Catch! Mardis Gras 2007by
shadowdoc31Comment by posthumous: Greetings from the Critique Club!
You got a 5. I gave you a 7. Let's discuss.
It's a well-timed capture that involves the viewer: we feel like we need to catch the ball! That's the good news. So why didn't you score higher? I have some ideas. First of all, the focus is soft. Soft focus is appropriate for street photography and also appropriate for this dynamic shot in particular. But that doesn't matter. If the focus isn't sharp the voters will punish you. Also, it has bright dynamic colors. Why is that bad? It's not bad, but the DPC voter has such a narrow idea of what street photography is that they will think it is DNMC. They don't understand how fantasy is part of the street. They don't see the gritty nature of this particular fantasy, the solid street that lies beneath it. (the angle is slightly disorienting: the street is nowhere to be seen; but disorientation, suddenly looking at something being thrown at you, is consummately "street." ignore the dnmc)
The DPC voter is also remedial when it comes to composition. They think that cropping off the top of the head is a bad thing. They don't realize that composition should be bigger than the photograph, it *should* take your eyes out of the frame (a common misperception here is that the eye should remain comfortably within frame. such a composition is as boring as it sounds). Notice how beautifully centered your subject is (the DPC voter will often punish for this). The stability of this centering is counteracted by a strong upward diagonal. The mask hides the emotion of the thrower. Perhaps the DPC voter punished you for this as well. The DPC voter likes obvious, naked emotion. But the mask is creepy, it is creepy not knowing what the thrower is feeling. And *that* is the emotion. Emotion is for the viewer, not the subject.
Be proud of this photo. Your camera settings were good for street photography, a proper exposure, a long depth-of-field, quick enough shutter to avoid camera shake. If I hadn't been overwhelmed by the sheer number of great photos in this challenge, I probably would have bumped my score higher.
My advice to you is don't ruin your photography by trying to pander to DPC voters.
