I gave you a ten. I think I got the point. These are kids whose whole life is a dead end. Inner city, drugs, crime, danger. Yet there they sit playing their drums. Organized, proud, determined to defy the label that the world has placed on them.
I'd love to see this without the post processing.
I have studied your image and have the following to offer:
Composition/perspective - the angle to the subjects is very good and presents a strong subject placement. The ratio of subjects to the rest of the image is good as well. The car in the street I find to be a distraction. I follow the line of people and continue right to the car and then get caught there. Timing could have been a little better. The only real clear area appears to be the light pole. None of the subjects is clear. Maybe a faster shutter speed or ISO - you posted no details of the shot so hard to tell.
Color - b/w, overall there is a good range of values in this image - lots of grays and whites balanced well with the heavy dark areas of the road. Some of the whites seem a bit bright (see below), maybe levels or contrast/brightness could have helped this.
Lighting - there seems to be a really bright flash bounce/light source used in this image. All the way down to the last bucket it is still very bright. The shirt of the first person is very bright. The pole has a light streak down the front which draws attention (which then leads to the headlight, another distraction).
Challenge requirements - I have struggled with this and tried to apply many trains of thought to this image, but still come up short with the requirements - Dead End. There is no element that stands out in any of the people or the group as a whole that strikes me as dead end.
Overall/my opinion - this could be a very strong image if better focused and lit to allow a more emotive force show through. Timing to avoid the background traffic and other distractions would help as well.
There seems to be a flash like effect making these guys stand out strangely from their background. The focus could be stronger, the light pole is the sharpest thing within frame.
On my first vote through, I didn't "get it." Looking at your photo again, I think I understand the message you're trying to convey. Bumping up a point.
Love it love it love it. I don't consider musicians playing music as a dead end though. It's in their blood and they are completly content when they are playing! Whether they are being paid for it or not! :-)
This is a good photo that you completely ruined by abusing the neat-image or some other noise reduction filter.
Why can't you see the beauty of grain anymore???
I would have given this photo a 9 or a 10. but with the current process.. sorry. You're gettin a 6 from me. I hope I get to see the REAL version of this one.
They look odd from possible overprocessing (their faces). I love the composition, although I am such an anal freak I would have wished the cars would have been gone from the back. The tones are nice. 6
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