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12/13/2005 09:31:42 AM |
Greetings from the Critique Club! :)
Composition
I find the composition here intriquing, especially when combined with the title. The totally centered composition makes the photo a bit static, and it's very obviously a "look at these" presentation. There's nothing wrong with that, but I wonder if a slightly angular presentation would have helped created some depth. I find the dirty fingernails to be consistent with the message, even though some commenters didn't like them. It would seem ridiculous to me to have a child picking up rocks and not having dirty fingernails or hands. Someone missed the message, but if these comments were made during the challenge, they didn't have the benefit of your comments to explain the "collecting" nature of the shot. Remember, all they have during voting is the title and the photo, and that probably hurt your score quite a bit here.
Background
Your background is limited to the pink check pattern, and it's very "flat". Again, some type of angle to lead the viewer's eye around and create some depth would probably help quite a bit.
Camera Work
This looks like you used a fill flash, and the light is a little bit harsh. I think simply doing this in good daylight would have been better. The flash has created some glare here that makes for unnatural skin tones.
Post Processing
This appears to have limited post processing, just from my observations. I would think that some curves adjustments (or a simple contrast boost, depending on your software) would darken the background just enough to improve that feeling of depth that I keep harping on. The image is also rather pink in cast, and I did a color balance adjustment that made it seem more "natural" to me, which helped quite a bit. After that, I personally like to do an edge preserving smooth to eliminate noise and then do an unsharp mask to bring the "edges" back to life.
My Opinions
Normally I don't do this, but I've taken your shot and done some of the edits I discussed. I personally think this is an improvement, but I definitely understand that you may not think so and I will not be offended by that. I hope you find my thoughts to be helpful and informative, and I hope this critique helps you in the future.
Here's my version, if you are interested...
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 Photographer found comment helpful. |
Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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12/06/2005 10:03:59 PM |
| The lighting on her hands is a bit harsh. Try difusing the light to soften her hands. Great depth of focus |
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12/06/2005 09:12:50 PM |
| great title! love the idea! a sweet, simple composition. the lighting feels a bit harsh and direct, and makes the hands look a bit shiny to my eye. i wonder what bounced or more indirect lighting would do to the feel of this photo? |
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12/02/2005 01:54:17 PM |
| dirty fingernails too distracting |
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12/01/2005 11:54:48 PM |
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12/01/2005 07:15:15 PM |
| The dirty fingernails are a nice touch (seriously), even if unintended. :-) The lighting is a tad flat, some dramatic lighting and I think you'd have a 9 on your hands. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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12/01/2005 02:34:56 PM |
| nice shot! cute hands! good job,hope you do well! |
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12/01/2005 09:50:20 AM |
| should clean those nails first ^.^ |
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11/30/2005 08:24:33 PM |
| This immediately made me think of my daughter and all the things she brings home ans TREASURE!! lol (dirty nails and all! lol) Good job! |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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11/30/2005 05:42:28 PM |
| Something seems off with this photo... dirty fingers, clean rocks, and a pink checked dress. |
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11/30/2005 04:08:23 PM |
| The dirty fingernails really make this! |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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11/30/2005 07:51:39 AM |
| Sweet. The strong lighting (flash?) produced hotspots on her fingers and stark shadows under her hands. If a softer lightsource had been used, the pic would have been more emotive. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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