Chris S. Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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I’ll play. And will start by saying that every image here strikes me as good to very good; but none, to my mind, is “professional”—which I’ll define as “likely to be purchased by an experienced photo editor for a top outlet.” This may be a harsh standard for judging students, but I think that we pay respect to artists when we judge them by tough standards. To my mind, too many artists have been misled by friendly praise, when tough, respectful critique would have served better. Since the real world is harsh, our true friends should be brutally honest when they review our work—far better to hear constructive criticism in private than hear empty praise, and be unaware of our weaknesses when we face the marketplace.
#1—I like the basic idea, but am bothered that the subject is looking at . . . um, seemingly nothing. His determined gaze gives the expectation that he is looking at something significant, so the viewer's eye goes to where he is looking—but it finds nothing.
Also, something in the toning—at least on my (calibrated) monitor--bothers me.
This said, I like the strong, basic composition—but the gentlemen needs to be looking at something significant.
#2—I quite like this image, but need the near eye to be dead sharp, which it is not. Also, The caption does not compel me, paired with the shot. Strikes me as a brave effort.
#3—Very strong, but I wish the image had been shot from a bit lower perspective. We need to see this through the child’s perspective—which probably means taking the shot from about his eye level, or at least closer to it. From the angle here, the book is in more perfect view than the boy’s face, which inverts the emphasis from the boy to the book. Brilliant concept; near miss in execution.
#4—Good execution, though I’d prefer to see a bit more illumination in the shadow portion of the girl’s face—fill flash, here, is called for. I like the shot quite a bit. But to me, here, the assignment calls for more of what I’d call a “story-telling shot”—and this shot, though very pleasing, does not tell quite enough story for me. Perhaps more bicycle? Perhaps an expression that conveys more about this girl’s travails and triumphs with the bike?
#5—Gut feel, I’m drawn to this image more than any of the others—but damned if I know why. Nice use of backlight. Does it tell a story? Not so sure. For me, this is a good shot. A great shot, on the other hand, would show, perhaps through the expressions of the oncoming pedestrians, recognition and reaction to what they see in the young woman we are trailing. As it is, we are deprived both of her perceptions, and of the onlooker’s perceptions. Brilliant concept, near miss in execution.
#6—Solid concept, perhaps another near-miss in execution. The subject is not looking at the camera and not looking at his smartphone. What is he looking at, over the photographer’s left shoulder? This question, I think, will enter the mind of many viewers, whether they realize it or not, and weakens the image. On the other hand, if this image were commissioned to illustrate, say, somebody who doesn’t give a crap about the world as it passes him by, it might well deliver the editorial message. And those of us who have shot for hire know that expressing the editor’s message is often the goal. So if this were the student’s precise intent, he or she has carried it out. On another note, I’ll quibble with exceptions made to the conversion to monochrome, leaving some blue and red portions colored. Since these exceptions don’t, to my eye, add anything compelling, I’d suggest leaving them out.
#7—Great concept. Objection to having the sign in better focus than the gentleman’s face—suspect it would work better in the reverse. Torsos real (to image left) and manikin (?) (to image right) detract. Would prefer more narrow band of focus (requiring wider aperture, which student budgets might not permit).
You probably can’t do this, but if you could, it would be very interesting to give each student a critique, and ask them to go out and retake their shots, then judge the results.
Cheers,
--Chris
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