Help Choosing Pics For A Gallery Show

[Pugs]

Hello,

Through my local photography club, I've been invited to display some prints at a small gallery. Each member is allowed to display five prints.

I'm trying to decide which images to print and display and have narrowed it down to the following seven images.

I'd love general C&C on the images themselves, but also feedback on which five images you folks think I should enter in the show.

1. "Carnival Ride on 27th Street"

2. "Faeries at the Renaissance Faire"

3. "Abandoned Barn, Silo, and Windmill"

4. "Lon's American Dream"

5. "Harley-Davidson's on KK Avenue for the 105th" (Black & White Version)

6. "Harley-Davidson's on KK Avenue for the 105th" (Color Version)

7. "Burke Brise Soleil Handrail"

 

[im_trying11]

personally the motorcyles do nothing for me but im 14 so i dont really matter

 

[Nein-reis]

The motorcycle's do nothing for me either, and I'm a full time professional photographer.

#2 and #3 are the only ones I would consider doing anything with, good luck. :thumbup:

 

[ScubaSteve]

I think "Lon's American Dream" is the most appealing to me.

 

[Pugs]

Hey,

Thanks for the feedback folks! I really appreciate it.

personally the motorcyles do nothing for me but im 14 so i dont really matter

Your age and experience does nothing to diminish what does and does not appeal to you. Aesthetics are subjective and if it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work for you. I appreciate you giving your opinion.

As I often told my students when I taught at ITT-Tech, though, an opinion only goes so far. At a certain point, you need to be able to understand and articulate WHY you have a particular opinion.

I would love to hear why the motorcycles don't work for you. It would help me to understand what I can do better to make other similar shots more appealing.

The motorcycle's do nothing for me either, and I'm a full time professional photographer.

#2 and #3 are the only ones I would consider doing anything with, good luck. :thumbup:

Thanks for the good luck wishes! I'm incredibly nervous about this as it will be the first time any of my photographs are shown publicly.

I think "Lon's American Dream" is the most appealing to me.

Thank you. I'm rather fond of that one, also. I think the shot wouldn't have been nearly as affective if the flag/banner thing and the graffiti were not there.

To everyone,

In order to narrow it down to five images for the show, which ones would you exclude? If you feel up to it, I'd love to hear why you would exclude them as well.

 

[zandman]

maybe because everything on the motorcycle pic is blurry or not strong enough to get an opinion like, wow that's a cool one.
but on the other side, i look at it as an abstract shot that's meant to be not really focus on anything at all yet to blur (motion blur) the whole thing.
not a pro too nor an amateur but like you said, it's my opinion,

 

[manaheim]

2,5 and 7 for me.

Those girls are eerie... and like strangely hot at the same time. Very cool.

 

[johngpt]

Hey Daniel, nice stuff.

I like everything about #2. Colour, composition, exposure, texture.

#3's texture and lead-in lines are wonderful. Clouds almost burning out, but not quite, keep it from the outstanding class of #2.

#1 grows on me. The more I look at it, the more I notice how well exposed it is. Only one light burned, and as I look into the image, there is a subtle sense of movement.

#4's statement is emotional, and the image is technically well exposed, with excellent tonal range from 0 to just below 255, but I find it static.

I think because neither of the motorcycle versions give me a point of reference, with everything so blurred, my eyes have trouble with it. I can discern the rider more easily in the black and white version.

I would have preferred greater depth of field in the handrail image. The hand rail is the dominant portion of the image, yet the sail is the most sharp.

But that faeries image is bad-ass!

 

[Pugs]

maybe because everything on the motorcycle pic is blurry or not strong enough to get an opinion like, wow that's a cool one.
but on the other side, i look at it as an abstract shot that's meant to be not really focus on anything at all yet to blur (motion blur) the whole thing.
not a pro too nor an amateur but like you said, it's my opinion,

It was meant to be an abstract expression of speed and power. I'm a motorcyclist and I wanted to capture what I feel when I hit the throttle.

Your point about everything blurred to the point that there's nothing to focus on is well-taken, though. It would be a more effective image if there was focal point for the eye to rest on. Thanks for helping me identify what's missing.

2,5 and 7 for me.

Those girls are eerie... and like strangely hot at the same time. Very cool.

Yeah. In person, you could see how incredibly beautiful those young women are. They all moved beautifully as well. I think that they're likely dancers who took the gig at the Ren Faire to help make ends meet.

Hey Daniel, nice stuff.

I like everything about #2. Colour, composition, exposure, texture.

#3's texture and lead-in lines are wonderful. Clouds almost burning out, but not quite, keep it from the outstanding class of #2.

#1 grows on me. The more I look at it, the more I notice how well exposed it is. Only one light burned, and as I look into the image, there is a subtle sense of movement.

#4's statement is emotional, and the image is technically well exposed, with excellent tonal range from 0 to just below 255, but I find it static.

I think because neither of the motorcycle versions give me a point of reference, with everything so blurred, my eyes have trouble with it. I can discern the rider more easily in the black and white version.

I would have preferred greater depth of field in the handrail image. The hand rail is the dominant portion of the image, yet the sail is the most sharp.

But that faeries image is bad-ass!

Thank you for the detailed feedback. #2 is pretty much my favorite. It may be my favorite image that I've ever taken.

With number 1, I was definitely trying to capture the sense of movement. I was standing there staring at the ball at the top of the tilt-o-whirl and all of a sudden realized that I could take a picture of it! LOL!

I don't know how to fix #4. I love the emotion of it, but yes, you're right, it does feel static. Even if I were to go back and re-shoot the image, I don't know what to do to give it a more dynamic feel. I dunno...

Your feedback on the motorcycle image echoes Zandman's thoughts and I thank both of you for helping me to identify what's weak about it.

As for the Burke Brise Soleil Handrail, this is the one that I decided to not submit (I had to get my submissions in by Noon today). I didn't see it before, but the soft focus of the handrail is a major detractor from the image. I'm going to go back and re-shoot it to fix that (maybe hyperfocal focusing), fix the fact that I'm not perfectly centered on the mast of the sail, and to shoot it at a different time of day to eliminate the shadow across the left side of the sail.

Thank you all for your feedback!

 

[johngpt]

Daniel, hope it's okay with you, but I submitted your Faeries at the September photo of the month thread.

Of course I said I shot it. :lmao:

(it has proper attribution)

 

[Pugs]

Daniel, hope it's okay with you, but I submitted your Faeries at the September photo of the month thread.

Of course I said I shot it. :lmao:

(it has proper attribution)

Thank you, John. I'm truly flattered!

In the September POTM thread I posted that the picture should perhaps be disqualified as it is a re-post. It was orignially posted in August along with other pics from the Renaissance Faire.

 

[johngpt]

Thank you, John. I'm truly flattered!

In the September POTM thread I posted that the picture should perhaps be disqualified as it is a re-post. It was orignially posted in August along with other pics from the Renaissance Faire.

Yep. Saw that. Hope it isn't DQ'd, it's such a smashing image.

 

[ChrisOquist]

I see I'm too late now to help with your decision, but figured I'd offer my thoughts anyway..

I like #2 the best myself - the colors and texture in particular stand out and make looking at the photograph an almost tactile experience. The faeries look great too, I love the expression on the girl on our right.

However, it seems like the photographs highlighting motion and light, from the series you put up, are more representative of a personal style. I like the first one but wish it had more contrast. I like the last one (the handrail) but definitely agree that the soft focus is a amjor detractor. However, I would put this shot in the same category. The "almost-abstractness" of it seems to imply radial motion to me, so it shares a kinship with the first image in a way...