danmarchant

The background is too busy - the girl on the left has people standing on her shoulder. You should either wait for the people to move or recompose by crouching down or moving a step left or right. I know that is difficult in that sort of environment but it makes the difference between a snapshot and a much more interesting image.

Alternatively narrower depth of field to blur the background would reduce the distraction.

Likewise, recomposing to get one or more cars clearly in the shot (or even just half a car seen clearly) would have added interest.

Lastly you have desaturated the top and bottom of the image. I guess that this is to focus attention on the girls faces, unfortunately I don't think it works very well as it results in an their legs having a rather deathly pallor.

Sorry not to be more positive. It is a fine image if you want a photo to show that you were there but if your aim to to take a really interesting image then I think some tweaks to your composition are needed before you hit the shutter.

I think this is a really powerful photograph, but for me the processing is overdone, and that reduces the impact of the image. The colour makes it almost seem like a picture post card (albeit with a rather sombre subject). For me it would work better and have more impact if the colouring was more subtle/slightly desaturated and with a high pass filter to sharpen but slightly less pronounced than it is now.

I especially like the fact that the slow shutter speed means that the passers by are blurred. It is as if your subject is stuck while the rest of the world rushes around/past them.

Congratulations on taking such a powerful and meaningful image. I just think a more delicate approach to the processing would give the subject more dignity.

I did have to look at the image for a while before I realised that I like it.

The rose is bright enough to stand out from the background but not too bright that it is jarring. It is also a wonderfully subtle shade where a brighter colour like red would have stood out too much. The darker background is the perfect backdrop. It is calming and suitably out of focus so that it provides the right background for the flower.

Despite there being a lot of "empty space" in the image there isn't really any at all. The background has just the right amount of detail so the thorny branches add detail and texture without distracting from the main subject.

Not a fan of bug but this is a beautiful shot. Great focus, perfectly framed, great background (dark, so it really shows of the light coloured butterfly) and the lighting on the wings is perfect.

The only negative for me - there always has to be one ;) is the purple flower in the background. Its position behind the main flower keeps distracting my eye.

Other than that minor detail it is lovely.

For your first attempt you have done a good job of capturing the light but I think you need to go back and rethink the composition. A good landscape needs foreground interest, middle distance interest and background interest. 

1. You have a couple of small bits of rock or something jutting into the bottom of the frame. You should always try to avoid stray items creeping into shot, especially when they can't really be identified.

2. Your current foreground is empty. There are no visually interesting waves or reflected light.

3. Your middle distance is similarly empty water and a small lighthouse. I agree with the above comments that having it so central makes it less interesting.

4. The background sky has some interesting colour but that alone isn't enough to make this a great picture. You really need clouds for a great sunset as they really catch the light and show it off - plus they add detail to an otherwise empty sky.

How to improve the shot

1. Get the camera down lower - find some shoreline boulders or even just waves breaking on stones to give some visual interest to the foreground. If there is nothing there go find some drift wood and dump it there. Don't be afraid to do a little bit of cheating to get some interest in the foreground.

2. A lower camera angle will also foreshorten the empty foreground/middle distance.

3. Change position - move closer to the lighthouse so that it becomes more of a focal point. Also as the sea is flat and empty try finding some interesting detail/texture on the land and using that as your middle distance instead.

4. Come back another day - sometimes there just isn't enough interesting detail in the sea/sky to make a great picture. I live 25 feet from the sea. One day (for a few minutes) the view from the patio will be spectacular, the next day it is dull as dishwater.

It is a wonderfully intriguing picture but the large bright empty area in the middle just spoils it for me.

The slinking cat is wonderful, the character with his trolley adds interest and the archway/windows look like a sinister face waiting to swallow you. The only problem is the empty space in the middle.

I think it would have worked better if you had crouched down. The lower camera position would have made the cat & man more prominent and foreshortened the middle ground, making that empty space seem smaller (and less empty).

I love the concept but agree with William - There is a bright spot on the wall that is just a fraction too bright and keeps attracting my eye. I would have preferred a more even and less bright lighting on the wall.

I also have a problem with the models right hand which is both bright and a bit claw like - it doesn't look very relaxed. Lastly the fact that she is looking downwards makes the eyes narrow and harder to see.

I love all of this except for the very bottom of the frame (the churned up mud). I would have moved a step or two further forward so that the pipe is closer to the bottom of the frame.

Apart from the ugly mud it is great. Foreground interest (pipe and wood). Interesting middle (not too much empty space) and an impressive mountain vista.

Very nice work.

Seems like an excellent example of the photographer finding an image. You couldn't get the shot you intended due to the lighting so you completely changed tack and found a new subject that would work with the available conditions.

I think it works well except for the problems you already spotted. The tones are great and the muted grasses and sky work well with the subject - but the focus is a problem. With so many small plants it is hard to see where the focus is so my eye keeps hunting trying to find somewhere to rest. I think maybe a slightly wider DOF would have been better, bringing more of the dried flowers into focus - Either that or focus on the largest/central one of the flowers.

I have to agree. Cropping the top/side of the main works well but losing the chin makes it feel wrong.