I would appreciate critiques of this picture of a carver and his daughter.

Thanks

-- Mark Rovetta (1234hods@gte.net), November 18, 1999

Answers

I'm not critiqueing (not my type of pic), but the scan looks like it needs a lot more contrast, and some sharpening. I hope the print is a bit clearer :)

-- Gordon Richardson (gordonr@iafrica.com), November 19, 1999.

I *like* the subject. It looks like something taken in my neck of the woods (SE Alaska). Where was it taken and who is the carver? It looks like he is working on a frog.

I find the adze handles across his chest to be distracting, and you seem to have caught him in the act of picking up his striker. The shot I think I would have tried for would have been from a lower angle, and a little to the right. This would place the artist between his tools and his daughter. I would also have tried to shorten the depth of field so that the tool handles werent' so distinct. Waiting another 4 or 5 seconds for him to get the striker in motion towards the tool would have been a nice touch, too.

-- John Thurston (john_thurston@my-deja.com), November 19, 1999.

Pictured is Israel Shotridge, he's makes Tlingit and contemporary carvings. So yes, he is from SE Alaska, although the photograph was taken on the UW campus in Seattle.

I did move to the right and make some pictures with a wider angle lens. That does make things clearer, but also (in my opinion) less interesting. I agree, there's lots going on in the the picture. Israel is leaning back and supporting himself on that mallet (funny shaped tool) and positioning his chisel on the frog. His daughter is leaning forward and looking at the frog. There's a whole table full of funny looking tools arranged with curving handles pointing towards the frog. So do you think this is enough to tie the composition of the carver, daughter, and tools all together?

Actually, when I made this photograph, I was just trying to fit the whole load of informational elements I saw in the viewfinder, while excluding the brightly lit window in the background. I didn't realize he was working on a frog until John suggested it, but do you think the frog-in-progress is enough to tie it all together? Jeez, I can imagine a composition textbook claiming that the tool handles are also pointing towards the frog.

Just wondering, after all discussion should be the point of a critique forum.

-- Mark Rovetta (1234hods@gte.net), November 19, 1999.

Perhaps a combination of these criticisms might improve this image. Try printing it with more contrast and burn down the forground, so the contextual information there still plays an important informational role, but lets the figures become more primary...t

-- tom meyer (twm@mindspring.com), November 22, 1999.