Request for Critique

[Dave S.]

Please share your impressions, reactions, critique, advice, etc. regarding this image. Thank you!

 

[farlymac]

Very little to not like, except the leaves creeping in at the top. Unavoidable though, without going wider, and distorting the image.

PF

 

[Keith]

I like the composition and over all feel but the harshness of the foliage on those trees really detracts IMO.

 

[porktaco]

i'd like it better if the girl were facing us, or if she weren't present at all. i like the architecture and foliage layers at the top and middle of the photo, and the giant thing in the very middle, but i can't figure out if it's supposed to be a texture-thing or a connection-with-the-kid thing. if the latter, i'd like a little more connection (and she should be doing something more... engaging.). if the kid is just there to give human scale, the whole scene could be smaller in a larger frame. i like a lot of the elements and how they're constructed, but i have this feeling that the next photo in the roll is the keeper.

 

[lynnb]

1. I like it. Nice contrast in scale between the statue and the little girl playing below.
2. agree with Keith about the tree leaves - that was the first thing I noticed
3. overall there is a difference in brightness and contrast between the background and the foreground subject area, and between some other parts of the image, that is inconsistent visually and doesn't quite work for me. e.g. compare the contrast and shadows of the building top right with the building top left. I would've expected more contrast top left, and the interior/shadowed areas to be darker (similar to the ground level parts of the building on the left). I assume what I'm seeing is processing designed to emphasise the subject? It doesn't look quite "natural" to me.
4. Great job with the tones, texture and contrast on the sculpture, girl and foreground.

Edit: would've been great if the girl was looking up at the statue

 

[jordanstarr]

...whites are way too high around the edges...it pulls my eyes away from the subject. But the juxtaposition of the big and little is nice enough. Do YOU like it? what's YOUR critique?

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

...whites are way too high around the edges...it pulls my eyes away from the subject. But the juxtaposition of the big and little is nice enough. Do YOU like it? what's YOUR critique?

I agree. The light is too harsh, this would have been better on an overcast cloudy day.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Nice picture of some landmark. Kid saves it from to be boring. And scales the log.

 

[shadowfox]

I like it, it's interesting because of the little girl providing he scale.
I even like her stance.

About the harsh highlights, if I were to print this, I'd pre-flash the paper to tame the highlight a bit.

 

[robert blu]

How about cropping? 20 % on the left side and just below the dark foliage on the top? In this case you will have the little girl in front of the huge trunk (placed at 1/3 of the frame) and no additional distractions from the upper part of the images.
robert
PS: just my idea, hiwch could be wring...

 

[Dave S.]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I entered this photo in the recent "Decisive Challenge" and got only 1 vote (just 1 vote for a "2nd Place" position! 😱 ).

While I knew it wasn't the greatest photograph, I thought it would do at least a little better in the contest than it did. Thus, I requested this critique.

I do not like the leaves creeping in at the top as well as the harshness of the foliage either (as mentioned above). The other comments put forth I generally agree with too. It's now been a month since I originally posted this and I feel like I might be able to come back to it with fresh eyes. I will reprocess - taking into consideration your suggestions. I'll post the results. Thanks again everyone.