Title -  "Seaweed Farmer"

Jan 2012

COMMENTS:
 

Fred Dueren	I have mixed reactions to this photo. When I first saw it I was impressed with the stark black and white pattern and the lone man on the orange raft. The viewpoint also gave a sense of size and the apparent expanse of the sea. But when I went back to it later, I was disappointed. The black lines seemed faded and the overall effect was bland and washed out. I'm not sure if it is just a question of my mood when I look at it, but I can not get the initial pleasure from the first time I saw it.
Bob Jump	This is a very interesting image. I like the diagonals and the repetition of those things that look like ladders floating in the water. The orange raft works well and is positioned so it looks as if the man is starting to move up the ladders.
Ingrid Borecki	I love this image – it has that quality that lifts an ordinary shot to art.  I really like the sparseness, and the single small area of yellow that supports the human element.  I would have a hard time guessing the context – it looks like a sketch.  Pleasing relative proportion of the line thickness to the figure.  There is a regularity to the context that is grounding, but still not identifiable.  Works for me very well.
Graham Budd	I love the combination of simplicity and repeating elements that were used to create this beautiful work of art. For such a simple composition there is so much for the eyes to linger upon with interest. Additionally, the texture used in the background simulates canvas and creates a rich texture to the shot that I like as does the single color treatment inside an otherwise monochromatic scene. The only small distraction for me occurs in the top right hand corner. The stalks look fine but for me the placement of the edge of the adjacent seaweed bed on the edge of the frame pulls my eye away from an otherwise excellent composition. My preference to be to clone that out.
David Temple	I had trouble grasping the setting and perspective of this photo until I read your info. First impression was a Lilliputian type man in an over sized environment.  I do like the single color retained and I would expect a large print or projection of this photo to enhance it and perhaps make the setting more self evident.
Douglas Hart	I like the simplicity of the setting, the repeating patterns of the poles and layout of the garden boundaries.  The break up the patterns by the lone worker is a eye catcher.  The speck of color adds to its attention grabbing role in the shot.  The one troublesome area is the open space along the top of the frame.  and I wonder if a cropping of this might create a tighter shot.  It does do that but takes away from the sense of size and largeness of the area.  Another fine production.   It did not go unnoticed the amount of WORK needed on your part to get in position to get this shot.  I am finding my lack of mobility hinders many opportunities, the physicality of this profession is not fully understood or appreciated at times.  Kudos to Bailey for his continued efforts to get stellar shots from the better positions.

Bailey Donnally, FPSA, PPSA - Biography My grandparents raised me on a farm in central Alabama where I learned the joys of crawling on my knees all day through rows of cotton in 100-degree temperatures. It was in third grade that one of my little classmates brought a Xmas present – a toy microscope - to school and the excitement of chasing bugs to view under his instrument convinced me that I should become a scientist, an ambition from which I never wavered thereafter. Since 1962 I have taught and pursued research in atomic physics at Lake Forest College except for some periods of time during which I did research at Yale, Los Alamos Scientific Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab, etc. You can’t imagine how much fun I have had. In 1955 I made the best move of all. I persuaded Pat to become my wife and companion. Now we enjoy 2 beloved children, 5 terrific grandchildren and a great life together. It was in 1943, in the middle of WWII, that I started in photography with a little plastic brownie and a developing kit. My first national award came in 1948 when I won the grand prize in the Kodak National High School Photographic Awards. My first love in photography has always been prints. I have spent many enormously happy hours in the darkroom. The magic I experienced there will be a part of my happiest memories. Now I have switched to digital techniques, with which I am having a ball. Along the way I have picked up 5 stars in monochrome prints and a few stars in color slides and PJ. I have won medals in each of the last 9 PSA International Exhibitions, including three gold medals. My photographs have been exhibited on all seven continents. In PSA I have been active since 1968, holding various jobs along the way including most recently the job of PSA Treasurer, which I held for 5 years, and the Honors Committee, which I chaired.