The Kiss

[Shadowman]

f/4, ISO 160, 1/1000sec

[mugge]

That is just great!
Cheers Ole

[Shadowman]

That is just great!
Cheers Ole

Hi Ole,

Thanks for commenting.

[Astro]

John, nicely done, I like the way you have managed keep the tonal range crisp.

I also rather like the way you have chosen to 'recast' the characters for these times.

[Shadowman]

John, nicely done, I like the way you have managed keep the tonal range crisp.

I also rather like the way you have chosen to 'recast' the characters for these times.

Hi James,

Thanks for commenting, it was actually Casandra's idea, that's her on the left and she is wearing her grandfather's uniform. Ilyana is on the right.

[pschlute]

I like it. Great subject and super tones in the b+w

[RBSinTo]

John,
Excellent photo!
My only criticism is the extremely busy background, while being contextual, does tend to be a bit distracting.
I'd like to see a bit of cropping on all sides to enlarge the two figures so highlight them even more.
Even so, in my opinion one of your very best photos.
Well done.
Robert

[DanK]

I think this is an excellent image, but I think you could improve it further. First, I agree with Robert that the busy background is a bit distracting, and in terms of luminance and contrast, there are areas that draw the eye more strongly than the two people to. A narrower DOF might have helped, but absent that, you might be able to use selective dodging and burning to increase separation and de-emphasize the background a little.

Second, I think the image is overprocessed. There are clear halos at high contrast edges, e.g., the back of the woman's had and dark uniform and the top of the superstructure, among other things. Perhaps for the same reason, parts of the metal, e.g., the rectangular door on the left, look unnatural. This might be sharpening, but it's possible that clarity/local contrast/structure contributed. I'd back off the processing somewhat.

[Manfred M]

+1 to both Robert and Dan's comments. They have captured my view as well. You seem to be torn between capturing the models and capturing the ship. Pick one and work on that aspect of the image. Right now these two elements are competing with each other. A hard crop that leaves enough of the ship in to establish the location of the shot plus the models would be my suggestion here.

Pushing the image too hard is adding a bit of a distraction too. A lighter touch in PP would be worth considering.

[rpcrowe]

Reminds me of the End of WW-II image of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square, New York. We have a large size statue of this kiss in the Bayside Park next to the USS Midway Museum...
I thought that I had my own image of the statue but, can 't find it so I referenced this...
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...hvIs-cYh8ZfdM:

[mugge]

I think that bulky objects such as major metal structures and corroded walkways need a 'heavy PP.'
Cheers

[Shadowman]

I like it. Great subject and super tones in the b+w

Hi Peter,

Thanks for commenting.

[Shadowman]

John,
Excellent photo!
My only criticism is the extremely busy background, while being contextual, does tend to be a bit distracting.
I'd like to see a bit of cropping on all sides to enlarge the two figures so highlight them even more.
Even so, in my opinion one of your very best photos.
Well done.
Robert

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, I get your point about cropping as I thought about eliminating some of the foreground but liked the leading line on the deck.

[Shadowman]

I think this is an excellent image, but I think you could improve it further. First, I agree with Robert that the busy background is a bit distracting, and in terms of luminance and contrast, there are areas that draw the eye more strongly than the two people to. A narrower DOF might have helped, but absent that, you might be able to use selective dodging and burning to increase separation and de-emphasize the background a little.

Second, I think the image is overprocessed. There are clear halos at high contrast edges, e.g., the back of the woman's had and dark uniform and the top of the superstructure, among other things. Perhaps for the same reason, parts of the metal, e.g., the rectangular door on the left, look unnatural. This might be sharpening, but it's possible that clarity/local contrast/structure contributed. I'd back off the processing somewhat.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for comments and critique, will consider the tighter framing and additional editing.

[Shadowman]

+1 to both Robert and Dan's comments. They have captured my view as well. You seem to be torn between capturing the models and capturing the ship. Pick one and work on that aspect of the image. Right now these two elements are competing with each other. A hard crop that leaves enough of the ship in to establish the location of the shot plus the models would be my suggestion here.

Pushing the image too hard is adding a bit of a distraction too. A lighter touch in PP would be worth considering.

Hi Manfred,

Thanks for comments, suggestions, and alternate cropping. I considered eliminating some of the foreground but liked the pull of the leading line, which I felt the couple's embrace would draw the viewer back.

[Shadowman]

Reminds me of the End of WW-II image of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square, New York. We have a large size statue of this kiss in the Bayside Park next to the USS Midway Museum...
I thought that I had my own image of the statue but, can 't find it so I referenced this...
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...hvIs-cYh8ZfdM:

Hi Richard,

The Kiss from the Times Square photo was what Casandra was looking for, didn't have a nice cityscape to emulate but I think the U.S.S. Sullivan made for a good substitution. Also, if you Google "the Kiss" another image Francesco Hayez's Il Bacio (The Kiss) resembles my shot more than the famous Times Square capture. Thanks for commenting.

[Shadowman]

I think that bulky objects such as major metal structures and corroded walkways need a 'heavy PP.'
Cheers

It does give a dynamic representation.

[Manfred M]

I think that bulky objects such as major metal structures and corroded walkways need a 'heavy PP.'
Cheers

??? I'm not sure what "heavy PP" is. In this image, the real issue is determining what the subject is and I would assume that would be the two models. As Robert and Dan have both pointed out, the background (environment) needs to compliment that aspect of the image and not overpower it. If the image is about the ship and the models are not the main subject, then a more aggressive PP treatment might work.

There is a certain amount of personal taste involved for sure, but once an image is pushed so hard that artifacts are noticeable, that is generally not considered to be a good thing. Halos (and other noticeable artifacts) are a sure sign of over-processing.

[mugge]

John's image works for me because the subject is the ship and the kiss. You have a 'heavy background' and an affectionate moment in one image. The contrast of that is so effective.
Cheers Ole

[lovelife65]

Fantastic image sir.