[F Stop Fitzgerald]

JKleb,

Hey I really liked the whole series. The fifth element, Fire, was by far my favorite. And it may be my way of thinking, but it wasn't hard to think abstractly a bit and see which was which before I read any of the posts. I appreciate your posting this.

One of the things I particularly like is that it encourages critique of something other than merely the technical aspects of our images. I admit I'm new here, but it seems as though most of the actual critique I've seen so far is along the lines of "so and so is too soft" or "there's a hot spot there" or "the [highlights/midtones/shadows] are so and so, and you should blah blah blah." Nothing at all wrong with that kind of critique, and I'm sure I'll get my share. But to me the image is more than its technical perfection. One of the most important aspects of an image is it's concept. What was the idea behind making it? What kind of story does it tell? To me, that's where the rubber meets the road, and an image becomes way more than just it's technical representation.

So I really applaud you for this series. I like the idea. I hope we get to see lots more IDEAS on this site. That is what will keep it interesting to me.

Again...this is just my own opinion, and I fully expect I'll get flamed for it. But I'd sure love to see this place become more than just another place to hear technical critique.

Thanks for posting those!

Skip