Bravisimo

Critiques

Write a critique

If you find one of these critiques especially helpful--or especially unhelpful--then please take a moment to register your opinion by clicking one of the buttons to the right of the critique.

Show newest first		Show most helpful first
Show oldest first		Show least helpful first

		from rkriggs/Kevin (10,467) on October 22, 2008 4:12:33 PM CDT (1) The first thing you notice is those eyes, and then quickly the situation -- that it's not ideal lighting for the photo, but the photo has to be taken anyway, and quickly. You did a good job making the best of the situation, Nathaniel. The exposure is balanced for very good skin tones in the shadow. And there is strength in the sunny reflections in his hair and the background: these establish the context, and this context brings even more out of the boy's expression, because they provide a stark ruggedness that's in keeping with the strong mood that's overtaken him. The sand on his skin and the angle of his hips contribute to this, too, so it's important that the image isn't cropped to just his face. It's a powerful image, Nathaniel: for you, of course, because it's personal -- but even without familial ties, the viewer is drawn into the poignancy of this time in a boy's life. Best regards, Kevin Reply  Show ratings  From nakamichi/Nathaniel (1,491) on October 22, 2008 7:55:24 PM CDT Kevin, thank you so much for taking the time to critique this image. You know, I did a complete re-processing of the image and it looks a bit different. I ended up processing it so that more detail shows (high structure), and making the sepia tone darker. The upshot is that I think that is the best conversion so far, but the sadness for me is that I truly also like this shot here for the reasons you describe -- and of course because it was one of those once in a lifetime moments. The new conversion fixes what Mauro noticed in the background, and a bit more of the highlights. You are absolutely right, it was one of those moments when faced by the opportunity, and surrounded by less than ideal conditions, one just takes it and goes with the flow. I definitely should have taken more care in the initial processing though! : ) Thanks again Kevin! Reply
		from mauro1/Mauro (11,513) on August 3, 2008 10:41:49 PM CDT (4) One of the things I like about this site is reading different opinions on photos. It provides me with some background as to how others judge my photos. I really had to search to find something here that didn't quite work. For me the story here is all in those eyes. He has given you a serious expression beyond his years. It is pretty rare to see a photo of a kid on here where they are not smiling or laughing. Here I was reminded of Lord of the Flies. The location (beach) is communicated even without your description. How, well the sand on his hands and torso. So with that, and the rough appearance to the hair and intent stare I was taken back to images conjured in William Golding's novel. I guess the fact that he looks a little upset helped guide me in that direction as well. I like the stark shadows from his hair on the shoulders. The background behind his hair is a nice complement. It's abstract enough not to be a distraction but it provides some nice texture and certainly provides some depth by making your son stand out. You might be able to lose a little from the top to make this more balanced but I don't think cutting into the hair works. At least when I tried cropping it there is just did not look right considering the proportions in the rest of the photo. I did not find the reflections on his hair a distraction at all. Perhaps if that was the only white region in the photo it may have distracted me but there is the large expanse of white from the sand in the background so in comparision my eyes were not drawn the those reflections in a way that competed with the true intention of the photo. His expression and eyes commanded so much attention that really the only thing I found unpleasant to some degree was the background mid-frame. The lack of detail from the white sand did not bother me, however the banding issues back there did. There are some rather obvious quick tonal transitions (ex. in the water) that do not appear to be from the shallow DOF (ie. not from the bokeh) but rather due to some post processing event. They give the photo a digital appearance. Now whether this was the result of working in 8bit or to the b/w conversion, or something else I cannot say. I don't think you have to go back and rework your post processing to avoid it because it is b/w. The healing brush would make short work of getting rid of the banding. Nice work, Cheers, Mauro. Reply  Show ratings  From nakamichi/Nathaniel (1,491) on August 7, 2008 9:53:38 AM CDT Mauro: (when I was a child I had a friend named Mauro who went to the same art magnet school I attended!). Thanks for the wonderful critique. I think you are quite kind in your review. I have edited the image a bit -- that is, created a different version that crops a bit more on the left (his right side). Not much, but bringing it closer, to dispel some of the centeredness. I will also look at the banding you noticed. Great eyes Mauro. I was so focused on my son, and how beautiful he is, that I missed those! Thanks again Mauro, I truly appreciate the critique. Reply
		from robinab/Robin (55,870) on July 27, 2008 7:57:50 AM CDT (6) Hi Nathaniel. I think you nailed the expression. I love the messy hair too but what is important is that I can still see both of his eyes quite well. For me too, the blown out hair is the most distracting to this but also the upper left white areas of the background. I think you could easily crop this down to about 1/3rd of his hairline to remove most of the blown areas in the hair and background, and still maintain a good composition of him. I also find the black areas on the right border a bit of a problem - especially the slight nub about level with his shoulder. On 2nd look, you could crop the bottom too and make this a simpler tighter portrait... :)Robin Reply  Show ratings  From nakamichi/Nathaniel (1,491) on July 27, 2008 8:03:08 AM CDT Thanks Robin! Great suggestions, especially since I am early in the process of thinking through this shot. I'm still mulling what to do with it, and how to treat it. : ) Thanks again, N Reply

Comments

Add a comment

There are no comments on this photo.

Return to photos