An Inquisitive Moment

This was shot with Ilford Pro 3200 at 1600, trying to get a nice,

grainy feel. It has been slightly cropped on the right and left to

focus in on his eyes. Thoughts? Should I have left more room on the

left? Does the grain work? Thanks!

The grain is really good. A little more on left might help, I can`t tell without seeing the original. This photo is very good as is. 6/6

By the look on that face I can't tell if he wanted this photo taken or not! :)

A fringe would have done wonders to frame the eyes; black frame might work just as well. Bright spot to right of chin could be de-emphasised through a burn. Grain is better in the bg than fg : seems to soften the face, unless that's a focus issue? More on the left might lessen the feeling of a severe crop (which I realise it isn't) as the top of the head is already 'missing' a complete ear might make the composition seem completely deliberate. Good penetrating eye contact.

Many thanks! I'll play with this and sometime in the next few days repost a worked image - and Seven, Jim, I'll include the full ear. Seven, it seems softening in the face is exactly what this level of grain does to my photos - you can see it is not the focus that causes the softening if you look closely at the darkest areas, especially the lips and lashes, where you will see quite a bit of sharp detail. Indeed, my approach to grain is becoming focused on composing a "zone" or two darker than I otherwise would - the sharpness is lost less in the darkest areas which gives them more emphasis. But I've also found the Ilford 3200 difficult to control, with a tendancy to wipe out the midtones if not exposed or developed just right, and the facial tones here are not quite as smooth as I'd like.

 

Also, the detailed criticism is very helpful! Seven, your comment led me to learn about the "Picture This" project - thanks, I'll be checking in!

Sam, your grain-driven approach to exposure is sure to assist in the control of highlight areas. Agree that the apparent softness is definitely more noticeable in the lighter zones.

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I like this shot a lot! I like how you caught him in the moment. I would have liked to see his whole ear however. Really good job! :-)

Another excellent use of grain.

What a cute expression. Love the grain in this. Look at those eyelshes, why is it boys always get the good eyelashes? LOL. Wonderful image.

I find I usually like the whole ear or else none of it. I like the expression and the grain in this composition.