Together Again..by
stekComment: Hi,
Congratulations – for better or worse, you will be the first recipient of a critique from myself as part of the Critique Club :-)
My initial reaction to your photo is one of fun and whimsy, which (in my mind) is good. Summertime, strong sun, water and flip-flops go well with that. I also thought you chose a good concept and title. All of that leads to a strong start.
On the technical aspects, the exposure and sharpness are both fine. However, the curves and saturation both feel heavy to me. A little too much contrast, and the saturation looks to be particularly strong in the red channel. If you are not already doing so (I was not positive what selective colors meant in the comments, to which part of the editing), you might try adding/removing saturation to specific channels to avoid overpowering any particular color.
The composition is good. I like the way the shoes are facing each other, as if meeting (as hinted at in the title). I would be curious to see other angles – low, middle, that sort of thing. Maybe even one of the sandals on the rocks with the other sandal swimming into shore (the mariner returns). A shot like this, where you have complete control, is really wide open to so many possibilities. I hope you had a chance to play with them all :-)
To summarize - overall, an appealing image. I think it might have benefited from some more experimentation in the composition and being a little lighter on the adjustments.
Sincerely,
Rich.
Photographer found comment helpful.
