Critique #19 Theme *Street Photography*: 5 Participants

[Silva Lining]

Raid,

I like the framing of your shot, almost looks like its on television, I love Florence and the sound of the scooters is ubiquitous. I think you have done a good job on panning as the scooter is spot on. The colours and atmosphere of this photo remind me of the Scorsese film, Taxi Driver. A small criticism would be that I think the shot would have been stronger without the car (Not a lot you could have done to avoid it I know!) But there is another scooter behind the car, which I think would have made the shot even better. But that is being picky.

Pherdinand
I like the angles in this shot they contrast with the the curve of the piano. I gives a sense of intrigue as I want to find out what music he is playing and who the pianist is - He could almost be Jools Holland. My only criticism would be that of the guy in the top right. I think the composition would have been stronger with the guy looking at the pianist, but you might not have had much choice there!!

Iyidin
I really like this shot. A great expression on the face of the guy in centre-frame - I would crop this one a square to remove the guy on the right of the frame as I don't think he is adding much to the shot.

sbug
I love the linkage that the dotted line makes between the group at the bottom of the frame and the bearded guy at the top. It is a shame that the shadows of the group are cut-off , but if you had waited to they were in shot then the linkage would have been lost.

 

[Iyidin_Kyeimo]

My Critique

My Critique

Raid: Pan has been done nicely, pretty much spot on for the scooter. I also like the warm colour. Gives a great city-at-night mood. Just wish it was a little less noisy. Also, I think perhaps the colour cast is just slightly too strong.

Pherdinand: Bold composition, love the unusual angle and the strong shapes from the floortiles. I would have liked to see more interaction between the subjects though, as it's a little passive like this. Maybe a little longer hanging around (hopefully not literally, though from the angle I wouldn't know... 😛 )

Silva: Fantastic subject, begging for a a photo and you've taken a great one. It's caught perfectly with the guy square on facing the camera. The main improvement I think this need is a better quality scan and, more importantly, less contrast. On my screen you're losing the blacks of the coats and whites of the pavement/sky. Without seeing the negative though, don't know how much is due to the scene (which admitedly does look very contrasty) and how much is the subsequent processing... I'd also have tried to go higher if possible, lower and you lose him against the crowd, conversely with higher you see him better against the pavement while cutting out the less interesting tree/building background.

sbug: Another strong composition, hitting the thirds. Interesting shot, I like the way the curve leads me around the frame. However, I think the guy at the top is too close to the edge (head on the third rather than his feet). Otherwise, good job! 🙂

 

[Silva Lining]

Thanks for your comments guys. I took my photo with a Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa with a Color Skopar 50/2.8 lens. I think I was using a G2 yellow filter at the time, which wont have helped with the contrast! The performer was spinning quite fast which accounts for the blur. The thing I like about this photo is the expresions on the faces of the audience (and the perfromer) they range from amusement to genuine concern! I also like little details, such as how a father and son have almost identical poses (child is on fathers shoulders on right-hand-side) Looking at this shot agin, the scan is not that great either.

 

[raid]

I was walking late at night in Florence when I saw the scooter and car so I tried panning. I used Scotch 1000 E6 film which has this grainy look. I hardly ever pan, so this was a test for me.

Raid