Chickenpox melancholyby
bucketComment by Artyste: Ahh.. Hello, I'm from the Critique Club, and I see I'm returning to the scene of my crime (commenting on this during challenge).
Let's get to it shall we?
Initial Thoughts
This struck me as a very "Sally Mann" type photo. The B&W treatment is close to how she did some of her work, and the boy resembles her son Emmett so much, it gave me a double take. I was taken with the feeling of this photograph from the start, and that's always a positive thing.
Composition/Content
For me, the composition couldn't be better. Left side subject with right side negative space in portraitures always seems stronger than the other way. I'm no expert on why this is, but I've always found it to be so, and so do some of the greats, as it seems to be the dominating form. You've given your subject a great presence, allowing enough room for his expression, and to show his malady. Great job, regardless of if this was intentional, or intuitive.
Background
I personally love how the background halos the subject, and fades to black. This is a wonderful technique in keeping the focus on your subject. The background is also nicely OOF, keeping it from becoming distracting.
Camera Work/Technical
A few minor things to work on here.
1. Your focus is a little off, having centered on the boy's mouth and nose, instead of his eyes. The mouth/nose area, and part of his hair, are tack sharp, but his eyes, which should, IMO, always be the center of focus in a portrait-style shot such as this, are out of focus. A deeper DOF would have helped here a little. (Say, closing the aperature to 5.6). This also would have helped the focus be sharper on the chicken pox.. your secondary focal point. That being said, the focus isn't off enough to *really* hurt the image, but it is noticeable, and a few people touched on this.
Also, where personally, I love the subtle graininess of this photo, and believe it only enhances the mood.. DPC is infamous for voter hatred of the slightest bit of grain. Still, you can't always shoot for voters alone.. but just a reminder.
Digital Processing
Your processing is really good here, and kudos on noting what you've done. Makes my job easier. lol. The background, as I said, is very well done. I don't see anything that seems over-processed really, and you did a good job staying away from over-sharpening to compensate for the lack of focal depth. Your B&W conversion treatment is really nice too.. as I said, it reminds me of the work of Sally Mann (look her up sometime), which is a huge compliment, from me :)
Fits the Challenge
This is where you may have fallen off a little bit. While the mood of the photo is evident, the mood of the subject could be a little less subtle. Perhaps a more intensified look of discomfort, or grumpiness, and I'd have really been able to feel it. As it is, I just sort of get a little touch of disinterest. It's not *bad*, but it's not hugely moody either. Outside of a "Moods" challenge, the expression and feel are priceless, and I wouldn't change a thing.
My Opinion on the Photo
I really like this shot, and what you've done with it. You have great instincts, and I expect you'll go far in the future. As I said, this has really good feel, it reminds me of the work of a well-reknowned photographer, and it stirred emotion at first sight. You really can't beat that. Good luck in challenges to come.
Photographer found comment helpful.
