Rain and the Bartender Wisconsin State Fair. Handheld not staged. New to this - you could say aspiring. Any critiques and suggestions would be appreciated.

Critiques and/or suggestions appreciated. Have not submitted any

photos before today and would like to know what others think.

 

Thanks,

Brian

I think there is some cropping that could be done? Maybe just shave off the second tap. My reason is we still get the point she's at a bar/a bartender behind the bar but just negates some of the negative space that can cause one to loose focus on what (I believe) you want them to 'see'.

 

I think you could crop to just above the bartender's head. W still know what the neon sigh says. I could be wrong though, I am new to this too

I am surprised at the comments. The neon sign and the bar form an inverted "L" framing the precise area into which she is staring, precisely for its emptiness --- there are no customers today.

Congratulations on a fine picture. The depth of field is just right - slightly blurred, but recognisable (which is important, because we need to know where this bar is set up - at a fair, not a city street). The lighting is lovely. Cropping: personally, I'd leave it alone. If you removed the flap above her head, it would look as if she was out in the rain herself, cropping out the second tap would alter the balance of forms, and, more generally, any closer cropping would turn the centre of the image more towards the girl herself rather than the girl in her environment.