Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Every morning at 6:15 I head out for my neighbourhood walk-about. I’ve been doing it for years. In the winter months its dark when I depart and dark when I return. But around this time of year, say from mid-February on, the light noticeably changes so that by the time I arrive back home, the dawn light is happening. Our south-facing front door is pretty much comprised of a floor to ceiling prism glass panel. And so, when I sit down to take my boots off I can’t help noticing the gorgeous diffuse light that penetrates into the entrance area where I’m sitting. Clever fellow that I am, I placed my camera within easy reach in case something notable should step into the light. It just so happens that our dog, Woody, likes to sit by the door waiting for me to come back from my walk. The stage was set, the light was happening, and Woody took his place on stage. Needless to say, I’m a Romantic at heart.
This picture is meant to be evocative. What does it evoke for you - a mood, memories, a story?
This photo made me smile as the same story of a waiting dog unfolds at my door every morning. I love the composition of the key elements (coat and dog) in opposite corners. The colours evoke dawn and the deep shadows highlight your subject beautifully. Well done!
This does evoke a memory of a story I read very recently where a dog patiently waits for his master to return from his daily 6:15 morning neighborhood walk-about.
(BTW, I realize this was of course “after” you had already returned, the altered version just sounded better )
All kidding aside, this does remind me of my uncle’s mud room near the entrance to his kitchen, even Woody bears a close resemblance to my uncle’s dog. Fond memories for me.
I like the dark mood including the soft film grain look. And the slight sepia tone adds to the overall appeal for me.
Not a nit really as it looks really good as presented, but this image might benefit from some geometry adjustments using transform > distort (in Ps) (Transform in Lr may work equally as well). That minor nit may be coming from my background as a builder.
Kerry, this is so cool. I really like the processing you used here. It helps with the emotional nostalgia. For me this story is about companionship. Woody seems to be waiting for you, maybe even wishing he could have accompanied you. Really great image, Kerry.
@Robena.Sirett , @Kris_Smith , @Merv , @David_Bostock - this is a very personal photograph for me so I am especially appreciative of your taking the time to look and for your warm, caring comments.
P.S. Just to let you know, while I have used techniques for sepia toning in the past (Tony Kuyper has a nice way of doing it in Ps) I didn’t do any toning in this one. It was mostly a combination of the way the camera captured the light and then pulling back on the saturation in post.
Hi Kerry. The colors in the shot really drew me in. There is just enough tonal difference across the different objects and dog in the shot to make each distinct and interesting. As a resident of Northern Michigan I can certainly relate to that getting up in the dark accomplishing a task and returning to darkness. That first touch of earlier light in February is always welcome.
@Cameron_Wilcox - Thanks for your comments, Cameron, much appreciated. I am very fond of what is known in painting as chiaroscuro, which is using contrast, particularly shadow to give depth and volume to an image. Rembrandt and Vermeer were both masters of this way of painting. In a sense, chiaroscuro gives equal weight to what is seen and what remains unseen, which is something I like to bring into my images when possible.
