Dusk

[DVJLabonte]

On a recent camping trip I took this pic of my little cousin and her friend trying to fish for minnows. I am looking for crits on it because I am pretty confident that I should crop the small bit of rapids at the very top right corner, but I am looking for opinions. Thanks in advance.

 

[DVJLabonte]

I don't normally bump, but I was wondering why none of those who veiwed this image has made a comment. I put the image here for a purpose, and the purpose wasn't to be overlooked. I know I am newer to these boards, but I might as well not be. Treat me as an equal please.

 

[LaFoto]

You're not newer, are you? You are our Labonte, aren't you?
As to this pic, I personally find the light situation is not helping you any to really bring out what you want to show us, i.e. the two girls who are fishing with these little nets here. The one whose face COULD be seen is all in shadow and the other whose body caught a bit of light is with her back towards us. What light there still was in this scene of dusk is on the water in the background of the pic where it does not help us any.

Those are just my immediate thoughts.
I would not have looked at the rapids at all, had you not mentioned them, for the turned-around-light situation is so obvious to me.

Let's see what others might think about it (and be patient about pics in the Photo Critique - most traffic always is in the Galleries).

 

[KevinR]

The traffic of people who comment isn't that large here. Don't take it personally.

The lighting situation is the bigger deal than the cropping of the rapids. It's just too dark.

 

[meotter]

on top of the lighting situation, for future reference, i think i might have shot a little lower to include the entire reflection of the one girl in blue, as well as not cutting off the net or ankles of the other girl.

 

[mentos_007]

well... honestly there is something in this pic that I like it... but personally I would compose it in a slightly different way - cropping out most of the top, but ncluding the kid's feet as well as the net AND the whole girl's reflection in a water...

 

[DVJLabonte]

Thank you for your feedback. I personally like the darkness of the image, after all, it was very much dusk and it captures the moment with the correct feeling. Not that I would expect anyone who views this to know what that moment felt like, you weren't there. This was, again, after a storm.

As for the reflection and her feet: I admit, this was more of a quick snap. I wish I would have seen what it would turn out like prior to taking it because I would have spent more time shooting it.

As for the first person's comment. Yes, I have been on and off here for a very long time, however, I have lost my information, thus I had to make anew account, I hope no one minds.

 

[Iron Flatline]

I think the shot is great. Like you, I often shoot the kids without really getting a chance to compose, and only later find out that I cut off something minor - in your case the net at the bottom of the image. As for the lighting, I think it works quite well. And as a parent who already knows what my kids look like, I actually enjoy shots that lack typical details as a change-up to my usual family pictures. To answer one question directly - yes, either crop it out, or use PS to clone the smooth water over the rapids. The reason I suggest Photoshop is because a simple crop will tighten the picture a lot more. It will take away some of that sense of little girls discovering large nature around them, and then it will seem as though they're just standing over a puddle.

 

[darin3200]

Although you trying to go for the dusk feel, it just looks underexposed because of the bright reflections on the water at the top.

I don't really notice the rapids

 

[DVJLabonte]

I was just looking at this image again and wondered to myself if perhaps a soft flash would have helped this image. I see people saying it looks underexposed, but if that was the case wouldn't more of the girl on the left's sweater be darker than it is?

I was again wondering about a fill light to enhance the image's foreground so you could get more of a veiw of the girls. Any comments to this?

 

[abraxas]

I agree with meotter & mentos 007. More at the bottom and less at the top. The girl on the right could have used some light to bring out a little more. Overall I like the shot.