Untitled

Feedback?

So now I know what the ratings here are worth. Yesterday I showed this to the photo-editors of two high-profile national magazines and they both were quite enthusiastic. What am I doing here?

Edward, you know the ratings here mean feck all! At the end of the day , what's important is what you think of this image, and, depending on whether you intend it to please other people then you need input from real people, not anonymous ratings.

 

I'm looking at it though, and all I really see is a shot from the hip of two people standing in a queue and nothing happening. The tones are nice, and all that sort of thing, but there's nothing to give any idea of the location of the image. I'm not sure what you want from it - maybe that's all it's supposed to be - two people standing in a queue, but it could be a queue anywhere for anything and it's not really saying much to me. Although it is aesthetically fairly pleasing from the point of view of tones, contrast and so on, I don't see anything original going on. If I'd taken this then it's certainly a picture I'd be quite pleased with, but I certainly wouldn't expect high ratings.

 

If the people you've spoken to think it's a good image then that's what you should be pleased about assuming they were being genuine.

I assure you it wasn't a pat on the head "good work kid". These were real-world, professional evaluations.

 

Yes, it was a hip-shot, but one of the benefits of doing a whole lot of pinhole photography is that you get a pretty good idea of what it is you are shooting even if you can't see through the viewfinder.

 

I guess what's sad is that it was this site that convinced me I could be a real photographer. When I started posting my early stuff I got a whole bunch of 5's and 6's and that was a tremendous motivation. Now, the better I get the lower my score. I don't consider myself actually good yet. I guess I will be when I get nothing but 2/2's.

It's an image with strong tonal values and a pleasant lustre - at first glance it has the magical pop factor.

But my eyes are drawn to the lack of focus on the woman behind and for me it detracts a little; had she been in focus too the image would probably speak more because she's the center of the composition. I also look for some contextual reference in the image, but can't find it.

So what the viewer is left with is a hip shot of two women in a queue, probably made quickly without direct intent. And it's a little too loose because of it - whatever the magical moment might have been didn't quite make it through to the picture. In compositional terms it has a nice graphic quality but there's no narrative substance.

I know how it goes as I shoot street myself, and I've got a few thousand frames like this one. As someone once told me - 'shooting street is painful. So many frames, so few photographs'. For me it's a close miss.

I can relate to what you are saying. I also used to get better ratings. As my work improves, my ratings go down. I now consider low ratings a badge of honor.

 

The reason people who know good photography liked this shot is because it's got personality and soul. I don't find myself wondering about the location because I see such heart and humanity. The tonal values are great, especially as they support the emotion of the photo.

 

There are two strong faces here, caught in beautiful light. There is light radiating from the front woman's sunglasses in almost a musical way. It's dazzling and energetic. The back woman's eyes, while not totally distinct, are distinct enough for us to tell she's looking right at us.

 

This photo has a classic feel to it. Timeless. Universal. It's got texture, patterns, life, movement, sparkle. It has a wonderful sense of depth to the composition. It is linear and full. It's real.

 

Nice work. A good laugh at PN reactions is all you need.

Fred said "personality and soul". I couldn't agree more. My first thoughts...Feeling and soul". The rating system is abused and any action towards improvement has been ignored, so it has no credability. You are growing as a photographer and you recognize it, let that be enough and look inwards for your inspiration and reassurance. Nicely done with this image, it has an emotional appeal. IMHO, Ray

Without the story to go with it, to me, this is just a picture of a couple people taking a walk.

 

If the photograph by itself does not express the intent or whole story, it has failed or is part of a series and is simply a picture from an album or someones life that means something to only them and their immediate family or peer group.

 

Yes, I can see some emotion in the first persons face of either anger or determination. The second persons expression is ambigous, either smug or annoyed at something

 

Should I happen upon this image in a newspaper, magazine or whatever I would not give it a second glance. Whether or not someone in the publishing industry gave it a high rating seems to be entirely due to the context for which it was intended.

 

Based on this, I would give it a 3/3, after all this is a critique forum.

Recently someone wiser than I, suggested taking low ratings as validation that your photo was not " easily digested " . The system is at present simply broken and even if it were not, I am not sure it would have much value.

 

This is a strong image, emotionally and in terms of composition and your PP work. Ignore the ratings and be proud of your achievements.