SWALKby
joekentComment by posthumous: Greetings from the Critique Club!
This photo is telling a story. The pad and pen represent a letter that was just written. That letter was put into the envelope. That envelope was sealed with a kiss. Then she suddenly had to go to the loo and so she just left it all lying there.
The photo is sharp and focused and all that. You probably used a tripod so that you could have a nice small aperture and a nice big depth of field. I like the lighting, particularly on the pen.
But this photo is only as good as its story, and the story has gaps. For example, the pad and envelope are just floating in black space. Sure, it's good to remove "distractions" in the background, but having no background is itself a distraction when it doesn't match the story. Besides, the desk or table or bed(!) could provide some intriguing clues into the characters involved. It might also be good to have signs that she just ripped a page out of that notebook, like some straggling bits of paper. Also, you have a fancy pen but a cheap notebook. What does that mean? You have very few signifiers here, so they should all contribute to your story.
Can't seal this with a kiss, sorry! :)
Photographer found comment helpful.
