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10/02/2005 05:47:00 PM |
::: Critique Club ::::
Wow, the colours in this image are so strong. It stands out even in thumbnail form. From the score it is easy to see that it evoked the same reaction from a lot of people. What is particualrly appealing is that the backlight is not from directly behind but off to one side. This has thrown a subtle but very important (for the image) fringe of light on the female form.
The subject matter is well done for the image too as the models look casual, carefree and are interacting for real. The shot doesn't look posed and stiff. How can we tell? The feet. The feet are in motion. If this was simply posed, the feet of the models would be flat on the sand. It's even possible to surmise that she is anchored and is swinging him around. She's digging in the heel of her left foot and has balanced against the swing with her right. His right foot is very light on the ground so he is on the move.
You might well ask if this is an arty-farty over the top analysis. The answer of course is no. People viewing an image don't notice all the detail about the feet but they _do_ instantly get an impression of what is happening. They don't know why the picture conveys those things but they are certain of them. If you took this exact same shot with the models posed feet flat on the ground and then asked people to pick their favourite, this one would win hands down yet nobody could tell you specifically why.
It meets the challenge well, it has that dreamy far away feel that as you say is of a place special to you. Does it convey that to the viewer? Maybe not. Something is missing from the overall vitaly important first-impression that doesn't draw you into the destination. The impact on the viewer is about the colour and the drama rather than the destination. You can see this from the comments below. This is in all probability why it didn't break the 6.5+ threshold.
So why didn't it ribbon? Noone can say for sure, these things can be fickle but here's some observations ...
- Colour: The gold of the beach is everything to this image. You have pushed it as far as you could, maybe in the end a little too far. Striking that balance is so difficult. Back off and it looses its punch, take it too far and you get what has happened here. The red sand has almost started to break down and the breaking water has gone way too far. By that I mean that it has ceased to be part of a destination and has become a piece of art.
- Composition: I'm sorry to be like a broken record when it comes to composition but the number one 'rule' is the rule of thirds. Nobody knows technically why it works but there's enough evidence to suggest you ignore it at your peril. Many photographers reaction to Thirds is "yeah, that's fine but I have a really god shot here anyway". Maybe so but thirds will make it even better. The balance of images using thirds is like the discussion about the feet. People don't analyse technically but they know what they "like". This image is symetrical and nothing sits on either a thirds line or intersection. That doesn't make it a bad image, it just makes it one that hasn't twanged a heart string or three.
- Cropping: There is no right answer to this. It's no good me saying the heads should be in there to make it better because we can't see the original image and don't know if that's true. Without heads, this image is ageless and it can appeal to anyone from 20-90yrs because the models could be anywhere in that age bracket. That is smart money where the intention of the image is to say to the viewer, [Italic]"come with me, I will take you there"[/italic]
So we've had the priviledge of having shared in an image with WOW factor but perhaps missing the MMM emotive factor - the difference is never far away and is sometimes subtle. That's why we're here and still taking photographs :) |
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09/27/2005 11:18:23 PM |
| Anyone ever tell you that you have big feet Chris? |
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Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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09/25/2005 12:40:49 PM |
| Silhouttes with super strength agaist the fiery background. |
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 Photographer found comment helpful. |
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09/25/2005 04:38:40 AM |
| Good shot, the crop works well for this. |
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09/24/2005 11:32:28 AM |
| The colors and feeling in this pic are really good. |
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09/24/2005 09:27:27 AM |
| nice shot, but why are the heads cropped off? |
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09/23/2005 03:51:45 AM |
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09/22/2005 05:27:49 AM |
| A really beautiful sillouette shot! |
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09/21/2005 01:49:02 PM |
| I like the richness of the colors and the silhouetted people - makes me wish I was her :-) Good luck in the challenge. |
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09/20/2005 09:43:37 PM |
| Although the coors are a bit "over the top" here, it just... works, fo rthis shot. I very much like the composition as well. One of my favorites for this challenge. Nice work. |
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09/20/2005 11:15:28 AM |
| glorious golden shine and good light. I bet you get lots of comments about chopping their heads off, but that doesn't bother me too much. |
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09/20/2005 11:08:24 AM |
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09/19/2005 06:20:15 PM |
| Excellent range of colors. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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09/19/2005 04:58:33 PM |
This could be an investment firm's ad photo....for your future together!
Nice shot! |
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09/19/2005 02:41:57 PM |
| I think I would like to see this a liitle farther back from the couple and include all of them. I like the effects though. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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09/19/2005 10:13:20 AM |
| I just love this....the orange on the sand, the silhouettes...Beautiful. 10 |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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