Critique please!

[gregh]

I really like this photo I took of my daugher awaiting something to be wrapped up.

I was considering entering it into the odd photo competition, but I wondered if I just like it as it is my daugher, or wether it has any merit as a photo?

All feedback welcomed ;)

http://www.gregh.co.uk/jpegs/girl.jpg

regards,

greg

[Teece]

It's a nice 'snap', but nothing more, I feel. Sorry! The composition could be improved - certainly, having the subject dead centre does nothing for the picture. There's not enough of her face to really capture the attention, the background is distracting, and the foreground elements get in the way in the current composition. Sorry again!

[gregh]

No need to apologise, exactly what I was looking for, some honest feedback, thanks! :D

[thelocalman]

I would without doubt enter it into a comp and see what happens. I dont know how Teece is qualified to call it a snap but I like it and it captures a great moment.

[Teece]

If Greg is talking about photoclub competitions, then trust me, it'll get nowhere. It's all very well saying you 'like it', but please, describe what makes it anymore than a snap?

[Sam]

Have to say I agree with Teece. All my opinion of course, but I find the background distracting, as is the pen and bell in the foreground. With your daughter in the centre of the picture I find my eye wandering, if she'd been a couple of feet to her left it would have worked better. You'd also see more of her face through the glass counter. For me its a nice try but not quite good enough to do anything in a photo comp, sorry.

[Simes123]

Hi,

As an image, it does have a certain cuteness. There is something quite compelling for me with partial portraits, and it is that which I feel is where this image's strengths lie. Whilst it may be a "snap", there is certainly the basis of a good shot in the making here, and I would recommend exploring further with the theme of a partial portrait of your daughter. My suggestion would be to remove the clutter from the image, and perhaps to explore taking the image with your daughter's face peeking over the top of either the bottom of the frame itself, with a neutral background and lots of negative space, or to have her peeking over some object in a "Chad" type way.

The image presented doesn't work in my opinion because of the extraneous elements in the scene. The shallow depth of field is good for isolating the subject, but leaves a distracting and substantial foreground object OOF, yet capturing the viewers attention. In the background, the bright colours again draw the eye away from the subject.

In summary, my suggestion is to explore further what you have that is good here - the selective portrait of a young child, but simplify, removing all the elements that don't lend any value to the image.

Best regards,

Simon

[darftblerk]

It's a nice picture, but not alot more. Maybe moving 4 feet to the right and getting a clear foreground, large aperature, and getting the top half of her face and eyes reflected in the counter top would make a more interesting photo. Really it's about taking lots of shots in this kinda situation. lay around and snap away. You'll generally (if like me) find one great one in a shoot of 36, if you're lucky :)

[Radiohead]

Nice snap but nothing more - the green mat, reflection in the glass top, bell and pen all distract and th eviewfinder would have shown this. Good eye for a pic, but you need to be more careful with framing and have a read-up on the rule of thirds.

[craigizmo2k2]

I really like it personally, I love photography like this, so thats probably why, i'm biased! :D

The composition could be improved, perhaps missing out some of the background, having the pen outside the shot.

I wonder if perhaps showing the hands wrapping the item up would help as at the moment the photo looks more like she is being a sneeky little runt who is trying to steal something. :D

If this sounds like a load of rubbish, just ignore it because I'm only really starting to get into photography.

[gregh]

cheers for all the feedback, with young kids and shots taken at the moment, the chances of doing some of the suggestions are zero, as once she saw me there, the moment had gone and she kept glancing to see if I was still there!

[thelocalman]

it wasnt a set up or posed shot - its just time captured

yes with posing and the like it could be largely improved but I like it - but hey - what the hell do I know about photography.

[Sam]

I don't think any of us have said we didn't like it, just that it wasn't good enough to be in with a shout in a competition. As a spur of the moment candid its a nice photo to have in the family album :)

[raymondlin]

here's the bottomline.

Right moment, wrong composition.