New Joiners - People #492

A lovely candid environmental portrait of a moment on a train. I love how the woman appears lost in her own thoughts. The wonderful warm wood chairs come alive with the golden light running throughout the entire frame. The saturated colors work really well and give an extra sense of depth to the photograph. A great image that would look fantastic in a travel journal or magazine. Well done.

A beautifully framed and timed sports photograph. The positioning of the surfer works so well completely surrounded by the larger waves. The subtle variety of blues from the water work really well against the slither of blue sky in the top right corner. What I really like about this picture is that if you took away the surfer and I would never do that you would be still left with an incredible image that talks and shows us the power and beauty of nature. Which even with the surfer included this picture does that. Incredible capture.

This is a superb example of a top sports and event photograph. You really need to know the sport you are photographing inside out to understand the movements and best positioning to make the most impactful images. I suspect the photographer is also active in the area they are photographing. The technique is superb capturing the balance between the movement of the waves with the person surfing next to the wonderful inclusion of the sharp trees and beach in the background. The colors are vibrant and we the audience are really involved in the action. A superb sports photograph which would grace any magazine in the world. Really well done.

Really close to my top 10. A lovely photograph that is really well constructed. The hand on the glass with the shells is a really nice additional touch to the composition rather than just looking into the mirror that is so common. One thing that could maybe have been changed is the bumping up of the colors in post production. A more neutral color palette especially on the skin would have resulted in a more realistic image but such a minor issue. A great image regardless. Well done.

A great environmental candid portrait of a musician. The use of black and white really works especially against the strong contrast of the wonderful tonal range in the face which works well against the shapes of the trees in the background. The strong graphic shapes across the picture complement each other and the tight crop on the face and instrument really draws us the audience into the frame. Well done.

A high quality studio portrait. The photographer has collaborated well with the model and has made really good choices in the clothes the model wears especially in the color against the grey backdrop which has been lit really well against the main lighting on the model and fur. The facial expression and hand movement work well together in creating a dynamic modern studio picture. Excellent.

A wonderful and warm side-on portrait of a young girl with her dog. The slight vignette on the right hand side works well and would have been easy to over do it. The quality of light on both faces again works well against the creeping dark of the vignetting and the neutral background means we focus all our attention on the main figures. The similar facial expressions are lovely with the deep stares out of camera. The use of black and white means we are not distracted by color and overall this is a beautiful portrait of a young girl with a puppy. Well done.

In many ways such a simple picture but it is exactly this reason why this photograph works so well. The photographer has been careful to separate the young boy against the background allowing him to be perfectly sharp which means all the attention is on him and the activity of writing in his book. The tight crop works really well as does the use of black and white for what feels like a warm school portrait. The photographer has captured a moment that is perfect with the intensity of the little boy fully concentrated on what they are doing. A fantastic candid portrait. Well done.

This image is full of intrigue. It is moody and has a film noir feel about it. The strong light is well controlled as are the details in the highlights and shadows. The use of black and white adds an extra layer of atmosphere. It could be straight out of a film. The intense stare out of camera works well as does the tight crop. The choice of a plain backdrop with verticals works really well against the diagonals in the jacket. This is a really powerful constructed portrait that would look great framed on a wall. Well done.

A great candid environmental portrait if a person at work. The use of black and white means it fits into that documentary tradition of story telling. The highlights are really well controlled and the finish off the large cooking pot is lovely with its metallic finish. If the photographer could have somehow moved around the large wall to the right of the image then it would have really helped the composition but i guess space was areal issue as was moving about in the kitchen. Regardless a lovely complex and richly detailed portrait.

I love this picture and if the horizon line would have been straight it would have been in my top 10, easy to fix in Lightroom. Regardless the wonderful view that we get from the positioning of the camera gives us a front row seat and we watch the man work on the boat. The use of black and white with the deep clouds against the near silhouette of the man is fantastic as is the rope that runs through the boat into our eye line. A lovely photograph.

This is a very accomplished photograph for someone who is starting out in photography. The composition is very good and you have used lightroom to good effect. It's an intriguing picture and really well taken given that you were on a boat. You already understand the issues regarding that the image could have been blurred given you are on a moving boat. Really well done. Something to consider moving forward is to really look at the competitions you enter - This is a new joiners - People competition and we are really looking for individuals or groups of people at the center of the subject. Great effort and do keep on applying for competitions. You have a bright future.

Interesting that this competition has produced some wonderful individual pictures of young children and this is no exception and as good as anything entered. The low camera position meeting the gaze of the young child works so well and is really engaging. The soft light carefully controlled with the lovely highlights on the top of the hair work very well as does the way the depth of field softly moves out of focus as we look past the face. A stunning contemporary black and white portrait.

This is a really lovely seasonal portrait of a young girl completely engrossed in what she is doing blissfully unaware of the photographer. Great technique to blur the background and with the tight crop all the attention is on the little girl and that wonderful facial expression. The muted colors work really well bringing out the grey in the coat and pinks in the scarf and gloves. The light snow fall and tiny red berries in the branches adds that winter look to the picture. I could easily imagine this photograph on a Christmas card for next year. Lovely.