I agree with the comments about distractions in the background. I tend to be too distracted - or "focused" on the model when I shoot nudes and often just don't see background distractions - or worse, cut off the feet... But it is a beautiful soft rendering of the model in repose.
I would have called it "fall colors"! A fun photo.
Number one is an outstanding portrait!
Florida is so unusual - being so flat and the fact that we had a lot of rain before Ian and the ground was saturated, water is still a problem - the St John's River will be at flood stage at least until the weekend. We were also here for Jean and Frances, which were prolonged wind events, leaving most of Central Florida a sea of blue-tarped roofs. The worst devastation here I suspect will be the flooding - and so many folks, I am afraid, not living in a flood plain (and because gee, "this is a 500-year event"), do not have flood insurance. And a lot of folks still do not understand that their homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage. And most of the FEMA help is in the form of loans, so if you are already making a mortgage payment on a destroyed home, that just isn't going to help. Any homes built here during the last 15 years have been built with the newer codes - and so fare much better in high winds. But floodwaters - not so much. And homeowner's insurance, which has been averaging $4200 per year here, will be going up even further - IF you can get it. Many policies have been requiring homeowners to replace their roof before they can buy a policy. We may start seeing an exodus from Florida. SO many folks have been getting by on their retirement income, but this resets everything.
Also - people do not realize this so much - after Jean and Frances it was almost impossible to find building supplies, contractors, roofers, etc, for many months - more than six months even. No plywood, No wallboard. No shingles. I knew a family that lived in their RV in their front yard for a year as they rebuilt their home. Things will be tough for a while.
A few days is not much time to spend in one of the most magnificent cities in the world. All of the spots suggested by Burkley are wonderful. Don't overlook Ru Cler - a short street near the Eiffel Tower that is jammed with open-air stalls of beautifully presented fruits, veggies, cheeses, breads, and meats - a photographer's dream! (Also a picnicker's dream). I agree with his point about the Museum d'Orsay - the collection in the Louvre only goes through a certain date and so does not include the impressionist period. You have to go to The Orange or the d"Orsay for later period paintings. The d'Orsay is an old train station restored as a museum and is worth the visit even without the paintings. Standing in front of an original Monet, Renoir, Manet, or other painting - posters of which you have seen all your life - is awe-inspiring. The Catacombs were memorable! We love the Rick Steve's Guides - the one on Paris helped us pick a small family-run hotel on the West Bank not far from the Eiffel Tower and just two blocks from Ru Cler. One of our favorite things was the dinner cruise on the Seine. We did not enjoy the Moulin Rouge because when we went they sat you at shared tables and allowed smoking. We did fine without speaking French - a smile and being polite go a long way. Almost everyone was patient and kind with us (one waiter not so much). Be aware that some of the smartphone translation Apps are pretty good. As always, beware of pickpockets and consider any distraction on the streets as setting you up to be a victim. Rick Steve's says: "In Europe, don't carry anything with you that you can't afford to have stolen". Not sure it's that bad, but I travel on alert, try not to advertise that I am a tourist, and I have travel clothes with inside pockets and pockets with zippers. Our only pickpocket attempt (failed) was on the Metro - always a high-risk place. Have a great trip!
Very nice, sharp image of a fast-moving subject!
nmw1004 wrote:
Thanks for your comments. I'm waiting for my check from the Maine department of tourism.
They will send you a "lahbstah". Very nice images.
I see ads for movies that are playing on networks that I do not have, and think that they would be interesting or enjoyable to watch. But I know that if I sign up for $8.99 a month, or $14.99 a month, or whatever, that I will find out that there just aren't enough good shows that I would be watching very often. So - hopefully all those good shows will some day come to Netflix or Amazon. (But even Amazon now has subchannels that require a separate monthly subscription). The other problem I find is that when you really don't watch that much TV, there are so many options that I could spend hours just trying to find something good to watch, which I refuse to do.