Everlane is a solid choice. They focus on styles that are timeless and well constructed so you can shop less. I have clothes I bought from them 7 or 8 years ago that I still get complimented on wearing and look fantastic. I find them affordable - but I realize that won’t be for everyone.

She sure would like to think she is.

Thanks! She’s a Saluki

Or yam. I feel like the texture of the outside is more consistent with yam. But then again - it feels like there isn’t consistent descriptions of the differences.

Oh - I hadn’t seen the collage aspect of it, but I totally see that now. Cool. And yes - you’ve put what I’ve liked about the photo into words. Thank you!

Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m glad to see others appreciate the unusual crop and to hear what you are seeing.

Congrats on adopting a greyhound. Indi is also a rescue sighthound. She’s a Saluki. Very very entertaining creature who is also extremely photogenic (but really hates it when I pull out the camera on her - which is kinda all the time).

Hi Husband!

It’s so nice to see someone remembered my photo from years ago. My husband put this up on Reddit on my behalf.

Yup - its really that big. If California was a country, it would have the 5th largest economy after the US, China, Japan and Germany.

Your usage is more traditionally correct. Typographers and writers agree that the use of exclamation marks (also referred to as ‘bang’ or ‘screamer’) should be done sparingly.

But with so much informal (digital) communication, it’s taken on a new life as an indicator of friendliness.

Unlike the Germans, who have international government agreements that change the rules of their written language, English simply evolves with the next crop of teenage whims.

Which may be another way of saying that while you are correct, your wife is more hip.

I kinda like that it’s dark. It gives the image intrigue.

I really like the gnome. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was at first, but I actually enjoyed feeling like I was peeking through the flowers to see it.

I’m on the fence with the cat. Too much out of focus. But I like the detail of the flower. I just wish the center flower was in focus instead of the one off to the left.

Altogether though - it’s clear you have an eye. Equipment is just a small part of being a good photographer. Nice job!

The thing I’m most drawn to in this photo are the two tiles in the front that are highlighted - really like how they are catching the light at a different angle then the rest of the floor.

With that being the first focal point, cropping could help as mentioned by some others. I actually wish though that the camera closer to the ground for a more dramatic angle and a different perspective.

I didn’t notice the person on the left until I had my lights off, so yeah maybe a tad too dark.

…and what do you think the internet will look like 11 years from now?

Yeah - I’m with you on adding in grain. I’ve never felt comfortable with doing it on digital images.

Film is very expensive. Even back in the day it was expensive - but that cost was a great way to slow down the work and force you to think through the whole image. I miss the entire process, but love the immediacy of digital. Maybe try large format class? Like this: https://theimageflow.com/photography-classes/large-format-photography/

Before I got to the “tri-x” comment in you explanation - the only thing I felt was lacking was some beautiful grain of a good ‘ol film photo. (Something to rough it up). The darkness of the photo reminds me of shooting with Poloroid Polapan (a film I loved so much in art school). It had the richest blacks and was moody like nothing else.

I also agree that you shouldn’t pump up the contrast any more. I like the cropping you did. The eye runs down the platform to the sign and back up the rail. I also don’t think having more people in the photo would have improved it. I think it would have made it too noisy. It feels implied that the man sleeping on the bench was forgotten because no one is there.

These are great! And the back story of when you took them and the longing is really reflected in the mood they emit.

I have very little to critique in the way of technique, cropping, etc. which is fantastic, because instead of thinking about the photo itself, I’m more concerned with the story and the subject matter.

The ramen photo is my favorite. I spent some very happy rainy nights in Japan eating ramen. For me the photo provides the intimacy and comfort of the ramen shops.

I feel like the third Oktoberfest photo doesn’t quiet hit the mark for the reason the other two are strong: Oktoberfest is anything but an intimate experience. It’s loud, busy, expansive and invasive. It crowds out the kind of intimacy being portrayed in this photo. Except for the fall leaves, it reminds me more of my trips to the Hintersee and eating germknödel with my German ex.

Yeah - I can see that. Feels more personal here. So far it’s been a good experience.

Touché. Yup, improving on my craft doesn’t go to well with being lazy. You need some opportunities to approach it from a lazy view point, and I clearly need to up my game.

Can’t wait to see your red poppies! I’ve never managed to get a good photo of them. It’ll be great to have some inspiration.

No - I guess I didn’t think about merging them or doing any photoshop. I’m a pretty lazy photographer. I’m intrigued though. What would you do? I’d love some inspiration.

Thank you for all your thoughts! I’m really appreciating hearing how you are perceiving this photo and where your eye is drawn to.

I hear what you are saying about the background. I have some on a black and white background (white computer paper and my leather couch). I’m kinda lazy about taking photos - I only use what I’ve got on hand.

I think wood - where the tone /richness of color was more similar to the flower would have changed the experience and the starkness of the photo in an interesting way. I’ll poke at that next time I’ve got some interesting flowers dying at home. Thanks!

I’m a product designer by trade, so I’m pretty used to critique. I spend so much time at work with people critiquing my output, I liked taking photos just for my pleasure. I’m not sure I’m growing in my photography any more though. So … here I am. I really do hope you feel courage to share. Your insights are fantastic!

Thanks!

Yeah - so reds are tricky with Digital. They blow out easily (it’s something to do with the sensor being more sensitive to that part of the spectrum). Every picture is a little different, in this case, shooting under a cloudy sky helps to reduce extreme shadows while still achieving a perfectly white background with diffuse lighting. In editing I added back a tiny bit of contrast and depth in the black to get more distinction between the petals and the floret.

I kept the flowers and a few days later under slight brighter sky I desaturated and reduced the contrast.

Oops! Forgot to add my version:

There are so many great elements in the photo. From the color to the movement in the water and also the stillness of the dragonflies.

I agree with yenahmik on the cropping. I’ve done a different cropping solution that keeps the movement in the water and also guides the eye around the photo (compositional/visual flow). I think moving the dragonflies off to the side and utilizing their verticality as a reference to the edge of the frame gives the photo more drama or tension. I also added a little more black and contrast to improve the depth of field.