rush hour

First off I'd like to say that I think this is a nice picture. The composition, though a bit off of the standard (and, in my simple opinion, somewhat idiotic system) "thirds" placement, is really effective. The background is lively and interesting, but not distractingly so.

Now for the lacing into (kind of). Whether or not it was on purpose, the blasting out of the face causes quite a few issues in the photograph, not the least of which is that it makes it difficult to actually look at the apparent subject of the photo. The shadow popping out across the face is interesting, but it also covers the subject's right hand, causing it to blend into the polke behind her. The angle at which the subject is seen would also be quite interesting (a not entirely flattering perspective up the nose) if it weren't for the fact that there isn't enough definition in the face (again: too bright).

It really is a nice photograph, and I would love to see if you could burn in the face or decrease the brightness/contrast or something so that the positive aspects of the photograph weren't so affected by the negatives.

Sorry if that comes off as harsh. I really do like the photo.

Not harsh at all - and I think fairly accurate. I didn't have time to construct this another way as the sun was blazing through the train and the young lady wasn't going to be doing this forver.

Snap decision - accept blown highlights due to the huge dynamic range of the scene or lose the picture.

I took the picture - better to get the candid moment than lose it ;)

I agree with you whole-heartedly, catching the moment (along with noticing that a moment is taking place) is probably the most important aspect of candid/street photography. I actually like the brightness of her face, my only gripes would be the shadow on her right hand and a little more detail in the background. But those issues are minor and probably unavoidable, so they have little impact on how I view this image. Great light, great moment, great job capturing it!

-James