Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: candide on February 20, 2011, 07:19:17 pm

Title: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: candide on February 20, 2011, 07:19:17 pm
Here's a shot I took this afternoon at the Chinatown Street Festival in San Francisco.
Title: Re: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: wolfnowl on February 21, 2011, 01:18:49 am
It's a good image of the girl with the pinwheel, but you have the back of someone's head on the left edge and someone's face and three fingers on the right edge.  Vertical crop maybe?

Mike.
Title: Re: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: popnfresh on February 21, 2011, 03:51:02 am
I think it's a good street portrait and I like how she's the only thing in focus. She's effectively isolated in the shot, despite being in a tight crowd. It doesn't bother me that you don't see all of the heafs surrounding her. They're out of focus anyway and basically serve to frame the girl.
Title: Re: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: RSL on February 21, 2011, 08:56:30 am
I agree with Pop. The shallow depth of field is what makes the shot. Cute girl too. That always helps. Good shooting, Candide.
Title: Re: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: candide on February 21, 2011, 11:53:07 am
I appreciate your comments. Shooting at the street festival was difficult--people were packed in like sardines on the sidewalk, and they were constantly moving. So I knew I'd have to keep the DOF shallow in order to pick out faces in the crowd. I shot mostly at f2.8 with an f2.0 lens. If I were to do it over again I think I would shoot wide open for even more selective focus.
Title: Re: Girl with Pinwheel
Post by: William Birmingham on February 22, 2011, 11:56:20 am
The moment has been captured very well. The focus mastered for sure.
I am with Mike in some respects. The crowd distracts my attention. (My short attention span?)

I would suggest a tighter crop to the girl.
Alternatively (maybe) some selective blurring and/or cloning to reduce the distracting elements.
The distracting elements for me are: bald head, right: hand and left: striped on white blouse.

I can not help but wonder how the shot would look like if the was colour in the wind-wheel.

Just my thoughts..
-- Will Silent