What's wrong with this photo?

[gilgsn]

Hello,

I hope this is the right place for posting. I first thought this photo I took was decent, but then something is nagging me... I can't put my finger on it. Other than the girl's interesting outfit I guess it is quite bland.. Is that it or something else? Just asking for advise to improve my street photography.. Keeper or not?

Thanks,

Gil.

 

[FrankS]

Highlights look burned out.
Their feet are cut off.
He is looking at her torso instead of her face, or totally away.

Those are the things that bother me.
Otherwise, it was an interesting situation with potential, and you noticed that, so that's a positive.

 

[colyn]

This type of shot should not be so tightly cropped. Too close = too personal...

I'd also tweak the levels to get detail in the highlights..

 

[sdotkling]

Composition is a muddle. Where does your eye go first? The spiky haired girl--no, the bannister on the left--no, the stripey pattern of the steps--no, the---- If you get my drift. By the time your eye hits the guy, it's been everywhere else.

 

[Rikard]

The imbalance in the composition is mostly due to the, compared to the space over her head, large space behind her. There's also lines leading out of the frame in that area. This diverts the eye from, and away from the two people. See if you like it better if you crop tighter behind the girl. i really like the shot by the way.

 

[Rikard]

The imbalance in the composition is mostly due to the, compared to the space over her head, large space behind her. There's also lines leading out of the frame in that area. This diverts the eye from, and away from the two people. See if you like it better if you crop tighter behind the girl. i really like the shot by the way.

 

[gilgsn]

Thanks guys for pointing out composition issues, much helpful.

Gil.

 

[Vics]

I agree about the feet being cut off below the knee. I think if you had mooved around behind the girl, who seems lifeless, and focused on the man, you could have had a more dynamic composition, with the girl in the foreground.

 

[Ronald M]

Mans arms are crossed in weird manner.

Lady`s feet are cut of as with an ax.

 

[Dan Daniel]

On a completely different tack, it looks staged and awkward. They both look as if they were told to stand/sit in a spot, have a certain pose, and wait to be told wheat to do next. In Hollywood films, aren't here people who stand in positions for lighting and such, and then they call in the real actors for the actual filming? These two look like that to me- actors-in-waiting.

If the poses were interesting, if there was something dramatically compelling in the postures and such, various compositional limits could be ignored or considered less significant. But because the people look wooden, we search for other things to say while ignoring the elephant in the room. Street is about people's gestures and looks as much or more than anything else.