Karen II - Critique Please

[davidc]

Another shot from last week with the same "moody" processing applied. Same level of critique required please!

10668841023_11f1b2ec6f_c.jpg (322.87 KiB) Viewed 5483 times

[Mike Farley]

The lighting works better here than in Karen 1 and something similar there might have been more successful, especially as there is a catchlight in the eye in this image. The vignetting also works well.

I am not convinced about her expression or the pose, her left hand in particular causing a few problems for me. Her arm disappears into the shadow and the hand does not appear to be attached to anything. I would also question placing the tip of her forefinger on the edge of the frame and perhaps it would benefit from having just a bit more space underneath it. The position of her hand against the wall suggests that she has been cornered, but if that is what you are trying to express I would expect to see more concern in her face. As it is, I am uncertain what you are trying to convey.

Then there is the old chestnut about placement and negative space about which precedent suggests we will not agree. I would have preferred just a bit more on the left and the equivalent taken from the right as you are running the risk of having two images, one of the girl and the other of the brick wall with each competing for attention with the other. There is as much light on the wall to the model's left and right as is falling on her face and maybe the former needs to be toned down a bit to remove the distractions, especially as you have a heavy shadow to the side of her face.

Finally, I would have either asked her to remove the watch and wristband on her right arm or posed her in such a way that we do not see it. It's unnecessary detail away from the main subject, right in the corner with reflected highlights to boot.

Sorry that this is not more positive and I know that this kind of work is not easy. I do see a lot of potential in this shot, but for me it has not quite succeeded on this occasion.

[davidc]

Heh your analysis and comments are positive & useful, even if you don't like the image

[Mike Farley]

Heh your analysis and comments are positive & useful, even if you don't like the image

Good to know that you have found the feedback helpful. It's always a concern that critique can be seen as being negative, especially if the recipient does not agree with or understand the points made.

[davidc]

I've seen it extremely frequently online, probably where the artist & commenter are anonymous to each other. Asking for feedback or putting something up for judging then raging about feedback you don't like is a bit churlish & self-centered in my opinion - why put it up for comment if all you want is positive feedback!

Though I like putting stuff into competitions for a balance of feedback and to appease my inner competitive beast, I much prefer an interactive format like this where each party can answer back to the other because it offers a chance for both sides to learn something.

[Mike Farley]

I've seen it extremely frequently online, probably where the artist & commenter are anonymous to each other. Asking for feedback or putting something up for judging then raging about feedback you don't like is a bit churlish & self-centered in my opinion - why put it up for comment if all you want is positive feedback!

Yes, I do agree to a point, but a couple of times recently I have seen judges openly admit that they are biased against a particular subject or genre as they have seen it all before and then marked the images down. In the worse of the two instances, the judge did not even really attempt a critique and the image was only up for a few seconds. Such people do not help themselves as any negative comments can be interpreted as the judge looking for an excuse to mark low. Even if the criticisms are valid, in such cases it makes it much harder for them to be accepted.

Though I like putting stuff into competitions for a balance of feedback and to appease my inner competitive beast, I much prefer an interactive format like this where each party can answer back to the other because it offers a chance for both sides to learn something.

It definitely helps that we know each other in real life. I would never bother, or even dare, to write about a stranger's images in the way that I feel I can about yours. As you say, the very act of commenting is instructive to me as well.

[davidc]

It has been a very interesting & stimulating discussion. And livened up an incredibly tedious Thursday afternoon

[Mike Farley]

It has been a very interesting & stimulating discussion. And livened up an incredibly tedious Thursday afternoon

+1