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First time poster, thanks in advance.

 

I know what I think of this image, and I will post my opinion

shortly, but I'd like to know what you think. One half of the people

who see it, "get it", and the other half do not. What do you see?

Composition? Originality? Value? Adventure? Can it reach out and grab

you, or do you pass it by?

 

I'm hoping to use it in my on-going, professional portfolio of

African American portraits and I am open to all opinions and

speculations, positive or negative.

 

It is full neg, shot available light, 35mm, 85mm,f1.8? Tri-x @400.

Scanned from neg.

 

Thank you. John G.

I'm not sure I "get" what your getting at but. Hello John, welcome. Its a great place to learn.

 

Comments- The clutter on the counter behind the primary focus is distracting. Exposure appears right on and I like the composition though I might crop it a bit tighter. You nailed the expressions. Great kids.

 

If this is a typical Friday night game in your family I'm envious. Who won?

I agree about the tighter cropping. The blurred people in the foreground bother me, not so much the clutter in the background. Also, try to not cut a person's face or body parts so abruptly, its pretty harsh. Ok, as far as what I see, is the dad cheating? I see that the table could easily reflect a hand of cards. Notice he has a placemat under his hand! I love the expressions on the faces in sharp focus.

I think the other, out of focus, faces are essential to the scene -- especially the guy on the left. The right side has that unfortunate shadow that kind of blocks the symetry. Even so I like it a lot. I think I get it, but even if I don't I like it anyway.

Excellent photo! And I don't offer compliments often.

Hi everybody, and thanks.

My opinion:

The event had potential to be great. The instant that the viewer looks at the blurry shadow on the right, he/she becomes a part of the photo! You are looking at what everyone else is looking at! The cutting off of faces and bodies is appropriate because it is the best way to bring you into the photo. The down sides: well, the "get it" part, is that the subjects are all looking at the blurry figure at the bottom right. It is her turn to play, and her hand is in the shot, holding the cards. Her pose reflects the pose of the guy across the table. Some people miss the little girl in the front left. The game was a bluffing game, I quess Hearts, and consequently, the expression of the guy across the table is blank. The hour was very late, so the children were tired. I can't ask you to notice the subtlety (sp?) of the figures, and ignore the "clutter" in the background. I could have waited for cards to appear in the middle of the table, and for more action. I have many other frames, similar to this, but any action shots are too blurred. I was between darkrooms, and I chose to shoot at 400ASA, so that I wouldn't have to deal with the push to 800ASA. A little more depth of field would have helped. There was a lot going on, for a long time. I'll keep plowing ahead. Thanks everybody, and I am of course open to more comments about this photo, and I'll post some more. John G.

 

I love it. I agree about the clutter on the counter, and also agree that there's no problem with DOF on the closer people -- blurred is fine (I think probably preferable). I wish we'd gotten a little more to the left -- the face of the man on the left and perhaps a little more of the closest person. The image makes me scan it, trying to get more clues as to what's going on, which is nice. Keep up the good work.

Thanks again, I finally "broke through" with this image. Ultimately, I love it! I can hardly wait to get into the darkroom and print it. I'll lighten the background, and darken the wall on the right. I'll also put a new title on it, in the lower right, where the title is now, but I'll call it, "She's Bluffing" This will give the viewer pause, because he/she will try to figure out which "she" she is. By the way, that is a woman on the left. The size, and the viewing distance has a lot to do with people "getting it", and enjoying the image. What I did today, was when people would look at it, as an 8.5 X 11 inkjet print, unframed on the wall, is, I would give them a few seconds to drink it in, and then I would point it out to them. I would show them the person in the bottom right, and the child in the bottom left. It was a lot of fun to hear their exclamations when they "got it". I showed about six people. All kinds of people, not only art people. I REALLY ENJOYED the photo, and SO DID THE VIEWERS!

John G.

Pulling the viewer into the photo isn't easy, but you do it well here. I agree with those that say the background is distracting, but I think the foreground is fine. Maybe crop a little off the right.

 

The beauty of this forum is that we can each share our opinions about a very subjective medium. Feel free to look at some of my photos and share your thoughts back.

 

Nice shot.

This is a wonderful photograph.

"Dad" might be trying to remain impassive for the game, but a blind man could read the pride in those eyes!

I love this photo. I kept scrolling back up (after reading each comment) to look at it again...and each time I noticed something different. I particularly like the placement of hands in this photo -- the mimicry between the children and the father. Definitely a wonderful slice of life -- great job! :)

Hi John,

this very good indeed. I think the clutter in the background is fine and I wouldn't want to miss it, since it reflects the action on the table. Also, I wouldn't crop a bit. Have you thought of posting more images of the series? I think motion blur can be very interesting too - there are bound to be some figures still sharp.

Hi John.

 

I must admit I do like this candid shot. However the more I looked at it the more I thought the picture was within the picture. I have posted a very quick view of what I mean which I think shows a very powerfull and close family.

 

Its just my thoughts for what its worth.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for you comment. Yes, there might be another shot in there, but it is as it is, for sure. The flow and crop of the faces is all that it can be. I've lived with this photo for a while now and I'm still not sure I like it. The problems are the hole in the center, the distraction at the back, the lack of expression in the main card player.

Other than that, I think that it is the culmination of my photographic vision to surround the edge of the frame with eyes.

I took it to a brilliant painter friend of mine the other day. I told him that I had an excellent photo I wanted him to see. He looked at it and pronounced it "good, but not excellent". I tend to agree in all that vaguery (sp?).

A long time ago, my wife and I began a portfolio of African American portraits. The goal was to show Afr.Amer in active roles. My wife has fifteen images which she has had shown. I have none. This one fails by our three criteria: It should show expression. It should go beyond the snapshot, so that no one asks, "who's that?"; and of course, it should be as close to perfect as possible in composition and lighting.

The crop you did is an alternative, but it fails compositionally as well, also, it is a 35mm neg, and wouldn't stand up to that severe a crop. I can always go out and create another image more like you described, and I appreciate you taking the time and interest to look and think about it.

 

I create and compile photos. I shoot every work day, and so I crank through a lot of imagery. I have pretty much given up on achieving a 'timeless' image, but every so often something grabs me. Unfortunately, it is usually someone else's photo!

Anyway, sorry I can't e-mail you a notice that I have responded, and I've used up all my dinner break, but perhaps you'll notice my response. In any event, I'll go have a look at your stuff and respond there in the near future. Thanx again.

John G.

John - Don't always listen to the business pro's. They know what the average custom likes and they offer critique based on that criteria. Go to a fine art photography show and you might just see something as beautiful as this. It not about the subjects in focus or out of focus, or background elements, but it's about all of these things - the story. Storytelling at it's best!