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LadeeMComment by mesmeraj: G'day from the Critique Club.
First off i would like to say, don't be phased by 1's. Even the ribbons get a handful of them - they generally come from jaded nobodies. It is nothing to take personally.
Yoou are right in saying independance is difficult to capture in a photograph - when i saw the challenge, and no desciription i thought gosh! I feel sorry for those paid members haha. You idea translated well to an image - but the exicuition could have used a bit more work.
A little nagging question for me in this image is why is it in landscape orientation. The main elements of the photograph are enlongated (the flag and your daughter), and if anything the added background that the lanscape orientation included distracts from the image. I think you agree with me, in that you said you would have liked to get ride of the ugly background - what is that? a hole in the neighbours garage door? Its not particulalry becoming of the theme.
It would have been nice with a shallow depth of field so that the ugliness was more bokeh than "real" so to speak.
Did you selctive desat to take the attention away from the background? I personally don't find the selctive desat to work well in this photo - because it leaves your daughters skin a strange shade. Skin is made of red and yellow in a photograph - and she looks a little blotchy IMHO. I'm sure she isn't really blotchy of course!! A fade in saturation rather than a complete desat might have kept some of her true skin tones - play around with it, theres nothing to lose once the challenge is over!
The pose is lovely, and again, i compliment you on the concept.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to PM me
Elli
Photographer found comment helpful.
