Of course - I wasn't sure if the ballerina to the left was a Pursang shot or a King shot.

Anna, dallenogare, Craig...thanks!

Yes, "The Departed."

if i knew you were watching thedeparted i probably wouldve increased my ratings...nicholson's hair did seem familiar but couldnt be sure...

@sbuzz...Thanks. Higher ratings for watching "The Departed"? :>) funny

@mikesphotog...my wife has hots flashes and likes to keep the bedroom very cool. Is that all you have to say? Howdja like the pitchur?

King, I like your pics, but this one looks like a busy scene with no particular point of interest.

Thanks, folks.
@pursang...This is a very rich photo in color and I was originally going to post it as such. Before posting it, I wanted to see what it would look like in black and white, then inadvertently saved the Photoshop document in the b/w version, flattening all my layers, etc., losing all my work. So you get to see b/w.

@mikesphotog...I know how you feel. You must also wonder why this got featured. I think it is possible that you are simply missing something in the composition and b/w tones that is pleasing to others. This photograph is intentionally banal, but it is also very carefully composed and lit.

And we were actually watching "The Departed," which I paused while taking the shot. It wasn't selected for effect.

Wow, King, my Old Friend, I'm lucky to have missed this one. Lucky, because I would have been sure it's one of Mark's. That ballerina on the wall would have made me soooo sure - even if it's not his trademark greyscale...

Well, what could I say? Congrats, I would've given it all 5's because there is nothing in this one I don't like.

It must be awful to see your neighvbor's face every time you open your wardrobe, though - ever thought of fixing that hole on the wall? :DDD

First I misread emmet's comment and thought he said "i love this - it has such a stylish feet! " :)))

Why isn't there more criticism of this image? I like it, but it has a lot of flaws.

I think this photo would be better if I had made the following changes--and I may make change some of these things before posting this image to my website:

The frame of the ballet photo runs along the edge of the armoire. I should have moved the door so it crossed over the frame or revealed the entire edge of the frame.

The ballerina as facing out of the frame. It would be better to have it on the other side of the armoire or simply flip it in Photoshop, so she faces into the center of the frame.

Same for the chair with doilies. I think it is best to have important compositional elements lead the eye into the frame, rather than out. However, the chair probably wouldn't have fit as well in the frame if I had turned it around, so I probably would have replaced it with something else.

The shadows around the bottom of the chair, especially where the seat of the chair meets the edge of the frame, are good heavey (i.e., dark). I should have opened the shadows a bit by dodging.

There is a quilt trunk at the foot of the bed that intersects with my wife's foot at is parallel to the bottom of the armoire. I should have moved that out of the shot so the dark line at the bottom of the armoire could provide better separation between the bed and the armoire.

The whitest tones on the left-foot sock are blown out.

There is a noticeable, horizontal jump in tone just above the ballerina photo on the left edge of the photo. I should have smoothed that out.

I shouldn't have overwritten my original Photoshop color layers to save the document in b/w instead of saving a copy. I'm kicking myself for that.

In case you don't already know this, I value perceptive critiques. I will sometimes offer more criticism and detailed comments on a high-quality image, where it is clear that the photographer has put considerable thought and care into the decisions leading to what the viewer sees, than I would otherwise.

So if you are inclined, please be specific in regard to what you might have done differently here. Maybe we'll all learn something from your critique and will be better photographers because of it--and, thereby, owe you a debt of gratitude.

king,
regarding to your own constructive feedback, which is good, I would say that the shot would be a well prepared one but without soul, too sterile, too clean.

this shot shows me, here _lives_ <--(accentuation) king. :-) lying in bed, wife in arms, etc...

a scene of your life

cheers, v.t.

Vernon,

My wife will laugh out loud when I tell her your comment. Our home is anything but sterile and clean...I mean, you won't get sick if your visit, but you'll feel comfortable putting your feet up on the furniture. :>)

:-)))

The door panel to the right looks like the eye of Sauron.

I'll echo everyones sentiment, this sort of crept up on me.

Is that a picture to the left, one of your own per chance?

The only critism I can muster is perhaps the composition. A little claustrophobic. But hell, you're sat in a room watching television.

Exposure looks fine, blacks; black, the whites; white. My technical know how is too limited anyway. I am a budding photographer, not a pro.

King, you know that I have very limited technical knowledge and this makes it hard for me to comment sometimes. On this image the things that you have pointed out as flaws are the very things that for me make this look like a scene from your life. I do agree your white socks look a little overexposed, (Is that the correct term?), but other than that it looks like a great slice of life and not a staged image. To me that's what this theme is all about.

@mooch...thanks. The dance photo is, indeed, one of mine. Here's a slightly larger image:

http://www.kingdouglas.com/DANCEweb/Pages/Nancie%20Woods.htm

@hummingbird..Thank you. I'm not asking people to tear this photo apart, but I think sometimes others are hesitant to just speak their mind about my photos because I used to be a pro. My self-critique above was just priming the pump, I hope, for folks to be straightforward in their opinions about things I can improve.

For instance, I have learned a lot from comments on my second entry in this theme, and I must say that my critics are right, so by the time I post the image on my website, it will be much better.

The things I found to cause tension in this shot have been mentioned, I believe. The frame of the ballerina being cut off, some of the areas are too dark for my taste, but other folks seem to like that aspect. The right side of the shot needs more space, or none. That small sliver of space creates tension for me. The chair seems to be a part of another scene all together, facing the other way.
But.....I still think this is a perfect shot for the theme, and less and less on WS do I care about technical things, exposure and all of that. My focus is mostly on content. :)

Thanks, Ana,

FYI, in case anyone is interested, here is the image straight off the memory card--no curves, levels or any other adjustments:

http://www.kingdouglas.com/weeklyshot/tv-watching.jpg

King,
It's true that, without the forethought of this theme, this photo might be considered flawed in the ways that you mention; but give the "slice-of-life" nature of this, I tend to accept these as they are. It's what you saw...today. That makes a big difference to me, from a critique sense.
However, I will tell you what I really like about this photo: that chair with the doilies.
Man, that thing looks like it is alive and lurking behind the door or the armoire. In fact, that coupled with the image Jack, reminds me of the spooky feeling emanating from all of the antiques at the Overlook Hotel, from The Shining.
But the feet intersecting give me a very comfortable feel.
So, I like this photo for what it is; and given the theme, I don't feel inclined to pick it apart like I might some other photos.

Now I can't sleep at night because I'm afraid of the chair.

Thanks, eggplant, for the very favorable review!