all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free -blackbirdby
kris11Comment by KaDi: *Greetings from the Critique Club*
The first thing I like about this image is the quality of line. There is no question what the subject is or where the eye should look first--the leading lines of the floor tiles carry the attention directly to the pill bottles and the face of the young woman. The lighting reinforces this concept--the choice of vignetted edges successfully pulls the eye back into the point of interest.
You have nicely isolated your subject by limiting the colors to earthy tones. The girl is paler than most of her surroundings carrying the apparent suicidal imagery further...the room and cat definitely feel more alive by your color and tone choices.
The lighting provides a very 3-dimensional feel in addition to the perspective lines. It does, however, appear to flatten out at the cabinetry and black void...leaving the cat nowhere to go.
The cat: Some of your commentors, as you predicted, did not like the cat (or its butt) included in the image. I think without the cat this image would be rather cliche and lifeless (no pun intended). For me, the cat passing through the image enhances the concept of the unconscious girl by contrast—they are opposites in many ways: she still, prone, intending to escape—the cat moving, upright, casually attending its business.
The girl: She has something of a posed quality about her...her left arm holding/pushing on the floor is the most telltale sign of "acting"--not awful though. It is hard to fool the mind into believing this type of concept since we are all such attentive observers of humansâ€Â¦this is well on its way. (details, details)
The pills and bottle: Perhaps a little over the top. The number of bottles helps to make clear the point of the image...two or three might not convey the message to the viewer so quickly. However, the more time I spend with the image the less I like the beer bottle...it breaks the shape of the young woman's head and simply seems out of place. This part of the staging might be a good point to re-think....are there too many pill bottles?...could there be fewer and still convey the message?...should the beer bottle be tipped over as well?..should the woman's face be visible or obscured by the source of her angst?....etc.
The topic and title: You clearly fit the challenge by using a Beatle's lyric...I agree with one or more of your commenters that you've re-interpreted what most consider an upbeat and hopeful song---but I (personally) think that it is a valid interpretation of the simple lyrics. Some found this image depressing...I think that's great! (It is what you were going for, isn't it?)
Overall, you have a fine image that made an emotional splash among your commenters. You scored well in the challenge...not bad for your first entry at DPC! There are no real technical issues with this image--you've controlled depth of field, focus, lighting, post-processing, etc.
Congratulations and good luck!
--Kadi
Photographer found comment helpful.