This is my second cousin relaxing during an afternoon of horseback riding. He honestly wasn't in trouble, but he naturally made such a moody pose I couldn't resist.
I cropped out some distractions and cloned out a smidge of left over fence rails. Levels and Saturation give it more of a moody feel. In retrospect I wish I had a little more depth of field... it would have been nice for the grass in the background to start bluring a little earlier. I'll take it though, considering he held the pose for about 2 seconds. :)
Nikon D70
2005/11/24 12:41:29.9
RAW (12-bit) Lossless
Image Size: Large (3008 x 2000)
Lens: 90mm F/2.8 D
Focal Length: 90mm
Exposure Mode: Programmed Auto*
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/640 sec - F/8
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Optimize Image: Normal
White Balance: Auto
AF Mode: AF-S
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Color Mode: Mode Ia (sRGB)
Tone Comp: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Normal
Sharpening: Auto
Image Comment:
Noise Reduction: OFF
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::: Critique Club ::: This looks like a lot of fun
First Impression - the most important one: Melancholy, it looks sad. He looks like he's in the Naughty Chair. What does that mean for the photo? I'm engaged, no longer passive. There's a story here and I'm interested in exploring it. Good stuff.
Composition: Composition "rules" are almost certainly misnamed as they are not rules at all but protocols in illustrative composition that have been found to have been attractive to viewers.
So you've had a number of suggestions about cropping and layout, some conflicting. The composition rules will help you find a balance that will negate those comments.
Subject: He's lovely, so very typically kid. A newspaper pictures editor will always tell you to get them a picture with a child in it - they are appealing photographically. In this case, we have one who looks upset and that becomes the basis for wondering what is going on. We are engaged and that sure beats ambivalence when it comes to art and photography.
Technical (Colour and light): To be fair, you didn't have any time or opportunity to do anything else but snap the shot because he was being a typical boy. The trouble with that is that it does look like a snapshot. Hopefully with some of the things discussed around here it will be easy to turn the snapshot opportunity into a great pic.
With you trying to get some light and drama into it, the saturation has gone artificially too strong. I wonder what effect a colour de-saturistaion might have done to the 'mood'. I wouldn't go as far as gratuitous B&W.
It might be a funny thing to say but the light is your enemy in this shot. Bright noonday sun gives you harsh shadows and because it is coming ovedirectly overhead at the subject, it just flattens everything. The shadow under the chair is quite distracting. Overcast days give you great even light and no shadows.
To get a Ribbon?: Given that you didn't have control of the model :) or the light and just took the split-second opportunity, there's some things you can do that might make some difference. Big voting scores come from drama, shock, awe, humour etc but they're always dramatic. So, what to do? I am always uncomfortable saying do this or do that. It is the photographer who decides what the ultimate effect is going to be. However there are some general principles that could help.
Look for the drama that could be in this shot.
- Get your main point of interest onto a thirds intersection.
- Perhaps if you'd lowered your POV to his height, a lot of empty field may come into view to frame him. You would also be taking a kids eye perspective rather than looking down.
- From a lower point, try a zoom out to include a whole lot of 'neutral space' of empty fields around him. From that would come this wonderful feeling of poor little boy all alone and desolate.
- The chair in a wide open space would be out of place - in a good quirky way.
- since the midday sun isn't going to move, move the camera. Go left or right and get the sun at nearly 90deg to the subject. This makes for great highlights and contrasts and sometimes gives you a dramatic feel.
Summary: The subject and the pose are so evocative and it's a good eye that sees that emotive aspect and has camera at the ready to capture it. On the same day at the same time you could have then added the painters eye by using some of the techniques above. Sometimes they work, sometimes not - but that's the pure pleasure and fun of photography.
I'd have cropped a bit tighter at the top and to the right of the chair. There are some distracting green bits in the yellow grass. It looks like you went overboard with the color adjustment. I'd also like to see that dark patch around his profile lightened up. Good mood capture, and I love his body language.
The idea of this is cute. I think it's way over saturated. That usually works with skies, but with the human element, his skin tones are too red and brash. This might be more effective with less harsh colors and panning back to give more negative space around the subject.
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