The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by Ter:
brings back memories of one finger playing too
the image is well crafted a good study

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by CNovack:
This is such a great 'captured moments' shots - it has some Norman Rockwell potential - Love the tentitive pursing of the lips and first foray into playing the piano with that one finger on the key. It's that facial expression and the body poise that makes this shot. Now, this is a good shot but there areas that need improvement before it makes that leap to spectacular. First off I think that the color robs the attention away from what should be played up - the first lesson and all expressions and feelings the is expressed in body language. I think mood & feel would be better emphasized by B&W. But be careful in the conversion for sometimes a straight conversion can leave the B&W tones flat - you may have to play with Shadows/Highlights/Midtones and/or Brightness/Contrast as well as a small Clarify boost to get a good dynamic range. The other area that needs improvement is that the white piano keys are too blown out and you have lost significant detail. Not sure what PP can be done to bring it back for it looks pretty washed out - maybe you have another shot that you used a different aperature setting to let less light in that the keys are not blown out. If not I would suggest a selective edit on just that section, feather to not get jagged edges and then play around with some features to boost contrast and see if it looks natural. Lastly, I think it would be wonderful to include the full torso of the teacher in the shot instead of having him cut out - he too is a subject in your shot for while the main subject of focus is the boy, the teacher is here as the supporting cast. Including him fullly would just make your picture all the more richer in story.

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by bvy:
The crooked window makes it feel too much like a snapshot. Otherwise I like the natural lighting and the honest moment you've captured.

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by RianBotes:
Nice candid moment. A bit noisy and the light a bit flat

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by justine:
The fist thing I notice is the focus is a little soft over all. Second I see a sentimental moment in time. Since this is the best of 09 this "obviously" means a lot to you.

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by mgarsteck:
first steps towards greatness.

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by hotpasta:
good, but lacks punch

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by scooter97:
Very nice lighting.

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by Ja-9:
what a great moment...the lighting is really good, I like how this engages me

The Lesson
by jhomrighaus

Comment by kaiser_chief:
A nice image of teacher and studet. The whites are just a little overexposed, obvious in the piano keys, but also in the bright areas of his shirt. The frame running through the boys head isnt good placement, and there appears to be some colour noise evident in the background