noah getting ready

i am a huge fan of Henri Cartier Bresson and photo.net's own Tony

Dummett. i look for a picture that captures emotion, maybe tells me

something about a person, or reminds me of something. i dont want to

be really anal here, i know this is all a matter of opinion. when i

started working for my high school newspaper 3 years ago, i was told

as a rule of thumb never to have more than 4 people in a photo. the

editor was a moron. that is not, by anyone in question. i never

listened to her. a friend of mine, a professional photographer was

looking at my work, and thought that all of my stuff should have been

shot much closer, in more detail. for example, this photo, he would

have broken up into a few different pictures if he was shooting it,

the girls putting on makeup, and the guy holding his had. individual

shots with less clutter. less distraction. more detail of what is

important. i could have stuck my camera in the guys nose had i

wanted to, but i like this series od backstage pictrures because of

the other "clutter" the scene, as well as the person? although a

person can tell a story, i think it is more easily told including the

context. am i wrong here? was the moron photo editor right? would

she be in agreement with the professional whom i look up to so much?

is it so obvious to the rest of the world that i should have gotten

closer? i think this is my style, completely opposite from another

one of my favorites steve mccurry, but i think it works. what do you

think Henri Cartier bresson would say? or Tony Dummett?

thanks for your time and input

-ethan

Ethan, this is a fantastic shot. It has drama and tension which you have captured wonderfully. This is a great photojournalist/documentary shot. There is so much going on it almost feels like I'm in there with everybody. The expression on the young mans' face speaks volumes. You have captured the decisive moment-Henri would be proud! I also like the angle of the shot-it adds to the immediacy. Your use of selective focusing is also very clever. The printing is also great! Well done Ethan-this is a neat shot.

I frankly don't know how you could do this in several different shots; everyone is packed together. I could do without the girl in the lower left corner; if she wasn't there I'd say crop to just halfway through the hat guys left shoulder. I could also do without the backside of the girl just to the left of the girl in the polka dot dress, but if you crop her out you lose that wonderful mirror effect. Regardless of all these picks, you can't control everything or ask people to pose for you, and I think you've done a good job capturing the moment. As for not having more than 4 people in a photo - that's nonsense. BUT I think it is harder to make a photo w/more than 4 look good - there are more elements to keep track of. One of my favorite shots has a lot of people in it. Of course, it hasn't gotten particularly good ratings, but, oh well. Its harder to get people to appreciate this kind of thing too. I like it.

I like it. You effectively tell the story in all its parts. Everyone is preparing for the same show, yet each has their own part, their own little story as part of that whole. Well done! I personally don't believe in rules when it comes to photography. There are options you can take that will work for you most of the time (rule of thirds, etc.), but there are other times when you have to break from the usual to get the most effective shot.