever can, appreciation of art and/or Art (as Dierk defines it) is not an exact science but the appreciator (is that a word?) must have some basis knowledge first to get him/her started :-).

Cheers,

Cem

[Charles L Webster]

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the heads up. I can see the images with Opera, FF and IE. Maybe you have disabled the option "Enable Referrer Logging" in FF? If so, that would explain it. Please let me know if that was the case or not. Thx again.

Cheers,

Cem

I can see them just fine now. Same computer, same browser, no changes to settings. Something at your end?

[Cem_Usakligil]

I can see them just fine now. Same computer, same browser, no changes to settings. Something at your end?
I did indeed change the restriction of my web site not allowing "null referrers" to allowing them. So it seems indeed to have been the source of your problem.

Cheers,

Cem

[Ray West]

Hi Cem,

Prosperoius new year to you. Did you win any prize money to share with us???

Best wishes,

Ray

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi Ray,

How nice and thoughtful of you :-). Thanks a million...
I did not win any price money or whatsoever which I can share with you, but I'd like to share my heart-felt best wishes for the coming year and the years after that. May we all live in peaceful world and have a healthy, happy and prosperous lives with our loved ones!

Cheers mate,

Cem