I CAN read thisby
jnenvirComment by SaraR: Hello from the Critique Club.
I'm sure that this photo didn't score as well as you had hoped - I shall try and give you my views on what it was thta missed the mark, and some pointers that may help you when shooting 'Street' genre photos in the future. Any comments I make are based on my own subjective opinion!
The challenge this photo was entered in was 'Street Photography', which is a very specific genre in its own right, with strong traditions, and a number of notable masters (with Cartier-Bresson being perhaps the most famous). This photo doesn't really fit with those traditions and conventions - it isn't (at least apparantly) set in a public place, doesn't clearly articulate a story, and it isn't highlighting some observed quirkiness; to break with pre-conceived notions of what a specific type of photography or art is about is not in itself is not a bad thing, but to do it effectively it must be done particularly well.
On a technical level, the focus is a little soft, but the exposure is good (maybe a tad under-exposed, but nothing marked) with good detail in the white of the t-shirt, although the shadows, particularly the hair, are too deep, with little detail revealed. You may want to look at exploring different methods of black and white conversion - using the Channel Mixer in Photoshop CS gives a great deal of control, although you don't state what software you use, so that advice may not be helpful to you.
For me, the main problem with the photograph lies with the subject itself. As a viewer I have no sense of connection with the subject - he is looking away, apparantly at a computer monitor. Perhaps if you had positioned yourself so that the viewer could also see what the subject was looking at it might have provided more interaction. It may also have been better to include more context by using looser framing, including more background. It strikes me that you have simply not been bold enough - street photography and candids do take a certain amount of 'courage' (not the right word, but hopefully you will know what I mean) and many of the best are taken with realtively short focal lengths, with the photographer getting down into the scene physically. Next time, perhaps leave your telephoto zoom at home and try using a maximum focal length of 100mm - it can you leave feeling a little exposed at first, but once you get used to it can become rather fun!
If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to send me a PM.
Photographer found comment helpful.