Our Lady of Guadalupe
by TheresaA

Comment by mpeters:
Hi from the Critique Club. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

First impression: Colors a little muted, obvious religious symbol, interesting juxtaposition between the colored mosaic and the glass block above.

Composition: Placement of the subject is OK in the frame, She is leaning just a bit to the viewers left which I think is fine because it provides a connection to the viewer. With this subject, the center orientation works, and the head/eyes are positioned near the rule of thirds.

Lighting and Color: Colors are muted, and lighting is a little flat. Its tough to do much on a subject where there is little texture, a slight bump in contrast would help. I'm not sure what your main source of lighting was but I suspect on camera flash. Next time try a similar picture with available light only. this should give more texture to the scene.

Challenge: There is a lot of color in this pic, just not as bright as most of the other entries. I'm sure this hurt the overall score. Also, scoring can be rough when the subject is another piece of artwork, unless the pic has very creative framing or lighting. Keep shooting!

mark

Man In Hat
by TheresaA

Comment by strangeghost:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

TECHNIQUE
The first thing I notice, after the guy with the hat and hookah (?) is the awkward perspective and tilt to the photo. This is generally a technical no-no and adds a very distracting element to a picture. Focus and exposure appear to be fine. I can't tell how the scene is lit but since it's apparently outdoors, it must be indirect daylight. Contrast is good but I think the colors could pop a little more.

COMPOSITION
You mention in your notes that you jumped out of your car and shot this so I gathered you must have been hurried and a little off balance. It does have the appearance of a quick snap. Depending on your distance and the resolution of your shot, I would have preferred a closer crop. He looks like a character, and as such, you want to emphasize his humanity. As shot, I can only barely distinguish any facial features. His push-cart also tells a story, but it's almost impossible to make out what he's carrying in there. The trash-can in the background is an unfortunate distraction. All the negative space around the guy subtly detracts from the purpose of the image.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
I believe this shot had great potential but it went unrealized due to the distance and distracting elements (trash can, unnecessary negative space). Shots of people are some of the highest rated on the site, but to achieve this, you need to get tight on your subject and capture the expressions, emotions, and drama of your subject. This guy obviously has all of these qualities, but they just don't come through in your shot. Your final score of 5.29 is not bad, but probably could have been much higher if you had really captured this guy. Your commenters were all over the place, which indicates that you struck some kind of a nerve with the voters - a good thing even though you pulled an average score.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
by TheresaA

Comment by livitup:
None of the colors here are really VIBRANT. It's not a very 'wow' photo, which is even more essential than usual in this challenge.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
by TheresaA

Comment by C-town driver:
Nicely composed shot. Very interesting tile work to look at. IMHO the lighting seems a tad on the harsh side? Just my humble opinion, nice shot nonetheless

Our Lady of Guadalupe
by TheresaA

Comment by sherpet:
This is a strong image.....

Man In Hat
by TheresaA

Comment by blondmcfly:
I'm sure he's going down hill but it's so close to the subject that it gives the effect of being of center.

Man In Hat
by TheresaA

Comment by muckpond:
that is some hat

Our Lady of Guadalupe
by TheresaA

Comment by Pooba:
Nice color and detail. Composition could be more interesting.

Man In Hat
by TheresaA

Comment by Mazka:
Couple guys like this can wipe out whole city clean of cans and bottles. Getting 20c out of each can one dude takes a 2 week vacation every year.

Man In Hat
by TheresaA

Comment by MayaM:
Nice photo, colors are very nice, you might get flack about the center composition because there is a lot of dead space on the right of the photo.