Faces

From what you've posted so far, this picture appears most striking to me... (did you take some time to compose it or was it shot instinctively?) ... everybody can take sunsets without much of a fuss.

This is interesting, the candid conversation, a sudden transition from mortals to a siren... powerful and contemplative. Now composition and execution can both be improved a bit, but that will come with time. Keep up the good work.

Best regards.

I am a beginner and your critique will help me improve.

Thanks,

Debashree.

thanks Debasish! Well, I did not take MUCH time to compose... but maybe a little... I generally am more prone to taking shots on impulse... I cannot stop myself generally... but yes, I did see the weird face and the normal faces.

If you could suggest some points where this picture can be improved I will be really grateful. Cos, I really want to think about pictures, but mostly lack the knowledge and capability.

Okay, first of all a caveat: do not regard my views as sacrosanct; I'm learning this art myself. What follows are some issues in which I think improvement is possible; the good points I see I've already mentioned before.

Second of all, you've probably tried to get the faces right at the center of the picture, which has left much space above which don't convey much; that can be cropped. There are some ``golden rules'' of composition on which there are free literature easily available on the net; it's a good idea to try composing according to rules and then breaking them when desired/required.

Third of all, the two people are sqeezed quite uncomfortably (i.e., closely packed) in the frame, while the poster is not... the poster is getting a huge preference (actually in more ways than one due to the lighting also,) which in my view is rather aggressive. Sometimes such aggression may be worth it, but it doesn't appear so here. Given a chance, I'ld move to the left a bit, give the two ladies a generous portion of the frame.

Fourth of all, the light on the two people is faint... you can use ``curves'' in photoshop (or Gimp if you prefer) to rectify that.

Fifth of all, the three characters in the picture have unequal importance... the legs of the two ladies at the back is cut off... there is an incompleteness here; probably the poster is bust-length only, but a complete poster and a complete length of the duo would be better in my view.

An example of what I tend to like about candid/street captures with posters is http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4837843

It's complex, far from perfect, but that's what I could manage without looking through the viewfinder; it was shot from my hip. There is an element of expectancy among the pedestrians (who're waiting for a bus) in marked contrast to the poster which features a man in easy conversation.

I hope this helps to get you started. It's difficult to get good candid pictures, but that's the challenge.

Going by what you've written above, I think photographing candid expressions will work for you; you may want to concentrate on that.

Best regards,

- Debasish.