Competition

"Standing ground" was the other title I thought of for this self-explanatory

situation. Thank you for your constructive comments on this photo.

Samrat, I am not competent to offer 'constructive comment'. I feel this image is balanced composition.The position of the boy, gives a new dimension and adds  scale to the image.

Samrat, you are just beginning on what appears a promising start as a street photographer, so please take this with the kindness with which it is intended.

I took two different photos, both of which I felt were classics, one from 40 years ago.

I got a critic when 35 years later I put it up for critic:  'There appears to be a tree growing out of the protester's head'.  And so for that viewer, because the protester was lined up with a tree in the background, indeed that tree (for some) appeared to be growing 'out of her head'.  Some people see photos very literally, and possibly correctly so, because a photo collapses three dimensions into two.

In another photo, a wide angle, of a woman (a fat wife) looking on one direction, and a husband with wandering eye, cast toward a beautiful model on a jewelry billboard far overhead, it appeared his head had a lamp pole growing out of it, as a member rightly noted.

If when shooting I had been aware of the potential criticism during my shooting, I might have stepped slightly aside in each instance and taken another shot or allowed the protester to take another step forward and avoided the issue.  I was not the most skillful, was inexperienced and even later was almost dumbfounded by the criticism.

I think you get the point as it applies to this photo and won't belabor.

Best always to 'beware of one's background' when shooting AND the possible implications in some viewers' minds, then to 'plan ahead' -- successful incorporation of the background can transform a dry and drab photo into something with great meaning if you choose the juxtaposition of the subject and background with great skill -- in fact, there's a whole book to be written on the subject (I'm in the process and I have a 'Presentation' here (PN's largest) on the subject, which I invite you to peruse -- it gets good reviews by PN members, even if still unfinished six years later, because of faulty PN software.

I do invite you to view that presentation.

The Presentation:  "Photographers Watch Your Background" with its 532 photos, and still unfinished can be found here:

http://photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=270302

If you have not looked at it, I think you might enjoy the photos and the the text, distilled from the thousands of comments affixed by viewers and me under the half thousand photos in the presentation. 

It in itself when transformed, new photos added, certain photos deleted and with proper new text, would be, I have been told, an excellent text (and/or trade book -- book store book).

Let me know what you think if you happen to venture by, would you?  The Presentation was meant as a fun teaching device, and in the process I taught myself what I had been doing all along but without a method expressly in mind.

Formerly the feature was featured in my pages more prominently, and now does not get nearly so much traffic as before, since the Administration has de-emphasized 'Presentations'.

Enjoy if you happen by (same for other viewers of this comment;~)))

john

John (Crosley)

John; Even when you critique a photo by another, the critique is still all about you and condescending....  Yes Samrat, the pole is a nusiance. I do not have a solution considering the composition that you wanted. The bw tones are beautiful -Good balance of tones I think. Good choice of vertical format -my opinion. I like the reflection on the stone floor.

Am I reading correctly: lens is 35/f2.8 - 432/f6.0 ??

Thank you for your comments on this photo.

I have taken John's comment on board, with which I see you have agreed. Perhaps I should be more careful of the 'pole (or whatever else may stick out) syndrome' :) from now on. I took the photo in an instant fearing he may move away; and also because this was the old town centre of Krakow and full of tourists who may prove a distraction/cover the subject. This is one reason why I failed to spot the obvious (in hindsight).

The camera is a compact (my first one) which has a manual mode. The lens specifications are as described in the equipment section of this website. I think you saw a review of it a few months ago in connection with one of my earlier photos. (BTW, the other photo of a Cobweb you commented on was shot with the same camera.)

yes, i saw. same camera.