Remembering Hero'sby
daveitComment by fstopopen: Greetings from the critique club:
I like this photo a lot. It really brings to life the sadness that can be felt by individuals who have to endure such hardship. You can really feel this manĂ¢€™s pain, and you get the sense that he has really been through a lot.
Lighting:
The lighting looks just a little flat, but that could actually help here. This flatness of light give me the feeling that it was an overcast day, so even though you canĂ¢€™t see the sky you get the feeling that there is a dreariness there. Also, I donĂ¢€™t know what is going on in the lower right hand corner of the picture, it looks a little washed out.
Composition:
Nice work. You were able to get not just the main subject in there, but a couple of other glum looking guys as well just to add to the flavor. I donĂ¢€™t mind that the heads are cut off of the guys to the left of the main subject. What does bother me is the half-person on the far left of the pic. It really leads my eye off to the left, and I get no where to go. Otherwise, your leading lines are solid, pulling the viewer to the main points of interest.
Post Processing:
Well, everything is very smooth and clean. I like the b&w, but I really think you would have done better without the selective desat. I think that effect can be used to create a nice feel, but you just have to ask yourself, what is important about this shot? What do I want the viewer to notice first? Is it really that pin? I may be ignorant, but I donĂ¢€™t know the significance of that pin. It adds nothing to the emotion of the scene. I would have just left it black and white.
All that being said, this is a very nice capture, and I would hang it on my wall if I were you.
drake