Window to our past and inevitable future
by moonjeong

Comment:
if the photographs in the background could have been a larger part of the composition while keeping the framing, it would have made for a much stronger image.

As Life Passes
by Artyste

Comment:
wow, the lighting on this is amazing.

Messiah Complex
by blackenedwhite

Comment:
i like this photo quite a bit because I took it to mean the mental condition and not a commentary on religion.

"Patience and Fortitude Conquer All Things"
by Rikki

Comment:
rikki -- i read your story and like missinseattle, i really do have tears in my eyes. thank you for sharing this story and photo.

Find My Driver
by Mark of SRQ

Comment:
behind the tree, peeking out?

Let me be your mirror
by messerschmitt

Comment:
Howdy from the Critique Club!

You got lots of great comments on this, and I think you placed wonderfully in the challenge.

Composition

I liked the simple composition of this image. It focuses the viewer on your subject and message. I felt, however, that the camera was too close to the subject and I would have wanted to view this scene from a little further back. I would not have complicated the background or any with this, but might have chosen a lighter bg, or better light bg if there was too much black in the image from moving further away.

Colour and lighting

I think the lighting on your subject is well done, but i find myself looking for a little more light on the subject, especially near the right arm/right side would have been useful to even it out a bit. It is a bit dark and seems to trail off on that side. This also seems to affect the focus there which isn't as clear as the rest of the photo.

OVERALL, I think this was a very well done image. It would also work quite well in black and white as the colour isn't particularly vibrant or essential to the message of your image.

Congratulations on a well done image! :)

Pointe Shoes
by angela_packard

Comment:
simply gorgeous.

Booze Hound
by soup

Comment:
cute shot! I'd crop out the bottom third of the photo. Its all OOF and without it, you have a stronger composition! :)

Society's Rot!
by doctabrez

Comment:
can't say I agree with the title of message of this photo. Asthetically, its not quite in focus and the white balace you currently have gives it an unnatural green glow that isn't really improving the look of the picture.

The Old Fisherman
by jrjr

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I didn't get a chance to vote on this photo, but am pleased to give you my thoughts now.

Colour, Composition and Contrast

Let me dive right in with composition. This is generally a landscape (though nearly square) portrait, which is unusual for a portrait but can be a very effective way to present an image and give it impact. I think its most effective when you use all elements of the image, ie. background, forground (if applicable) and the subject to work together in the composition. Putting your subject on a 3rd line is one example, and using your focal distance to create some blur (or "bokeh") in the background is also effective. Also, if you are going to choose landscape, i would use a larger ratio, meaning, make it longer than it is high by a lot more than you have now. If you were going for square, go for perfect square. It looks more deliberate and that helps an image.

As for the colour and contrast, I think that the colours are less compelling than the features of your subject and I would have desaturated the image to really convey that feeling of a weathered lone fisherman. The redness of his skin draws too much attention and makes it look like a less polished shot without a clear message. I think using one of the many methods to desaturate, including the channel mixer method (my favourite because of the level of control) you can really make this image something special.

Another composition option that might give the shot more precise viewer "focus" would have been to crop closer to your subject and cut out distracting background details like that bright white spot to the left of the subject (our right). Keep in mind that if you are shooting someone and its NOT a candid, you can ask them to move to a different place with a better background.

Focus and Lighting

The face is a bit out of focus and that really distracts from the image. Your subject is this man and his face and so you should ensure you have captured the most detail with a better focus than is present.
My only comment with respect to lighting is that i wish the lighting differed on the bg as on the subject. This was probably not possible with this shot as it is outdoors and I doubt you had a studio lighting kit in your back pocket!

Overall

Overall, this is an image that appears to be struggling to find its voice. A few processing changes could really assist, but you are still left with poor focus on the face of the subject and that makes it difficult to improve THIS image more. A good effort though! Good luck in future challenges.