Despondency

I welcome your thoughts on this one. Thank you!

I can tell that you blurred the background in post with photoshop. Good idea for an image, but either be more careful blurring along the edges of the subject or simply capture the photo the way you want it when you actually take it.

Wonderfully composed. Your decision to frame with a titled horizon really enhances the composition and makes this a well-above average -- and very emotive -- photo. Well done!

Michael, thank you so much!

Danny, the blurring around the edges of his hat, shirt sleeves and pants was deliberate. So many good photographers on this site have inspired me with their photos to play around with this idea.. but I'm obviously still a newbie with PS manipulation to create mood and such, so perhaps I need more practice to get it right! :-)

Nice catch before falling... the guy looks like he's gonna fall the next step... so that this picture does embody fragility... IMO

Lonely Margaret..... Come on now, there is so much beauty and passion out there ..

My eye focuses very strongly on his suspenders. Was this intentional? It seems almost metaphorical, and I like it.

John, it's part of life sometimes. I thought he was a particularly interesting fellow, a little eccentric in his own way.

Sam, yes.. His pants are too big, he's lost a lot of weight.. he's shrinking away from life and as Jacques so aptly observed, he looks very fragile so those suspenders might be the only thing "holding him up", at least for now.

I think that means that softening his own edges as well as the background is part of what makes this work, as does the angle of the photo. This image isn't going to wow anyone and garner a lot of attention, but it is a successful subtle photo, and those are hard to come by.

 

Well my intent was to communicate something deeper in this photo (and make people think), not to wow.. so I guess I've achieved it at least in part. Thank you Sam! You've made my day :-)