Quick Drawby
karmatComment by truogre: *Critique Club*
Lets start by saying "Cute Shot"!! A very good candid photo of the young man, his family will be pleased for sure.
There are several really good things present in the photo, kids are always a popular subject and your model is no exception. The western get up (or costume) complete with six-shooter is a step beyond just a cute chid. His pose is also great (children seem to take forever to get the "right" shot sometimes). Lastly, the change to black and white was a great idea, gives the photo a different feel. There is some noise all through the shot, but since it is B&W it kind of gives the photo an overall grainy old time feel.
Unfrotunately, what probably hurt this photo the most was the background. The twisted mass of brush and fallen trees in the background are not blurred enough, and may not have been the best choice. The gun is kind of blending in to the background and if someone just glances at the shot, they may miss it. The river is kind of featureless, and even though B&W is popular, in this case it makes the river worse.
There is also the problem with the hat shading the eyes - unfortunately, since this was a candid shot, using a reflector to put some light on his face probably was not something that was thought of, but in the future you might try to include one in your kit, hats on kids (grown-ups too, sometimes) are fun, the shadows though are hard to work with.
Some things that might have made the photo score a bit better - move your position so the background is a bit less distracting, or zoom the lens in a bit closer (if no other background is available to you) and make it a frame filling shot (With a tele lens, zooming in will also blur more and remove alot of distraction)
On the bright side - your portfolio is full of great shots, you have a great eye and great skills, I see you achieving your photography goals easily.
Russ
Photographer found comment helpful.
