Thursday, March 11, 2010

51 Words - Your socks just got knocked off

BAM! Thats right folks....out of no where comes T AND TEN photos for the THE BILLION, GAJILLION WORD PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLANGE OF DOOM. Can you feel that? Yea...its your eyes setting on fire. This blog just exploded and there is nothing you can do. You can try and warn people not to come here, but its too late.....late....its late right now....what time is it....stop rambling and just put the damn photos....damn you voices in my head.

PARANORMAL

night time

Infested

Hunger

enchantment

sound

soul

SERGEY

Reflection

Mirror

Some critiques would be great. Don't hold back, I can always delete the comments that hurt my feelings. If you have any questions about specific photos, feel free to ask and I can try and get to them.

30 comments:

Kris said...

Hm, so, you want critiques, eh? You asked for it. :)

"Paranormal" is amazing. I could seriously sit here all day looking at it in wonder. Amazing, amazing work.

I particularly love "Soul" and "Infested". The colors and tones in "Hunger" are superb. "Mirror" is great. It's another one of those that I could totally get lost in.
In my opinion, there isn't really a "bad" picture in the bunch, but because you wanted a critique, I shall do just that to the one that stood out most to me, and that would be "Reflection". The Depth of Field is great (as far as the par of the...I'm guessing it's a wall int the foreground goes) compared with the rest of the photo. Really nice. I think I'd like it more, though, if the wall didn't cut through it. Still a good photo, though. I think it has something to do with my A.D.D. :)

Aquaryan said...

Great pictures, Serg! I know you explained how you did the "Paranormal" picture in an earlier blog. I think I tried to imitate it but I did not get the same effect. "Infested" reminded me of the time that my dad and I went out for dinner and the sky was filled with crows...there were so many I am surprised the birds did not hit each other. Did the guys know that you were taking their pictures?

Once again, I thought your video in your last blog was very well done. You are truly gifted!

Unknown said...

Sound- the ivory tickler in me is impressed with the way you can hear that old beauty singing to you through the photograph. It's superb.

Night time- as if I wasn't already afraid of the monsters lurking under my bed... um, thanks. haha.

Reflection- deep and refreshing. I like the angle and the way the wall slices the shot. I don't feel I need to see all of him in order to know what he is thinking and feeling. I have another reason why I like the angle, but it wouldn't make sense if I tried to explain it. You really did a great job on capturing the moment.

Hunger- not a huge fan of it. Not anything on your part, it's a great photograph. But, no two artists are ever the same, and what runs through my mind when I see it is probably the polar opposite of what you were trying to express.

Mirror- makes me want to jump in... Mary Poppins style.

Sergey- I can feel the warmth on my own face just by looking at the way the sun is grazing your skin. One of those "deep breath" moments. I like it.

I'm impressed. Kudos and buonanotte.

Willow said...

Okay...because I am way too OCD for my own good, I have to say something about each and every photo. ><

PARANORMAL: Looked at this about....fourty minutes ago and I usually don't get blown away by something more than once. But....umm...O.O Wow? That one is just too cool.

night time: I can't really tell who's sleeping in the bed...is it you or...? Either way...the monster is kinda freaking me out....I wasn't ever afraid of monsters under my bed, persay, but...*grin* I am in awe of whatever you did to get that paticular effect with the lighting on the person's face.

Infestation: Nice background color. It goes well with the title.

Hunger: That paticular picture I don't understand, but it's probably just because I'm too young, so disregard that comment.

enchantment: I had to pick my jaw up off the floor about five times wheni looked at this. It's really nicely done...It's just really hard to grasp that it is reality at some bent angle...but then it's hard to grasp it isn't fantasy.

sound: I'm usually not a fan of simplistic pictures, but this one...I can almost hear the note.

soul: I always did like the faded background, foreground pick-up type shots (still doesn't know the techie name for it. >< ). It's neat...but why Italy?

SERGEY: Really good lighting. I love how the pole behind you is leaning like you are, towards the sun. The picture is just really pleasant.

