Brutally honest critique thread

daveleo said:
Frank, you asked.
Normally I would not comment on this picture if it were posted in the gallery here.
But, again.... you asked.

There is nothing about this picture that I like.
The IQ is horrid, for whatever reason (as a viewer, I don't care what the reason is).
You also missed probably a wonderful riot of color by shooting this in B&W. I'd wager that stuff he's carrying had some punchy punchy colors that you left out.
The composition is almost as bad as the IQ.

If you take this personally, then *I* will be offended. I gave you my honest cold viewer opinion of this one image. That's all I did.

I will end by asking YOU .... what do you think of this picture. Your honest opinion.
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Thanks Dave. I accept your thoughts and agree. It was never a favourite image of mine, but I like it less now (rightfully so) than I did before. Honest critical opinions have opened my eyes.

Sometimes our photographs are like our babies.
 
Personally I think this cries out to be shot in color as I imagine the cloth to be brightly colored.

Baring that perhaps some more contrast to bring out the fabrics. It reads overly middle grey to me. I'd probably cool off the highlights and enhance the darker tones. The whole thing feels a little bright.

In general though I know what you were going for here, it doesn't quite work for me. I could see taking this myself but not sure it would survive an edit. I think it's well executed but the idea doesn't quite hold.

Perhaps if there was someone completely visible coming toward you and sort of glancing back at the legs sticking out? Not sure, feel like it needs something else, another element.
 
FrankS said:
Generally on RFF we are a supportive, chummy-chummy group, and polite to a fault in our responses to pictures that are posted. When someone does come along with a harsher than normal for RFF critique, it is somewhat jarring and unexpected. This thread is only for those willing to have their images shredded if they deserve to be; kind of a tough love reality check.

I don't mean that a great picture should be unfairly insulted, the poster should not be personally insulted, just that in this thread, no allowances need to be made to consider a poster's feelings. In fact, if you have thin skin, you probably shouldn't offer a pic to be critiqued here.

I'd like to start by requesting that Ned critique this image of mine: Street Vendor

49a88a44969e766ad64de0894045099e.jpg
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Frank

This once I would like to be less close to the subject.
I'm missing the magnitude of his endeavor without a better sense of scale that could be brought by viewing him in proportion to his surroundings.
 
Well you blew it Frank, simple as that. Happening upon a 'developing scene' like this to work with, your decision is to pressed the shutter once?? From that perspective?
As others have suggested, work the subject, vary perspective.
My frustration with this image is the high probability that there was a much better image to capture here but you didn't.
 
DougFord said:
Well you blew it Frank, simple as that. Happening upon a 'developing scene' like this to work with, your decision is to pressed the shutter once?? From that perspective?
As others have suggested, work the subject, vary perspective.
My frustration with this image is the high probability that there was a much better image to capture here but you didn't.
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Agreed, thank you Doug.
 
johann, I like this picture. It's maybe a little overexposed for me but. It's entirely ruined by the man's pointing fingers.
 
I would appreciate some direct feedback on this street photo taken at Sydney's Central Station. What got my attention was the contrast between the old ladies who were being sociable face to face, and the young woman alone and isolated on the other side of the bench making contact on her mobile phone.

U27021I1424518762.SEQ.0.jpg
 
lynnb said:
I would appreciate some direct feedback on this street photo taken at Sydney's Central Station. What got my attention was the contrast between the old ladies who were being sociable face to face, and the young woman alone and isolated on the other side of the bench making contact on her mobile phone.

U27021I1424518762.SEQ.0.jpg
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Surely a shot that would have passed my personal QC: strong content, well-exposed, no disturbing objects, no excessive grain.

Congrats on a well-spotted and well-captured image!
 
thanks Johan. It got very few views in the RFF Gallery, and I was wondering if there was something that didn't work about it.
 
I'd be very interested in an honest critique of the 4 photo collection i just posted to my collections - the theme I was working is "Barriers"

Should I post them here, or would there be a better way to invite honest critique of the collection?

Barriers -Petrzelka
 
Lynn, I understand the social/isolation aspect, but that's just the new normal. There just isn't a compelling reason for my attention to be held.
 
Well executed but I don't find the subject matter particularly compelling. It's a rather obvious contrast. There's nothing wrong with the shot, it just doesn't grab me.

I think I'd actually like to see this looking at the older people more closely as their interactions are what draw me. A close shot of the two groups of two women on the end would be more interesting to me.
 
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