C&C please

[ccphoto]

Would appreciate feedback.

 

[Buckster]

Would appreciate feedback.

I can't say it's really grabbing my "wow" fabric and pulling on it. I think the main thing is that the subjects, the people, have their backs to me. I can't read their expressions, emotions, thoughts in any way. I have no idea what they're looking at, so I can't even guess, and all that kind of leaves me hanging.

Without that human interest element, I'm instead drawn to examine the details of the structure that fills the rest of the frame, and the first thing that comes to my mind is that it should be straightened so that the vertical elements that dominate actually are vertical. I pulled it into PS, chose one of the lines with the ruler and rotated arbitrary, which turned out to be 1.73 degrees CCW.

The other thing that I think makes it not stand out much to me is the lack of contrast. It just looks kind of middle gray muddy to me. When I pulled it into PS, I had a look at the histogram and saw that there's a gap on each end, indicating no absolute blacks nor whites, just shades of gray. I think a contrast adjustment is therefor in order to give it some pop.

Associated with that, there's all this great wood texture and battered old metal, but the lack of sharpness sort of leaves it hanging in the land of the soft features, and I think that's not doing it justice. I'd punch up the texture detail with a bit of sharpening.

Here's what I produced with those changes noted above:

While I think those adjustments help from a technical standpoint, I'd say they still don't really do much for the composition, which isn't very strong at telling a story because I don't know the context and I can't read their expressions; I can't experience this through them in any way, and so there's nothing that tugs on me to want to be there.

Keep shooting and you'll start to see this intuitively as you compose your shots. Try to keep in mind when you shoot that what you see through the viewfinder should be able to tell a story within itself, in order to involve the viewer in some way.

 

[CCarsonPhoto]

I think the only thing about this photo I really like, is the younger boy on tippy toe, trying to do what the older boy is doing, and not quite making it. That has some expression. :thumbsup:

 

[ccphoto]

Thank you for your comments. I am new and still practicing and learning. Your feedback helps!

 

[David84]

I think the only thing about this photo I really like, is the younger boy on tippy toe, trying to do what the older boy is doing, and not quite making it. That has some expression. :thumbsup:

+1

Kids are adorable when they do this...

-David