can i get some feedback on this image?

It passes my first test: I give it a second look. There's no irony here; which is a good thing since most attempts come up being didactic. There's a cross, and a prominent word, "valued." I want to connect them, but can't, thank goodness. It's not conventionally aesthetic, but succeeds with me with a bit of cerebral churning. I like the mystery scrim and follow the almost-arrow of the straight line. I'm not a big guy on composition. No offense, but seems that composition is something that gets talked about when there's nothing else to say. (Apologies, folks, hope that's not too troll-ish)
 
The picture is interesting to me but not one that I get at first glance. I notice the torn sign first and my eye moves to take in the words. “Geeks” “moving” “location” stand out first. The paper looks like if might have been there a while. I then notice the word “valued” at the bottom portion and yet someone did not value what was here since they tore on the sign and left a mess.

As I take in the bigger picture I get the sense (in my culture’s left to right way of seeing) of the background and how the left side is portraying life with a transition to a grey nothingness on the right. Was this the fate of the business?

Again I come to the word “valued” as standing in silent contradictory testimony to what the rest of the image seems to say.

I see it as a pretty good depiction of transience and decay or even impermanence as it were.

So, there’s my thoughts for whatever pittance that might be worth as my first ever “artsy” critical review.
 
You are a very good shooter, in general. This one I'm not in love with. Elements are complex and potentially interesting. But to my eye it has a dull and grainy aspect that seems heavily edited (maybe it isn't): it's trying to be 70s film shot.

Now, that's just my own take, which is is of very limited value. In my own work people sometimes love shots I am meh about, and are uninterested in shots I like alot, so take my input very lightly. My taste is suspect 🙂
 
Joe I’ve written my thoughts before reading other comments so I don’t get influenced by earlier comments.

My first reaction is, the picture speaks of transience. The ripped message about the Geeks moving on, the transience of the ripped and tattered message itself, and the indistinct background/reflection. This is life. Things change, people move on, what we expect to see in a place is suddenly not there one day, then the memory fades, like that ripped and tattered mesage is fading away, into those shadows falling across the wall.

Then I wondered, who would rip the message off? What motivated them to do that? A random act? Too much time has passed since the message was left there? So this also speaks of the passage of time.

The composition and the processing are both good. I like the 3D appearance of the paper as it curls off the picture plane towards the viewer.

I think it’s a good photo. At first I thought it was a bit ordinary but after looking at the visual clues and letting the thoughts and feelings sink in I think it works. I think it suggests a larger body of work “exploring this theme”, as the gallery people say to give it more context. A series on this would have greater impact.

Cheers,
 
uhoh7 said:
You are a very good shooter, in general. This one I'm not in love with. Elements are complex and potentially interesting. But to my eye it has a dull and grainy aspect that seems heavily edited (maybe it isn't): it's trying to be 70s film shot.

Now, that's just my own take, which is is of very limited value. In my own work people sometimes love shots I am meh about, and are uninterested in shots I like alot, so take my input very lightly. My taste is suspect 🙂
Click to expand...

very little editing work...i usually crop and play with the contrast a bit and that's it...i think the grainy look is mostly the road dirt on the window.
 
It is indeed an image that made me look twice. I like the texture and the reflections in the glass, and the disjointed words.
If it had been mine, I think I would have cut the vertical light stripe at the right.
It is one of those images that I would hesitate and ruminate a long time before showing. On a thin day, yes. It is interesting. On a day with rich pickings, it might fall into the category of 'not quite special enough'.
Of course, looking back at my own daily edits, I find I am way too indulgent, much too good at finding excuses for flawed images; please take my critique with the appropriate grain of salt.
 
It doesn't wrench my emotions and I don't feel any "hidden messages" behind it. I think it's a nice interpretation of what you saw. Nice areas (patches?), tones and balance. Kind of interesting and glad that I looked at it.
 
I agree that it's well-executed, and I guess it has interesting juxtapositions of sharp and grainy textures/subjects. Presumably you've isolated part of a scene to emphasise what you wanted, and I do like a picture that hasn't been messed with in PP too much. Maybe as Lynn says it makes sense in a series. On its own however; I've been looking at it, even from across the room, and I can't figure out why you took it. Maybe it's esoteric. Too esoteric. I'll be interested to hear what the back story is, in the end, but I'm afraid I won't be coming back for another look otherwise.
 
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Reminds of of something ManRay would have produced. The fact that the story is NOT totally revealed is what intrigues me with it. I keep trying to piece it together. Leaving things up to the imagination take skill. Today with digital it seems we are so focused on revealing everything. Transparency!

The world is not transparent. Perhaps that's why I like older TV and movies. Then again, I do like Swamp People and Filthy Riches.
 
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