New Joiners - People #497

A nice moment here captured presumably amongst chaos at the front of a gig. What I like is the hand that takes us right into the 'action'. The flame is nicely delineated and the spotlights appear to frame the whole thing. The background is a compromise in terms of attention but reading your explanation I can see how the image evolved. Generally I'm not a fan of over post-production but here it's worked and you have an image that says what it does on the tin. Well done.

They say that the best camera is the one you have with you and in this case the photographer's captured an intriguing image on an iPhone. I like the sense of mystery and I like the colour balance between the blue of the sky/mist and the dark foreground - the trees as sentinels seemingly in the forest. I would have liked the figures to be more clearly delineated (as a technical issue) but what you have is a more 'impressionistic' approach. Interesting.

Well, this is an interesting scene - but how might we make it an interesting and engaging image? Perhaps we might choose what it is we want to show... is it the entire scene, is it individuals or a mixture of both? A way forward would certainly be closer to what is going on - that way we can direct the viewer carefully to what we think is important. Be brave - get involved!

Nice frame but one that is impactful largely because of its darkness in processing and conversion to monochrome. This is fine but how might we have improved? I think the issue here is the guitarist behind who appears to growing from the singer's shoulder(s). I know that photographing at gigs can be chaotic but a repositioning (in this case getting just an inch or so lower) might have meant a cleaner image. Nice effort though.

There's a lovely moment here that you've seen. The trick is to translate that into something that is 'readable' by others rather than just a sweet moment that means a great deal to you. Let's start with the exposure - I'm guessing that the camera's meter averaged the scene out and created an image that's overexposed. That's easily fixable with a little practice and shooting manually. The second issue is about composition. I'd like to see more of the child - I'd like her arm to be clearly delineated whilst not missing out on the dandelion-blowing action.... that's about working out where to stand to capture what you want. Neither of these are so tricky that they can't be mastered with a little practice - you've already done the hard part to work out what to photograph!

A lovely moment and nicely captured. Never easy to shoot (more or less) into the sun especially when you're shooting wide open. I wonder however if a slightly lower angle might have made a more dramatic image and more clearly delineated the woman's face from the hedgerow? You've gotten away with it because the sun has separated her just enough to see her profile but sometimes an inch or so in your position gives you a great deal more exposure/composition latitude. Still, a good job though.

Lovely. A really different angle makes a visually interesting and rather arresting image. I like how the frame is bisected in two by the water and the boat's edge and I like the (almost) symmetry of the children themselves bisected by the metal rail. It's always good to find new ways to view and show the world and this frame does that. Well done.

Lovely. You've well captured the emotion of a cold ice-lolly on young teeth and exposure wise, you're pretty good to go. But what makes a better image than a snapshot? An image that is planned (ish) and reactive. So positioning yourself to give a bit more space frame right would be optimal as well perhaps a bit more space generally to give the frame space to 'breathe'. That said, sometimes, we just react and get what we can under less than ideal circumstances - but a bit of advanced thought sometimes helps.

I think that there are some really interesting things happening in this fame but they are a little confused. Personally I LOVE the pillar and as a framing device it works well to separate the two sides of the frame - bottom right with the colour of the vegetable stall and the red of the tram. The issue is one of focus - if we are focusing simultaneously on two sides of the frame, they need to be simpler and harmonious - entirely possible if we wait for the perfect ('decisive') moment. Keep using and use things like the pillar to create more dynamic compositions!

Lovely. Although faces are the way that we 'read' people, sometimes photography can portray the individual in different ways. Here, colour and shape are key. This image is brave and simple. The (I presume deliberate) turn from the camera has been utilised to make a rather haunting portrait that relies on the similarity between subject and background. For me, the image is completed by the angular crack in the wall at the top left. An intriguing image.

I really like the potential here - and that potential revolves around the colour the sky and how you frame it. At present it's about both the pillar (and stairs) in the foreground which isn't clearly defined enough to 'lead' us into the beach - with the addition of the small light at the frame's centre - or the beach and the people. These are choices that we have to make quickly (before the light fades) and they are often about moving the frame millimetres one way or another. Very nearly there - keep going.

This is a really excellent moment well caught in camera. I love the shape that the model makes and that she's clearly delineated from the background, The exposure is pretty decent too considering how bright the sky looks and she's predominately wearing darker colours. The hydrant (?) makes a nice contrast of shapes and overall this is a good effort.

I do like this. It's simple and clear and, as a portrait, tells a story. But how to improve? I think it's pretty well exposed - although some of the highlights are just on the edge of blowing - but I wonder how we might make this 'pop' a little more? I think firstly the image feels a little flat and that might be something to do with the time of day that this was shot. Usually late afternoon sun or early mornings are your friends with more dramatic light but sometimes additional fill-in flash might make the subject stand out some more - alternatively a much wider aperture (f1.4/f2 etc) would force the viewer to focus almost entirely on the face/eyes. That said, this is a really nice frame - well done.

This is really nice - but the smallest details can mar an image ever so slightly and here the cropping of the child's foot and the closeness of the figures to the frame's bottom edge (as opposed to the space at the top) seems to 'cramp' the composition. Always tricky when we're balancing light and people (especially keeping the attention of a child) but it's the little things that always make the difference. Very, very nearly...

This is nicely done and I like the notion of detail in terms of photographing people doing what they do. However the image is about the woman chopping whatever it is on her board. It's well caught by the large(ish) aperture but it loses attention because of framing. If the background is important, use it but otherwise a more impactful image is of the blade and fingers.

I really like this - sometimes it takes a different approach to make an interesting frame and the shadows make not only a dramatic composition but also an intriguing image. I want to know more about these people and their story and that's because I can't see their faces nor identity them in terms of a regular photograph. Nicely done.

Nicely done. Always tricky to keep shadows retaining detail when exposing for just a small patch of highlight here. The curve of the hat is well picked out and nicely frames the face but also is a simpler counterpoint to the complexity of the arms as posed. I like the spill of light onto the hair at the back to give depth and the single, simple catchlight in the eyes. Charming.

I love the sense of freedom here and the photographer has caught a 'moment' - accentuated by the ecstatic pose with the excellent reflection beneath. I like how the horizon on a rather dull looking day is slightly off-kilter, giving a dynamic feel to the frame - and I like the pink dress contrasted with the overall 'monochrome' of the situation.

Sometimes simple is best - and this image does what it says on the tin. It's a very straightforward photo with direct on-camera flash. It is pretty well balanced with the background but how to improve? If we are going to use flash we need to control it and that usually means taking it off the camera (reducing the chance of red-eye) and moving it to create the effect we want - soft/harsh/directional light - these are all achievable choices with a little practice.

It's always tricky to be working in full sun - that's why lots of people use fill flash to partly control the exposure. However, if your subject was the woman in the hat, I'd have liked to have seen a bit more of her. We can be physically closer to capture candid work or sometimes just be open and be more obvious - the worst is that people say 'no' and you move on. It takes a bit of practice but generally people are open to an honest approach. Give it a try and be brave - that's half the work of the photographer.