Knight in Shining Armor
by KevinRiggs

Comment by Anachronite:
sca? ahh I miss the days of heavy weapons combat... what kingdom was this taken in?

Knight in Shining Armor
by KevinRiggs

Comment by Artyste:
How lucky are you for finding or having something like this around to shoot during "Fairy Tale" week? Great shot, but I have a suggestion. How about a closer cropping on the knight? This would help eliminate more of the distracting flag in the background, and help the viewer focus better on the subject. Your focus from a distance is very nice as well.

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by cooliak:
Seeing as you contribute tons to this community through your comments I felt that maybe I could return the favor.

First of all .. I really liked this image and thought it should have placed better. As people have said the b&w is great here .. it really sets the mood.

Now before I continue .. I'm not an great photographer ... but I think (or hope) that there is a difference between being able to see/recognize great art/photos and being able to do it. Some are lucky enough to be able to do both. So while I may not be able to take great photos yet (its a skill which I'm trying to develop) I think I know a great photo when I see one. This is one of those photos.

So let me continue analyzing. The first thing I see when I look at the photo is the shoes. I like that they are out of focus and their position and layout. Now this might not make sense .. but I wish they were more in focus but not completely. Right now while its obvious they are shoes they are very blurred and have a black halo around them.

The next thing my eyes are drawn to are the feet. First I see the one that is sideways. The lighting and position on this are perfect. Then there is the other one. I'm not super fond of the position .. my first instinct is to say that I wish it was more like the other one .. sideways so that the arch is visible.

Finally there are the knees .. now you cannot re-crop this to get the knees. The reason I say that is because the shadow caused by them is distracting (IMO). And finally at the edge there is the stocking finish (I think) .. which is a nice touch.

As for the pantyhose I think you chose well they add an interesting texture and color to the shot .. without them this would not have been as good.

Lighting wise what people have said is great.

In conclusion this is a great photo ... the idea is awesome. If you ever decide to reshoot this let me know.

Cheers,
Mike

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by KevinRiggs:
I think this was a cool idea for this challenge. I like the concept and about 1/2 of the execution but I can see how more people like the shoes to be behind the feet. I also see how the lighting would have benefitted from a barndoor to direct the light off the upper legs and let them blend into darker obscurity.

My original intent was to place emphasis on the feet by having them silhouetted. I wanted to add "texture" to the photo by bringing out the "weave" in the pantyhose.

Regardless, I think I can see what others seemed to like and what they didn't and I don't think I would be giving up any of what I like in the shot to adjust the composition and lighting just a little and try to make this more appealing. I'm enjoying working with lighting. This shoot was fun.

Thanks for the comments and votes.

Kev

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by tyt2000:
This should have placed higher IMO!

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by joebok:
I like the idea and the lighting, but somehow the composition/focus seems backwards - like the shoes should be in focus and the feet/legs out. I'd be curious to see it that way to compare anyway.

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by dinny:
the shoes in front are too out of focus, they become distracting, might have worked better if they were behind the feet.

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by dclarke:
The shoes seem to be a little too much out of focus, I would like focus on the shoes to be a little more. But I like the idea of her resting here feet behind the shoes.

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by Skip:
great image! really tells the story.

She's Out of Those Shoes
by KevinRiggs

Comment by tyt2000:
Cool idea, I like the OOF shoes. B&W works well with it. (8)