The Lone Travellerby
JudiComment by wavelength: Greetings from the Critique club!
I think from reading the comments you already know why this picture didn't do well in the challenge, so maybe I'll stick to the picture... Singled Out, as it were :P
The colors and contrast in this look great to me. The subject is interesting overall, makes you wonder what he's singing. The title makes you wonder where he's been, what his life has been like, and what stories lie behind those eyes... wait, His eyes are out of focus! well crap, 4.
You have now experienced what even open-minded voters came across in your photo.
One small, seemingly insignificant bit of pictorial info was neglected. A persons eyes should never be neglected, especially in a personality portrait like this. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and what people want to see in this weary traveller is his soul. I don't want to see his hand in perfect focus when this ruddy, weathered face is what I'm interested in.
The composition leaves a little bit to be desired, the angle does give a dramatic effect, but it also made his face less prominent (which you can tell is what I think is important here). I wasn't there, so I can't tell you what would have been better though. I think the door is also a bit distracting, ideally, any lines would frame or lead to a focal point for the portrait. You can also see the leading lines failing in the lower half because they are more in focus than the face, and the guitar points out of the photo, all of which wouldn't be a problem if his face were commanding the viewers attention. Picky note, there is a small blown-out bit on his shoulder between the
Again, I wasn't there, but maybe if you'd have asked him to pose in front of the door and had him framed by it, and backed up and let the entire "him" be the subject and focal point, this might have worked better. Right now, as composed as a portrait instead of a scene.... the main focal point of all portraits is the face. I know some people hate comments like this, but it's what I think. (I know! Have him standing on his head and playing guitar... blah blah blah change your picture entirely and I'll like it! blah blah blah) I'm not saying that, I'm just giving what might be a useful suggestion.
Please don't think I'm just being harsh here, I would rather you take one idea away from this, and use it better than I can, rather than having wasted both our time. The reason I wrote so much is because this picture had so much potential that was seriously injured by a few problems.
_ Steve
Photographer found comment helpful.
