Woman on 10th Avenue

Walking up 10th Avenue in Chelsea, saw this woman sitting reading a book on the

stoop. Her seclusion from the hubbub around her caught my eye. She looked up,

saw me and cocked her head quizzically as i took this.

 

I would have liked to have been closer, as it is a somewhat timid shot. I had a chat

with her when I crossed the street, as she wanted to see the shot so probably would

have been ok.

 

I cropped it close. Things I thought were interesting: The little pocket of calm

created around her, the shadows, the crosses on the rails.

Though I like the story to me the picture doesn't tell it the way your words do.

 

My guess is that the picture tries to tell too many stories.

 

Would a crop of the lower right 2/3's of the picture help? (Very contrast rich so it might not work.

 

(Hope you don't mind I tried one...)

Good Olu, but better if she hadn't been looking. I love doing street shots in NYC too, but hard to get close in and not be seen. Keep trying. Best, Jim

@ Matthijs: Thanks for the feedback. I am not sure I want to crop that close, as I think I lose the sense of space around her. I also like the full view of the stoop and doorway. But I do agree that I lost some of the traffic on the right which makes it look less busy than it was. I actually have a second picture (actually the first i took) before she looked up see attached. I preferred this one. Thanks for straightening.

 

@Jim: Thanks for the feedback.

I like the second one.

 

It tells another story though and my guess is that's not the one you wanted to tell.

 

[it's a story of a young woman in flimsy summer dress writing a message while sitting on some kind of sombre serious church stairs.]