Photographer’s Choice – Sandy Pinto

3 Replies

Where Does Your Eye Land?

Sandy Pinto - Dali Museum, St Petersburg FL

Sandy Pinto – Dali Museum, St Petersburg FL

In late March of 2011, Sandy visited this recently constructed museum in St Petersburg FL, home to an extensive collection of works by the rather eccentric artist Salvadore Dali. She admits to truly appreciating only a small portion of the art but thought the building itself, designed by Yann Weymouth of the architectural firm HOK, was worth the admission charge. Sandy must have found the perfect angle to capture the combination of massive concrete walls coupled with a light, airy geodesic domed skylight. The leading lines are everywhere and the various curves and circles combine to form a very satisfying whole. Add the many shades of gray and the two individuals for a human touch and you have a very compelling image. Black and white was the only choice.
Sandy’s Nikon D90 was set to a focal length of 18mm for this wide angle look. The settings of f/8, a shutter speed of 1/160 sec and an ISO of 200 were perfect choices to capture the total range of light and dark.

Photographer’s Choice – Judy Tobin

5 Replies

The Pose, Expression, Light and Framing Make It Exceptional

Judy Tobin - Beautifully Framed Portrait of Amy

Judy Tobin – Beautifully Framed Portrait of Amy

There are times when the best portrait is unplanned and spontaneous, no time spent looking around for the perfect background and light conditions, no time to get “uptight” and worry about dress, hair, expression, etc. In this image everything simply fell into place and it worked. The door opening to the duck cage framed the subject beautifully, the natural light illuminated the subject  while leaving the background dark.  Placement of the hands is natural and the joy in the smile is not forced in any way.  The story is completed with a couple of remaining ducks, dimly lighted, visible inside the secondary frame.  The final touch is the openings in the rear wall, just enough to be visible and add interest without being distracting.  When you’re good enough to plan all this and bring it off, you’re an exceptional photographer.
Judy and her husband Paul were buying ducks for their pond and Amy (one of the owners of the farm ) had just handed them the last duck when Judy and her Sony DSC-T77 camera captured the scene. Job well done.