Barefoot in the Sahara

I have always had mixed feelings about this picture taken in the

Sahara... The light is (surprise, surprise!) sharp, but I like her

expression and the infinity of bumps and dunes behind her...although

the composition might be too centered.

 

Your comments and criticism would be most appreciated.

Forse 蠴roppo stretta l'inquadratura,quanto alla centratura, hai ragione un poco di decentramento v. destra avrebbe reso pi� gradevole l'immagine, comunque interessante.ciao

Alessandro

I like this shot and wouldn't worry about the strength of the light or the central location of your subject.

 

Two reasons - the light is how the light is... and shows off the sand shapes nicely AND the sand shapes mean that your figure is not the only point of interest.

 

The (so-called) "rule" of thirds is meant to be broken where breaking it works. This works and provokes more thought than many portraits that are meaningful only to those who know the subject.

 

The woman in the photo looks to be engaged in some activity rather than enjoying the moment... and she looks at bit like a young Princess Diana.

 

With all that to go at, why worry.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

I also particularly like the reflections shots in your portfolio.

 

Martin

I would like to have seen your subject a little more off center giving her more room to the left of the image.

I like the crop. Nothing to change here. My very best regards, and to Anja !

So, it's two of you for cropping something off the right and two for leaving it as it is... That's roughly even. Too bad I could not get more feedback: I can't really decide myself. It looks very centered, indeed, looking at the her hair/face, but on the other hand, the strongly-contrasting white colours are well off the center.

 

Thanks to all of you for your feedback.

Salvatore, As it is, I think this shot is just fine. I like the strong light. It is the Sahara afterall! The pose of the figure and her apparent inattention to the photographer works well to engage the viewers attention. I think she's wondering how so much sand managed to get into her shoes. That interpretation is most likely based on my personal challenges when walking thorugh the sand (on the beach).

 

If you were to crop this on the left, you'd lose the continuity of the lines of the dune behind her. That line, at least to my eye dictates the composition. It adds a dynamic that would be sorely missed if cropped.

 

Now, what I would like to see, not instead of this but in addition to it, is a broader view that illustrates the vastness of the landscape. So many of your other photos do this so well.

 

Again, I think this one works just fine exactly as it is. I imagine, on a personal level, this photo has much appeal for you.

This is such an effective photograph, not because of her expression/posture, and not because of the patterns of the dunes, but because these elements come together to form a cohesive relationship.

 

All too often a photograph fails because it is strictly an "object" photograph, an isolated object of visual interest. Yet the object exhibits no interesting relationship to anything else in the frame. Visual relationships spwan visual harmonies and impart heightened interest to the photograph. Bruce Barnbaum once wrote "Photographers look for relationships; snapshooters look for 'things'."

 

cheers,

Aaron

in full agreement here with the previous comments. Tighter crop will not work as good. Regards,

Laurie, Aaron, thanks for your analysis of this shot. It is one of the few which are hanging on my walls and -a posteriori- I guess that what I always liked -unconsciously- was exactly what you just pointed out, i.e. the relation between the different elements.

 

To bring this a step further, the relation is not only geometrical but also chromatic, in some way, with her complexion and trousers also contributing to the same hues of the sand.

 

Laurie, you would be surprised to know what she was actually thinking. It's a story about eating couscous in a berber tent the evening before, I guess. As for a wider view, the films from Tunisia (together with many of SE Asia and Patagonia) are in the thousand-strong pile of still-unprocessed travel-negatives to scan.

I love the composition, and this is kind of a completely irrelevant comment to your photo, but an interesting perception of my own....I was disappointed to see her expression! For to see her in a fetal position, and the thumbnail in which her solitude is so pronounced in the sand; i guess I was kind of hoping for some emotive meltdown! This is certainly my projection! Now that I have said that, I am glad for her that what was on her mind was something light-hearted, like her meal!, or even as the thought of playing with the sand in her shoe! So now, I can appreciate it for those things!! But certainly, for the opportunity to have the sense of sitting in the sand in so vast and warm a setting. I like the title, for it makes the simplicity very rich! I would crop neither right nor left, but, if at all, bottom :)