Reflection: Rome? IT's a nice shot, though.

Mirror: Had to glue my eyes back on with super glue after I saw that one. Really nice.

Critique? Couldn't find anything too off...you still look a bit dazed in "SERGEY", but I didn't know if that was the intent...?

RMarie7 said...

Love the photos. My favorites are Mirror, Paranormal, Night Time, and Sound. There's something about Hunger that made me...uncomfortable. But I think it has less to do with the way the photo was taken and more with the look on the guy's face. O.o Infested was very cool, in a Hitchcock, harbingers of death sort of way. My favorite was Mirror. The historian in me felt transported back to some other time. Reflection...not my favorite. It seemed plain. I get the foreground and focus changes and all, but it seemed like something I could see in a random magazine ad for, well, any random product.
I don't know any photography jargon to give useful critiques. All I can really say is I love the change in tone from picture to picture. You don't seem to be in a rut some artists tend to wallow in. They say its just their "style" but you have your own style while still experimenting. Each picture can stand on its own and causes an immediate reaction.
All in all, great batch of photos. :)
Rachel.

Penny said...

Love these :)

ShellSc said...

Wow these are great. I love the effects some of the pictures have and the simplistic of the other.
Paranormal:
I like this picture. It has interesting effects to create a images to convey the feel of the paranormal. After a while of staring at the picture you can see images of what could be ghosts. Good Job.
Night Time:
This picture is awesome and scary. Makes me want to check under my bed now.LOL
Infested:
I love the contrast on this picture between the black of the birds and the yellow of the background with the touch of white. It makes the picture a little erie which I think suits the tone of the picture.
Hunger:
The simple black/ white of this picture is nice. It is a real life picture. One of those street photography you like to take.
Enchantment:
I love this picture. I know it was hard to do and get right. Did you use Photo shop for it? I did a reflection picture like this in one of my photo shop classes so I know it can be difficult to master the right look for the picture with this type of design. Awesome picture, Serge.
Sound:
This picture is so simple but tells so much. You can almost hear the piano being played.
Soul:
I love the simplest of this pictures and the symbolism. The fade in the background makes the medal stand out.
Sergey:
This is a very good self portrait of yourself. You are a little off centered in the picture but are the center of the picture( if that makes sense, lol). The lighting is good on this picture and it is cool how you are leaning and the pole looks like it is too.
Reflection:
This picture is calming and I think that was what you were going for in the picture. If the guy was not there is would still be calming but with the guy in the picture we see the reflection side of the story you are trying to tell in this picture.
Mirror:
This is a awesome long shot with the reflection in the water. To me it tell a story of a stroll along a street and coming across this river or water source. This picture takes me on that stroll through this part of town. I can look at this picture and close my eyes and I am there.

Great Job Serge. I hope that one day my pictures can tell stories like yours.

Have a good Thursday!


Shell

superrawgirl said...

Hey Serg,Enchantment is my personal favorite. It's very cool to see your progression from your early work to now. It just shows dedication and passion pay off in the end! Keep of the awesome work! Have a great weekend.

Heather

WatchingStars said...

I really like ENCHANTMENT, but maybe it's because I like the fantasy world sometimes more than reality? Haha.
I like all of the photos really, I don't see any of them that I don't like. I love the colors in the SOUND picture, and the emotion I get from it. I love the sound of the piano, so I think it speaks to me more..
I'd really like to know what software you used to do the MIRROR photo. I've never tried this technique. Very cool!!

cindy said...

I seen some of these picture before the bird one is still creepy, make me think of that old black and white movie "bird"..
Since we are going with movies
enchantment had me thinking of peter pan, the ship being on water..( Watch the disney movie)
Hunger wasn't what I thought hunger should be if anything the picture should be call addiction..hunger to me makes me think of words/books/knowledge..
Soul seem to be a 2nd thought photo/ a thrown in photo..
Again soul to me mean muisc or a person barring they're soul on their face..
Serg I like but don't like..by you're face and the way you stand its like you know the picture is gonna be taken, I could see your face to read it..
Love the guy in the suit picture you can read his face..

