Wildlife

[gahspidy]

This is a shot of my son, Kyle, looking over the Hudson valley on a visit to Perkins Memorial Point. Converted to b&w and adjusted in Chanels mixr to add some roughness in contrast, What do you think?

[mattp]

I love the idea behind this shot, it tells a great story. The only things I can think of are that it might be good to see a bit of your son's face, just to allow a bit more personality to shine through, so we see his reponse to the vista, and the promise of wildlife (I appreciate it would be hard to frame that and keep the magazine cover). Also the view he is looking at seems a little soft on my monitor, and this isn't helping to convey the full sense of scale and wonder that it should. For example those trees or bushes in the mid-ground seem lost.

A well spotted moment though.

matt

[Tuna]

I like this, Gary. All the pleasing and calming horizontal lines. The tonal differences throughout. Well conceived and executed.

Tuna

[bobbythebandit]

Ecellent and great composition.If he has posed for you i hope you paid him !!. Nice moody feel to this .
Bobby

[Overbeyond]

This is a shot of my son, Kyle, looking over the Hudson valley on a visit to Perkins Memorial Point. Converted to b&w and adjusted in Chanels mixr to add some roughness in contrast, What do you think?

Hello Gary
An extreemly subtle photograph and I wonder how it would have worked in landscape format.
Tom

[PlantedTao]

I really like the composition of this picture. Your son's position is perfect and I'm not bothered by the fact you can't see his face, maybe because he is holding the magazine towards the camera. The perspective of the picture is also nicely done.
My complaint is the middle of the picture, which seems to be blurred more than the rest of the picture. Maybe because someone else mentioned it before I looked at it? My eyes keep getting drawn to that spot and it takes a little away from the picture.
All in all, a great capture of what looks like a great day.

[ShotsbyScott]

Gary,
Another great shot! This picture immediately tells a story. Showing the cover of the magazine was a must. Your son, after looking at this wildlife magazine, drops it aside for a moment to look across, what now appears in his mind to be a jungle or prairie before him. It makes the viewer wonder....what is he dreaming about.

Scott

[Steph_B]

Dear Gary,

This is a very nice pic concept. Very inspired and inspiring!

On the technical side, I think that such a great idea deserves a re-shooting. I would try a landscape format + either shallow DOF or tack sharp from FG to BG.

I would disagree with Matt that we should see more of your son's face. I believe that he represents all the kids who are developing a sense for the environment, and as such he should remain faceless.

But that's only my two cents.

Cheers,

Steph.

[Eagle_Eye]

Great ideal Gary,
This is one of those shots when you say, I wish I'd thought of that. I agree with Scott's story line of the photo. I would have liked the photo even more if I could have seen a slight view of your son's face. Keep up the good work.

Dudley

[natatbeach]

I like this shot! a lot

i think the tones and the cropping all work together well. i like how all the textures sort of blend together and the "wildlife" magazine is the most prominenet feature of the shot.

the only thing I might like to see is maybe a little more distance or depth between your son and the landscape.

this is definitely a keeper. was it incidental or planned...either way...good concept and execution.

[Trevor Ash]

Gary,

This photo works well in so many ways. I love that you can't see the boys face and thus you're stuck looking at the animals on the magazine cover. Does he think he's going to find some baboons there or something? That's why it works for me. Great idea Gary.

[gahspidy]

Thanks all very much for your thought on this. This was not planned, but it was anticipated. I had the tripod and gear set up behind him and was waiting for some sun to peek through the clouds , but it was not happening and I snapped this shot when I saw him holding the magazine up ( could never get him to pose). There was so much cloud cover that day that the sun would burst out strong for a few seconds and then cover up completely again.
. For me, this is about a boy but the face is the magazine cover. . .this is what creates the story.
As for it being soft, I had used some blur brush on the hills and towrds the middle thinking I was creating distance, but I agree it too soft. I have reedited this and left it sharper, still not very clear as the lighting was dull, but is sharper.
Bobby, he didn't pose and therefore I did'nt have to pay him. . .but I did take him for lunch later.

[mdmc]

Gary,
would this work any better if you're son were left of center?
great shot, Mark.

[CarbonTerry]

For me this is a very nice photograph. By not seeing the boys face you are compelled to look for whatever has his attention. Well done…