Portrait Of A Child Soldier
by Jecto

Comment:
Thanks for entering this image for your People II challenge.
Great compositon and good job with the lighting and focus.

Even though the photo was staged, it sends the message that are people like this through out the world. I believe its the way the eyes look, that give this image its appeal. The downward sad and defeated stare, the vacant and hopeless message it sends. For some reasons to make a total package, I would have liked to see the hands. They seem to be hidden, and tucked away. I also like the use of the wall as a background. It gives the image some balance and stability.

Great job, and good luck in your next DPChallenge.

Honesty
by Telehubbie

Comment:
This photo is true to the old adage, that a picture says a thousand words. Your image provides a sad commentary on some down and out people of our society.

The black and white style gives it a gritty and realistic feel. The position of the man in relation to the cars also sends a message. Its almost like life is passing him by. Like he is boxed into a corner. That the only thing left for him is to beg. And the only thing he has to communicate with, is this old worn out sarcastic sign. He in turn has a wry smile and has turn society off, with his demeanor and his earphones.

Again great capture and shooting style. I believe this photo would appeal to most voters, but there would be some that can not relate to it. Good job, and good luck in your next DP Challenge.

Couple
by photogenix

Comment:
Hi, and thank you for entering the DP People II challenge.
Your entry does qualify as a people photo, but the position that it was taken takes away from the subject.

You have a fantastic and magical digital camera. It can do wonderous and creative things for you. It was a people photo challenge. We really can't see the poeple in this photo. In order for others to appeal to this image you must bring out the human factor. One, is being able to view their faces, their body, and maybe even their clothes. All of this gives the viewer a point of reference on your subject.

You actually picked out a great subject, two older people trying to work one of those new fandangle digital camera's. The expressions on their faces would have scored higher points for you. The trees that surround them is also very distracting. Don't take a photo if you think the subjects will be annoyed by it. Don't take a photo if the subjects say no after you asked them. There are many people who are willing to be subjects. If you know these people you could have stood in front and taken your photo. If you don't know them and are timid about it, select someone else. The part of the actual people subjects you can see is the bored expression of the lady next to the man, who is taking the shot through his LCD viewfinder. That would have been an good place to focus from.

If you were trying take this photo as an abstract it also failed. Because again there is no connection between the viewer and the subjects.

Thank you for entering and keep shooting. Always keep the purpose of your photo first. In people photos you must always capture the eyes, and faces. Of course there are exceptions.

Good luck in your next DP Challenge.

Girls
by datcat

Comment:
The soft glow and feel of your photograph is excellent. The moment captured with daugther and mother is priceless.

The lighting is well done in the foreground, however the lighting in the background seems a bit bright. Just the same is adds glow to the entire scene. The colors and tone give it a warm and comfortable feel. I can almost see this photo in a magazine advertisment.

The shutter speed might have been increased to avoid the blurred affect on the hands and lipstick. Since this is the focus of the image, the eye is drawn to the moving elements. Also distracting is the blue image on the upper left corner of the image. Could have been light bounce of the girl's ribbon. Only guessing.

What also is well done is the "Candid" moment captured. I am sure that as we all know with a child subject, you get only so many chances.

Great submission for the People II challenge, good luck in your future contests.

Street Noise
by banmorn

Comment:
A good sort of grainy street scene shot. You have captured street musicians doing their thing. What is also good about this scene is the mood that you have given it. Sort of surreal and moving through process.

What would have been more appealing to voters, is to move over to the middle and shoot from there. This would have given the viewer an open view of the performers. Angle shots of people misses the eyeballs. You want to take in the eyes and facial expressions.

Sometimes in street photography you tend not to want to get in the way of the performers or the people watching. Remember, a photo takes a few seconds to shoot and then you can move away. Another factor about street photograpy, is that you almost have to walk around with your camera ready at any time. It always appears that the best shot always seemed to get away from us, because we were not ready.

Good capture again, I like the mood and the flow. It shows the street elements well. Don't be afraid to step in front and shoot away. The best they can say is no. Good luck in your future challenges.

Ahh ... Spring in the City
by flip89

Comment:
It was a good effort to show people in activities as the weather changes into springtime. However, as soon as you open the image the eye is automatically drawn into the horizon. Its the city sky line that is central to this photo. The people seemed secondary.

I can see the idea formulating on how people from the city use the available resources to enjoy and excercise. Again, people in this image are not focus enough. Maybe if this first jogger and bicyclist were closer to camera angle and focal point, it would have been more appealing. I would have cropped the image a little more to the right side, leaving the taller buildings in the background. This would have given focus on the people coming through the shot. That way you could provided more detail and highlights of the types of people and their facial expressions.

Overall a good idea, good lighting. Always think of the purpose of your composition and then recompose it. Good luck in other future challenges.

Kjetil Rekdal
by terje

Comment:
It looks like a candid photo shot. Not some one who took the time to pose for you. For that end, its well done. Its clear and sharp.

It also looks tightly cropped. So in a way, it looks a bit crowded on the outside border area's. It has a minor appearance of being a little off balance on the left side compared to the right side of the image.

The expression on the man's face seems interesting. It may leave the viewer with distant feeling, or not being able to relate immediately to the image. In fact it looks like a example of a possible newspaper tabloid shot. Where the photographer hurridly snaps a photo of a known celebrity. If this happened, you did a super job capturing the moment.

In review, the tight cropping hurts the image. A little more room on the outside border areas would have made it more generally appealing. The focus and lighting were spot on.

Good luck in your future DPChallenges.

Crosswalk
by Manic

Comment:
You have met the challenge very well with this composition. It was a very creative and ambitious photo. Although it does not show people faces, it does shows how people are part of the vastly larger social system.
The image also protrays the infrature structure that people must circumvent on a daily basis, especially in larger cities. I see people walking, in taxi, buses, bicycles, subway. The cropping was also a good idea, to focus on the middle portion of the image.

Technically, I would not have done anything differently. Some people do like to see close ups and some fail to see the message in this type of image. Lastly, I am sure that other people will directly relate to this type of photo, because they live it, on a daily basis.

Well done, success in future challenges, and keep up the good work.

Out on a Limb
by Zap228

Comment:
Super good.

Unbothered...
by sir_bazz

Comment:
Super nice job.