I was out looking for a few more candid shots to see if I could improve on what I had already taken. I decided to take my camera to the boat ramp and fishing area on the backwater. When I saw this man I knew this was the shot [high score or low score] this was the shot I was going to enter even though I had another entry I had planed to submit. He was so distraught about something; I lifted my camera with almost maximum zoom and took three pictures. At that point I felt I had invaded his privacy enough even though I felt like going over to him to see if I could help in someway but I figured if he brought himself to a dock on the water where no one was then he did not want company.
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Place: 98 out of 173 Avg (all users): 5.2933 Avg (commenters): 5.5000 Avg (participants): 5.1163 Avg (non-participants): 5.4180 Views since voting: 1209 Views during voting: 307 Votes: 208 Comments: 5 Favorites: 0
This is an excellent scene that tells a real story. This is real photo journalism in the sense that you shot what you saw. The B&W is appropriate and adds to the newspaper feel.
There are a couple of problems with the shot. First of all your main subject is placed too centrally. There's a lot of dead space above the man's head. Also it would have been nice to see the whole scene by including his legs. I suspect that his whole body position showed his frustration and it would have been nice to capture all of it. That would also have framed the shot better.
I recognise, though, that your opportunity to shoot this was limited and you have to go with your instict or lose the moment. Well done on this one. Would have been a 7 or 8 from me.
Why vertical crop? This image has such great midrange tones and focus a solid subject that could have been staged, but comes off as emotionally open (candid), but his body floats in mid-air into the picture. The stance of crouching like that would be more powerful with the bent knees to witness to his anguish. Some areas of highlight/blowout on the underarm area and one hot area in the water just above his head, the arms are not distracting, but the water dot is. Seems to need just a very tiny rotation clockwise, but otherwise a good shot. Leaving at 7.
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