13 months on the Picket Lineby
BAMartinComment: from the critique club:
Greetings:
First let me give you credit for the effort in the arena of photojournalism. The beauty in this field is that we capture live action and emotions. As such, the images have a strong tendency to move the viewer. That is, we never tire of such images because they are very closely related to real life and deal with the aspirations, dreams and real life problems.
Of course, to capture these images effectively requires quick judgment as to when to snap the image and of course quick response in making camera adjustments. To use the auto feautures will give you a result but not possibly the best.
While the figures in this image are impressive as well as the body language, two problems overshadow the general effort. The first is the focus and the second is the exposure. The blown out areas create an immediate distraction and the uncertain focus adds to this, making these imperfections overtake the strength of the image.
Some possible solutions here, outside the focus, would have been to crouch lower and have the sign block the bright light and this would have eliminated the most offensive blown out area. The image can survive with a blown out sky. About the focus. Employing f8 here is a good choice and it means you focus on the woman's face, the main figure. F8 would allow enough dof to handle the background. Since the sign is almost at the plane of the face, the sign would have been rendered clearer. Of course, there is movement and there is a chance of blurring something. I shoot these images, like in parades, not holding the camera classical style but doing a short pan to correspond with the action and then holding the camera steady as I follow the movementmoment right to the time of exposure. Best to practice panning, such as a subject on a bike or a moving car. You need a low shutter speed to achieve the blurred background. Of course, if people are moving together, those that lag are the one's that blur, and often the end result is pleasing.
Not everyone is capable of anticipating every nuance that can spoil a shot but it is first the focus that is critical. Soft images create great problems in reproduction because of the soft facial outlines. It also affects tonal integrity.
Your spirit with this entry is well accepted and if you dedicate more time to getting the camera thing together then your images are certain to improve. However, first concentrate on the focus. Predecide your focus point before you even begin the shot and prior to this test your exposure and have your camera set in manual. If you go for the auto focus then use only the center sensor.
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