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I CAN read this
I CAN read this
jnenvir


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Street Photography III (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-5D
Lens: Tamron AF 200-400mm f/5.6 LD IF for Canon
Location: Chula Vista, CA
Date: Oct 26, 2008
Aperture: 6.3
ISO: 400
Shutter: 2000
Galleries: Black and White
Date Uploaded: Oct 26, 2008

Shot with Tamron 500 mm lens, curve adjustment, black/white with maximum black settings.

Statistics
Place: 145 out of 146
Avg (all users): 4.4479
Avg (commenters): 5.1667
Avg (participants): 4.4423
Avg (non-participants): 4.4505
Views since voting: 690
Views during voting: 356
Votes: 163
Comments: 8
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
11/06/2008 08:38:51 AM
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.
11/03/2008 01:57:11 PM
This is street photography?
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/02/2008 09:43:00 PM
bizarre, intriguing.
11/02/2008 09:35:43 AM
I don't get this. Had you been on the otherside of the monitor to capture this person's face/expression I may have been more likely to get it, but this angle and the amount of zoom lens you use, I feel as far away from the subject as you were.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/02/2008 09:04:02 AM
A good capture ... not sure of what is going on in the shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/31/2008 09:18:30 PM
Meets Challenge:2
Technical:2
Interestingness:2
Creativity:
TOTAL: 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/28/2008 03:46:30 PM
Not quite sure what you're trying to show me - it appears to be a computer monitor of some kind, but the setting isn't quite enough to give me the story, if that makes sense.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
10/27/2008 08:52:30 AM
Focus is a bit soft...
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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