White Russian said...

Hey everyone, thank you for the comments. Love all around.

Cindy, of course, I know the picture of me is gonna be taken. I took it. Its a reflection.

Mirror, was taken at Amsterdam... after visiting some "coffee" shops I went out for a walk and took photos around the city. It is part of a series that I am working on called, Symmetrical Visions.

Infested and Hunger were both taken on the same car ride during the tour Ryan and I did back in December. Usually I am the driver, but its nice to sit back, roll the window down, and snap some photos from time to time.

Reflection was taken in New Orleans during our tour. I might have to use with another photo I took. Maybe with story....businessman leaving for a new life...that kinda thing.

Enchantment was cropped and shopped. It was my early start with symmetrical works.

Anonymous said...

“Paranormal” is very unique and interesting to look at. It is a very captivating photo. “Night time” is also another fascinating photo and it is one of my favorites for sure. The “Infested” background color is amazing! I love the few wispy clouds and how the lines move from the upper left to the lower right with nothingness in the other two opposite corners. It looks like a still from a horror movie. Love it! “Hunger” is a quality photo. I like the look of it but for me personally I feel like the man’s expression along with the title of the photo just doesn’t fit smoothly together. “Enchantment” and “Mirror” are both awesome and for me they have a fantasy feel that I love. “Sound” is a great photo I love it! My thoughts would be to lighten up the corner where the hand is because it looks like just a hand, as in Thing from the Addams family, and if possible if we could see a LITTLE bit more of the piano in the bottom right hand corner. It feels like it was cut a little too short. “Soul” is beautiful; I love the color, the focus on the medal and chain while the background is blurred... just love it. “Sergey” is a nice photo, I actually like your expression it feels like you are trying to soak up the goodness and the light. “Reflection” is awesome I love the stone lines drawing your attention to the subject and the feeling that you are peering over the edge into his own little world is really cool.

I checked out your website and I think it is coming along great! You are very talented. It's almost the weekend, hope you have a great one!

cindy said...

The Serg picture is wearing the Soul picture cool..

Next time you take a picture of Serg have him to think of something that change his mood so his face is readable and so he not thinking of when the timer is going off..

Outliers Inc. said...

I loved "Reflection" because it's so ironic. It's a business man, surrounded by concrete looking serene. To me, that spells irony.

In "Sergy" there is a car in the background you might want to crop out (near the stop sign).

I stared at "Enchantment" for probably a half hour- I want to know how you did that one! It looks like something from a Tim Burton film, like Corpse Bride. I find that movie very enchanting.

All around great work!

ncchapman said...

I really love your painting with light photographs. You should do more of those. Mirror and enchantment are really pleasant to look at. I love the bird flying up. Awesome stuff.

Morgaine said...

Hey- The Genius of Photography is on the Ovation Channel for a few more hours.

It's pretty rad. You should check it out, if you haven't already.

-Morgaine.

White Russian said...

Hey Morgaine,

Thanks for the recommendation....for second I thought you were calling me a Genius of Photography....one day.

I have seen a few episods before; its an interesting show.

Haiku:

Friday clouds stretch out.
Boredom brews inside the house.
Don't know what to do.

Morgaine said...

It is a very interesting show. Today was the first time I had seen it.

A haiku for your haiku:

I know what to do.
Go out and take some pictures.
These clouds are epic.

-Morgaine.

WatchingStars said...

Your Haiku sounds a lot like my day, I have been lounging around trying not to dwell on certain things, and all I wanna do is play PC games. I thought about doing some photography, but I am just in a BLAH mood. It's cloudy and dull here too. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day :)

White Russian said...

Camera. Xander. Park
"Run around while I go shoot."
Oh no, where's Xander?

Morgaine said...

That doesn't sound good.
Maybe you should go find him?
Hm. Yeah, good idea.

Holla.

ShellSc said...

