The Truth according to Manby
dali_lama_2kComment by Gatorguy: Hi, Critique Club here...
I get what you're going for here, but I think this might be a case where you can't get the feeling of being there to translate through a photograph. Your central points are the sign and the overall appearance of this lot and to that end, the placement of the sign is good, it's the first place I looked when I opened the image. Then my eye followed the strong leading line, which is the fence, but unfortunately the line leads us to a place in the photo that doesn't contain anything of interest - the middle right side. It's such a strong element in this photo that it's hard to get past it without being distracted by it. You have to make an effort to see beyond it to delve further into the image - not a good thing for a viewer. Also, I think the sign is too dark, I would have liked to have seen some detail in it.
The building that appears to be run down is in shadow which makes it hard to actually get the feel for it. Looking through the fence give the image a feeling of isolation, but at the cost of distracting the viewer from whats inside.
So I think to improve, you want to shoot at a time of day that best shows your subject. You'll also want to be conscious of what the various elements are contributing to what you're trying to say. Remember the old photography adage... What doesn't contribute to the photo, detracts from it.
To do well here, you'll have to either have eye candy, a hugely emotive subject, and/or a technically perfect image.
I hope you take this mostly negative critique in the spirit in which it was given - and rememeber, this is only one opinion and not gospel.
Good luck to you in future challenges.
Message edited by author 2010-02-27 15:18:32. 
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