The Way We Wereby
Herblacklist12Comment by rjkstesch: Greetings from the Critique Club!
First Impression: As I look at the photo and title, I see a man taking off/playing with/putting on his wedding band. The title leads me to believe he's taking off the band as an ending to the marriage. The hands stand out and the ring is definately the point of focus. There is a strong emotion that comes across in this shot.
Technical Quality: The image is sharp and in focus. Details of the hands and wrists are clear, while the jeans show slightly giving a sense of the body behind the hands. The lighting is not working in this shot. It comes across as flat and too direct on the hands as noted by the comments received. The commenters have given some good suggestions for improving the lighting. It also created an unappealing reflection on the ring. The colors are true to the skin tones and leave no color casts.
Composition: You've created a strong diagnol on the left side of your photo that works quite well, but stops on the right side. The fingers create leading lines that take the eye right to the ring. A crop which placed the ring on the right 1/3 line (cropping out the major part of the ring hand and wrist)probably would have created a stronger, more pleasing image. The thumb tends to draw the eye away from the image and would look better folded down. As noted in the comments, the jeans in the lower corner don't add to this image.
Emotional Appeal: You concept is very interesting. There is a pathos and sadness that comes in looking at the image and the heartbreak it implies.
Meeting the Challenge: When voting on your image, I had the feeling that I didn't know if you were putting the ring on after cheating or taking it off to cheat. I wanted something more in the image to let me know. A small amount of motion blur at the finger tips or tension on the skin at the knuckle might have given that feel. When I look at the title, it takes me away from the "Cheating" theme and gives more of a feel of break-up which takes away from meeting the challenge. Perhaps a title with a theme such as "Time to Face His Wife" or "Good, There's No Mark" may have given stronger direction on your take.
Overall impressions: I really liked the idea and wanted more from your image. You were original in your concept and pushed the idea of cheating into moral grounds. I think your image could be even stronger with a different crop and lighting. I'd like to see what this image would look like in black and white, since the color is not an important element of the image, yet the blackness surrounding the hands is important to the emotion.
In looking at your portfolio, I see some strong graphic elements in your strongest images. This image also has the potential for a strong graphic look. You may wish to consider taking it that direction.
I look forward to seeing your future work.
Photographer found comment helpful.
