Summer Relaxingby
izadoodleComment by KaDi: Greetings from the Critique Club! Per your request I am offering and "in-depth comment" on your entry...I hope you find it helpful.
What a fun and cute portrait of a young boy! One that would be admired in a family album or the senior year book a decade from now.
I see many good technical choices in this image. Shooting in open shade evens out the light and avoids odd shadows. It also provides pretty highlights in the eyes. The composition is simple and effective. Placing the subject off center adds a bit of interest and enhances the whimsy in the subject. I'm not a huge fan of grass as a background but it works here. I like the contrast of the grass with the red shirt--the complementary colors give the image energy and are pleasing to look at. Also, because the boy is a fair-skinned blond, the choice of strong colors contrasts nicely with his natural tones and helps frame him.
Looking at your exposure info, I think you could have risked bumping up the ISO and increased your shutter speed to make your job easier. I personally feel that Canons handle ISO 400 quite well and without much noise. A little selective sharpening on the eyes in post-processing might make them really stand out as the light-catchers they are. Otherwise the technical choices made really brought out the subtle textures in the hair and surroundings.
I think what holds this image back is the boy's expression. He has that "Say Cheese!" look on his face...a little strained and unnatural for an artistic image. There's no real reason for the expression than the pose...a slightly more relaxed face perhaps would have "sold" this to the viewers.
Overall, a technically well-done image that lacks that something extra to really communicate with the outsider. Nonetheless, he looks like a fun model to work with. I hope you have many more opportunities to take his image! Keep shooting and have fun!
Photographer found comment helpful.
