Red Balloon

by Merri Teresa
(Tetouan, Morocco)

Smile

Smile

I shot it on an automatic outside setting.

I went around Tetouan, Morocco with balloons. I actually made a short series with the old car in an area where they work on cars.

I followed the balloon in this alley area snapping its travel. It was interesting how it went around this old car.

If I can post all of them it would be great and more understanding.




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What an interesting idea for a photo shoot.

Merri (or is it Teresa? I'll go with Merri for now) has created photo opportunities here by going around with balloons.

It's perfectly OK to 'make' photo opportunities. And why not – that's often where the best shots come from. A little planning never hurts!

So, what's good about this photo, and are there any improvements we can offer?

The most striking thing is the bright orange balloon set against the rusty metal.

Colour contrasts like this are always an appealing proposition and can certainly make a more interesting shot from the mundane.

Something more subtle (and I assume is the reason for Merri's "Smile" caption) is the 'face' on the car. The two 'eyes' near the top and the nice smiley mouth – almost sucking on a balloon.

If you can see shapes like this in a subject it can help to create longer lasting interest in your pictures. It also turns your pictures into more of a talking point.

All good stuff then.

So, any changes? Well, the only (and I do mean the only!) disappointment from my perspective is the weak colours.

The orange balloon is the most colourful part of this photo, and I realise that is the point, but even that could do with a boost.

I would definitely try boosting the contrast, and possibly the saturation using software.

Merri also states that this is part of a series of photos. It would be good to see some more of them, they could well work better together than they do apart!

Thanks for the submission Merri, and by all means submit some more from your collection.

Ed.
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Nov 07, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		I googled myself
by: Anonymous

I Googled myself and found your comment on my photo, "Smile". I never recieved it in my emails so I thought is was not recognized.

This is exciting for me that it is was appreciated. My computer has had its share of problems and it is very hard to get things under control here with no real tech help. I have even lost a creative program for my photos that I loved to play with.

There are so many opportunities here for interesting photos of the culture and natural beauty.

The people here don't like to have thier pictures taken and with my Cannon it is hard to catch candid ones without being noticed and fused at.

I will send the rest later from the series.

Thank you so much for your comments. It makes me feel connected.

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