Oh no Xander is missing. Serg you need to maybe find him before Ryan gets you lol :]

Kris said...

Thought you might enjoy these:

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/07/09/colored-in-dancing-lights

and

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/08/08/interview-with-lichtfaktor-light-graffiti-artists/

Holly said...

I like Infested.

Clarice said...

Paranormal: Fun effects with the long exposure, lighting, and colors!

Night Time: That’s just creepy. Reminds me of another work with the same theme, but both have different details (in the other, there were kid toys littering the ground, the kid was awake, and so forth). I think your version has more of a dark/nightmare thing going on.

Infested: This one is pleasant to look at because the line sweeps from the upper left to the bottom right. It’s a gentle slope, too, which seems to be more pleasant to look at than a rigid/straight line.

Hunger: I dislike the composition in this one because a) I have nearly nothing to focus on in terms of the ‘rule of thirds’ besides the sandwich flag, and b) because the bench is cut off. I think this would have been a more pleasing composition if the bench had been centered, the man had been on the left side (with his head at the top-left cross hairs of a 9-square grid). Also, his head is cut off? I would have preferred more room above his head. The use of lines and curves is intriguing, visually. Great expression on the man!

Enchantment: Surreal. I like the mirrored reflection in the lake, but it looks computer generated? Did you mean for this to happen?

Sound: Creepy hand! I imagine this is what you were going for. Good job. I like the colors.

Soul: I like how this is just barely off center, and facing to the expanse. This really opens up the image. Great lighting, and the coloring is dramatic.

Sergey: It’s a fun photo, but there are several things that bugged me as a photographer. The pole on the left hand side of the photo is very distracting. The lighting on your face is good, but the shadows on your neck and pants seem a little bit too much. The “STOP” sign is backwards… I found that very odd. But then, so is your camera strap, so I’m guessing you flipped the photo?
The shadow by your foot is distracting. The curve of the elbow closest to the middle seems a bit sharp/abrupt.
The color of your shirt really pops, your pose is striking, and the look on your face falls somewhere between “Oh, I love the sun!” and the pondering of a deeply troubling topic *while* you’re trying to enjoy the sun.

Reflection: The use of curves is great! Good job with that. I think I would have liked a little more Thinking-Man and a little less concrete in the foreground. It just seems like you were hiding him. I have to say, though, that my favorite thing about this is the way the curved lines make me think of a ripple in a pond.

Mirror: There’s so much going on in this photo, but not enough to distract and clutter. The line up the bottom-middle drew my eyes to the building in the center, the birds, and the trees. The reflection is great, the repetition is great… but I disliked how easily I could recognize photo-flipping. You might take a little time to re-edit the photo and at least flip the Hotel signs on the left side. Great photo—the Gulls really make it!

Clarice said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenn said...

Hey Serg.. loved the pics.. I have to say I loved them all.. "hunger" made me chuckle for some reason, "Soul" was awesome I love it. "reflection".. you so totally did a sneak and snap didn't you!? "enchantment" was beautiful. I could easily sit and look at that one for hours. Great work :)

Jenn said...

I forgot to tell ya.. If you want to see ALOT of crows.. You should try coming to Geneva NY.. Its ridiculous. There are so many crow that when they all take off.. they block out the sun. For almost 3 miles there is not a single tree not covered in a black mass of crows. There is a church that looks like a castle.. I took a photo one night using the moonlight (moon was huge and shining bright.. looked awesome)and there is one I took that creeeeeeeeeped me out. The crows were all flying around the church and the moon was right behind the church so it lit up. Ha! I will see if I can dig it up again and send it to ya!

Anonymous said...

oh my goodness sergey these are great, as usual. your work is absolutely wonderful. i would love for you to photograph me some time (it's miranda_babyy_ from twitter by the way) but i always love your blogs and pictures and everything that comes from you :) thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Anonymous said...

rMuu michael kors handbags
cSew Lisseur GHD
sBtl north face sale
9pCbv ugg boots uk
5wAnl michael kors sale