Dear members

One more photo published and curators main comment was composition could be improved.

I would like to ask you about it. How would you compose it

?

Thank you for your comments and advices.

Miguel Vilela PRO

Dear members

 

One more photo published and curators main comment was composition could be improved.

 

I would like to ask you about it. How would you compose it

?

 

 

 

Thank you for your comments and advices.

Hello Miguel,

I'm not one of the senior critics, but I'd like to give you my thoughts on you photo. From me, though I like the way the curtains provide a leading line, they lead the viewer out of the image, not towards your subject. I would crop the top of the photo, ideally making it square, but as that will cut the door's window panes in the middle, I was left with a choice of the frame just above the door latch or the one above that. I chose the latter for my edit.

Of course, this is just my opinion and what matters most is how you feel about your photo. Also remember that the member curators have a limited number of choices as to what they like and what they feel needs improvement. Unless one or more of them take the time to make suggestions or explain their reasoning behind what they selected (even if it was just "publish" or "reject") the pie charts are a guide in thinking about your photo from someone else's perspective. In this forum you're likely to get a more nuanced analysis and thoughtful suggestions.

Dear Mark

Thanks for your time and comments. If fact, squared composition, as you mentioned, makes all sense as takes out from the photo some parts that are not adding any information but distracting/guide our eyes out of the subject.

Your comments are really helpful.

Thanks once again.

Miguel

Thanks for submitting this. Mark Freitag has given a good suggestion that helps.

I may be wrong but I get the sense this is a posed photo with a model. I'm not trying to be snarky but I find the model's positioning very strange and confusing. First, she is hold the violin in a very strange manner. It doesn't look like she has just finished playing or about the play and it seems like a strange way to hold the violin. Second, she is postioned in front of an artist's easel which seems like a rather odd place to choose to use a violin. What I'm trying to convey is that this composition leaves me very confused.

Although this is a commet related to composition I find the lighting very harsh which causes off-putting hard shadows.

I hope this gives you something to consider.

Best wishes,

Mike S. - Senior Critic

Dear Mike

Thank you for your comments.

Regarding the subject, it's not a model, but she's not a nun. Let me explain, she is a young violinist pretending to be a nun for a historical recreation of the monastery, and she's just finishing and preparing to leave the scene. So, it's a kind of a theatre representation.

I didn't had a chance to chose better place to move because the place was crowded but the light coming from that window was quite nice and all scene seemed quite good to tell a story.

Anyway, I understood your helpful comments and ideas and will keep in mind.

Thanks for your time and suggestions.

Best Regards 

Dear Miguel,

You had good recommendations already, I was about to recommend a tighter crop as well. Your lady fell short in the frame, and the windows was far too large in this, being a side element just. But frankly, the first impression I had, as a thumbnail already, was the hard light on her face, and the unfortunate shadow on her cheek. Photography is painting with light. Light is the most essentail element to work with. If it does not support your subject, the result is not ideal. There are situations you have to capture despite the nonoptimal conditions, because it happens just once. I was looking for it when opening the post and seeing it full screen. But  frankly, you could have shot any other pose / move, where the shadow borders don't cross her face.. Generally, I think musicians, like sportsmen,  concentrate to an extend they appear like being in their own universe. Not sure if she was before, but what she is doing in your shot seems hard to interpret and somehow banal. Mike Schaffner felt the same, as he wrote. You probably have a different view on it because you know the before and after. That's the challenge in freezing moments, to see them with eyes not knowing the story behind. That's one thing we can do for memebrs here,  loan our eyes. 

I shoot black and white always, but recover colors if they contribute or support the theme. In black and white photography we have to be very explicit about the subject. Color pre-sorts elements for us, in b&w we need other ways. Tonality can highlight your subject, bokeh can, reducing the elements, leading lines, the composition putting the subject on a hot spot, and probably som emethods more. In this shot, there are far too many superfluous and distracting elements, some even brighter than the subject, all elements are sharp. That's not how black& white photography works in my view. Better try to guide your audience a bit more.

Best regards,

Mike

Hello Mike.

Thank you for your detailed comments and explanation.

I really appreciate all coments here, because I learn more here in few comments than hours and hours reading.

Somehow see some facts when you pointed that i couldn't see with my eyes. Maybe, exactly as you mentioned, i know the before and after of each shot.

Thanks once again for your time and comments.

Really learned from it.

Best Regards