En Garde!

[Samriel]

 

[Samriel]

I'm going to give this thread a small *bump*, as I'd really like to get some feedback on this one. For some strange reason (probably the diagonal line...) I like something about this photo, yet I feel something is quite a miss. Starting from the hand shadows which I couldn't recover even a bit in PP, I also feel the balance is off a bit in both the horizontal and vertical levels. Am I right? What are your impressions?

 

[tirediron]

I think what this image needs is a dim, diffuse light to illuminate the underside of the arm and the hilt of the sword. To me, with the deep shadows, the arm looks rather deformed. I like the idea and the overall composition, but I think the lighting needs a tweak or two.

 

[Seefutlung]

Composition wise, you bisected the frame from corner to corner. Typically, symmetry is boring, balanced with no movement, no drama ... ho hum.

The toad sticker helps ... but symmetry is still symmetry. You further divided your diagonal in two with half rapier half arm.

If this was my image I'd lighten/dodge the highlights on the rapier (especially on the tip end and the hilt) and crop to the left of the elbow (I'd crop out that slightly distracting funny light colored bump thing near the lower elbow).

Good Luck ... I do like what you saw.

Gary