allan engelhardt

This is not a bad picture at all, and I feel a little guilty for critisising (but I guess that's the purpose of this forum...).

• I like the colour of the sky.
• The sloping building on the right is distracting.
• The wheel moves too much -- distracting again.
• The London bus is a very nice touch!
• But it's a shame you cut off the bottom?
• I seem to detect motion in the building on the left?
• The forground is just too dark -- or is it my monitor?
• Shame about the people on the bottom right.

B no, I really kind of like it! Honest.

I like the composition and the dynamics of the sloping whatever it is.

However, I think the image could be improved:

• The sky is over-polarized for my tastes.
• You should loose the bottom 1/4 or so of the image, or fill it up with something interesting.
• It seems to be a shame to such a strong diagonal and then place the subject (you?) dead in the centre of the frame. The image would appera mor dynamic with you off-centre, perhaps in the classic 1/3 or golden ratio position. Without knowing more about the location, it is hard to say what would be the best approach: move the man or change the camera direction.

Go back there and do a really winning short. This one is almost there.

Your image would also be nice in a careful conversion to black and white. Un-carful example show to give you the idea. (The skies need a little TLC.)

It is an interesting technique you have developed. I love the reds and blues, but not the way the white looses all texture and detail.

Have you tried it with a human model? You know: deep red lipstick and green hair (! or deep green eyes...) on a caucasian woman. Could be seriously nice. (Could be a complete flop, for all I know....)

Yes, deep gree or blue eyes would be it...

This is the sort of image that wins prizes in photo magazines. They like the bold colors and the strong lines. If you'd tilted your camera you'd be heading for a major exhibition...

Your picture is not for me. That doesn't mean it's "wrong", just that I don't get it. To me, the desk is washed out (over exposed) and, while I like bold colors, the images does not seem to have any real staying power. What are you trying to say? It is essentially a still-life, I guess, but from still lifes I expect flawless technique.

Anyhow, it did catch my attention :-)

Nice. The huts in the lower left corner give a welcome sense of scale.

Without the huts I would have been tempted to crop for the central, dramatic section.

The light is good, withou being 100% compelling: the difference between shadow and light is a bit high for your film.

No, it will not do. Try closer with a macro lens. Try to find addtitional elements to complement the composition.

Spotlight on her face so it draws attention. Neck further back to show just a little more face (with spotlight!). Maybe (I'm really not sure -- experiment!) head turned slightly to one side while maintaining eye contact?

I'm less sure on what to do with the arms / shoulders. Need to do something, though. Maybe a tighter crop, or maybe twisting the upper body (and thereby the head, as above) so that weight is mostly on one side to give some tension to the image?

The eyes do indeed have it. Original it is not, but very beautiful. Well done.

My only real gripe is that the two sqare softboxes in the eyes are a little prominent, and draws the attention away from the face.