Proud to Serve
by BHuseman

Comment by mk:
You can probably attribute some of your low votes after this morning to the fact that you thrashed voters while having an entry that's pretty easily connected back to you. But since you asked, here are some comments:

Lighting is okay...not bad but not particularly interesting either. Just pretty even overall which is fine but doesn't lend much feeling to the shot. Your post-processing kills the shot. If your intention was to make it look like you shot with a shallower depth of field, you failed because it looks unnatural and you did a sloppy job around the head and overblurred the edges of the jacket. Better to move the subject farther away from the backdrop if you're wanting it more blurred or if it's distracting. Had there been a shallower DOF here ,I think the pattern on the curtain(?) would have been okay but the wrinkles are still a little distracting.

If your intention was to emulate some kind of glamor portrait, then I'd say bad choice for a military shot.

The head is a little close to the top for my taste, it makes the frame feel a little crowded. Smile seems a little forced. Overall, I think you have a good opportunity to make some powerful and dignified self-portraits in uniform but this shot feels a little more like an assembly-line shot done at the end of a reception room. American Photo had a shot on the cover a few months ago that stuck with me. Perhaps if you work on some more dynamic lighting...in any case, I hope some of this helps in some way.

-brave shit mk

Proud to Serve
by BHuseman

Comment by psart:
Yeah he is bursting with pride isnt he. Appreciate what he is doing for us. My son is in airborne school this week. psart 8

Despair
by BHuseman

Comment by annig:
ouch! packs a wallop of emotion-"in your face". Very strong. great image, very well done. I didn't vote in this challenge, so didn't see it until the thumbnail was flitting about in browse section; Ben this is very different for you! WOW! If you want to talk about scoring, look at the avg score for commenters! great! my guess is, this image was a bit raw for a lot of folks, definitely Extreme emotion!!

strong work!
Anni

Despair
by BHuseman

Comment by bcoble:
This is easy, I gave it a 6 yet I can see that most likely the low scores came from its subject matter. So people are just down right offended. No surprise here to me.

Open Air Market Boredom
by BHuseman

Comment by bcoble:
This image I gave a 6. Nothing special with the composition on this image. It is clear and crisp yet content may be the reason for the lower scores.

On the Boardwalk
by BHuseman

Comment by bcoble:
On this image I gave it a 8 yet your low scores are probably from the hard core people who just do not like this type of processing.

"...call me."
by BHuseman

Comment by bcoble:
I did not vote in this challenge. What I see as a reason for some of the low scores 1,s 3,s and 4,s is I think due to the darkness of the image. You have shadows under the hands yet the image is dark. I do light composition. Had I voted in this challenge I probably would have given the image a 5.

Proud to Serve
by BHuseman

Comment by CaseyAllen:
Great portrait, very sharp focus.

Avenger Canon.jpg
by BHuseman

Comment by Dirt_Diver:
Say hello to my little friend!!!

Chinese Imports: Tainted With Lead
by BHuseman

Comment by edpeace52:
I don't care for the political commentary. And it is a bad photo.