What Night Is Tonight?by
skasubaComment: greetings from the critique club!
well, let's see, you got a 6 on this image which is over a point higher than I usually get, so I'm not one to tell you how to score better. I will say, however, that this does eschew certain DPC principles and scored high anyway, which is an accomplishment to be proud of. I think to ribbon you need a very tight "unity of purpose." In other words, the photo must have an obvious single goal or point and everything about that photo must contribute to it. You have the goal here, but not everything contributes to it. There are some internal contradictions to this photo that confuse the poor DPC voter. Let's discuss:
The dress here, as well as clearly indicating gender roles, also clearly indicates a formal setting (and the cool-toned b/w makes it seem old-fashioned formal, in other words, even more formal, distant). But you are in front of a grungy brick wall (and the single light source casting strong shadows contributes to that grungy feeling). You are also in front of a corner. This has wonderful symbolic implications... turning a corner, gone round the bend, in other words, on two planes of existence at once. But there is no literal reason why someone in formal dress would be standing in front of a grungy corner (actually some kinky ideas are coming to mind, but don't expect that sort of perversity from the DPC voter). And here's what happens when you present something that makes sense symbolically but not literally: you force the viewer to look symbolically.
This makes DPC voter angry. DPC voter works hard to create the illusion of crystal clear reality with every photo, and thinks you are being lazy. This is because DPC voter doesn't think symbolically except on the most primitive level (beer = good time! pretty lady = good time!). I think the reason you did as well as you did is because you met the challenge in a unique but still direct way, and you made a convincing illusion. This is sort of why I did NOT vote you higher than 6. I felt like this picture was just saying Ta-Da! I met the challenge! and nothing more. Because it was well done, I gave it a 6. To get a 7 or higher it has to stand on its own and appeal to me.
Just to say more about why I didn't score it higher, my reasons are sort of similar to "DPC voter" above. The thirties-theme and grunge-theme didn't seem to love or hate each other. I didn't sense a chemistry between them. The bowed legs seem awkward, done only to facilitate the illusion. If I looked at it longer, I might have voted higher though. I barely noticed that you were in front of a corner, and I like that symbolically as I mentioned above, and I like how the awkward angles of your legs interact with the odd angles of chimney and wall. It is a dynamic and interesting composition, though I still want more thematic interest.
Photographer found comment helpful.
