Hi Aubrey! Greetings from the Critique Club!
A very touching shot that I'm happy to offer some extra comments on.
Colour, Composition, Contrast:
Here is where I think the shot lost a lot of potential impact. I don't mind the "from behind" view because it gives that solider any "any GI" sort of feel, like we could all know him as a cousin, brother, son, etc. However, that sky..my my, its got to go! a pure white sky never ever looked great, and here, its just overpowering the shot, blending in with the flag pool and generally messing with the colours of the shot. The rest of the colours seem very muted. I get the feeling you may have desaturated all channels but the red and blue a little to make the flag stick out more..which is a great idea, and has its own impact, but as its not entirely clear that you did indeed do that, either it needs to be done more or in a different way. The flag certainly does stick out though. What is odd to me is that there is colour in his clothes, but not in the grass, it just makes the shot seem a unnatural in an odd way. And it makes our solider blend in with the trees, which mutes the impact.
I disgree with the comments that this less freedom than it is patriotism. While saluting a flag is very patriotic, being an American flag, the shot says to me "these guys fight for freedom" at least in principle. (i'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to politics, but I don't fault the soliders for where they are deployed and ordered to fight, etc).
Focus and lighting: Most of my comments above cover what I think for these two areas. I have no problems with the focus, certainly a different DOF may have been employed, but what you have done is beyond reproach, and I think it works fine. The light... oye, again with the very bright white sky, it completely dominates the shot and takes away from its message.
Hope these comments help you! Happy shooting!
Pam |
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