New Joiners - People #503

This is a really nice idea. The use of a device to both frame and lead the viewer into the image is well used and seen. I like the layers of texture that the tube has given and I like the portrait at the end of it. Inventive and thoughtful - a good contribution.

Love this - a really warm, human portrait. I love the angle and the square shape that seems to emphasise what we are looking at. Two points to improve however - firstly, exposure. Watch your highlights - they are blowing. A more careful exposure would be useful here because we tend to look first at the brightest thing in the frame. Secondly, framing. It's a little distracting to see a house growing out of someone's head... an inch or so to reframe would have made this nice image a real cracker. Keep pushing but a nice job.

There's a lovely atmosphere to this; a really special feeling of a family together on a beach. The photograph works on that level - and that's fine - but as a photograph that gives more than that - it's lacking. That however, might be simply remedied. The irony is that the image shows closeness but is in itself not close. If the photographer was physically closer (and hence emotionally closer) we might be able to delineate the figures more clearly by framing away from the tide's edge and the different layers of colour. More, a more accurate exposure would render greater detail. That said, this was well seen - but push on!

This is potentially a really interesting image. I like the framing and I like the space at the top of the photograph that means it almost has space to 'breathe'. That said there are two issues that might be addressed. Firstly is the exposure. I'm guessing that the camera has tried to average out exposure here and has almost blown out the highlights. More careful metering is key here. Secondly the image is a little visually confusing. Good photography is about timing ad waiting for the right moment - some of the figures at the front are obscured and whilst I like the chap with his hand to his face, much else is a little muddied. If we'd have chosen a slightly lower angle then the background figures would have been covered and perhaps a more striking image might have resulted. Anyway, a good effort.

Lovely. A really nice engaging and intriguing frame. I love the different layers in this image - the colourful shirt, the water and the sunset. I think that this is an image that contrasts colours well and despite its many elements is harmonious. For me however, it's all about the curve of the pony-tail that although messy, is a delicate shape motif. Lovely.

Well, this is - by luck or judgement - a rather intriguing frame. I like that the photograph contains four separate zones - the from windscreen, the two side screens and the car frame. All work well as they contain different textures and shapes (and colour) but it's the man's face that makes it. If that was a little more clearly defined then this would be a cracking image. That said, the point is to *see" this in the first place and for that, this image wins.

I really like this - or more precisely, I like the idea behind it. I think that in total this is a really interesting and engaging image. I like the bold bisection of the centre line and that the pattern on the glass that seems to just miss the blurred figure. I like the colours (yellow) around the woman (?) but mostly I like the device that this is a portrait but a different kind of one that asks more questions that it answers. Nicely done.

I really do like this - as much for the fact that not one of the young people shown are looking at the camera and are (almost) entirely clearly delineated from each other. Compositionally it's compact and tight and one's eye can meander across the frame in a pretty harmonious way. I'm not actually sure however that there's a focal point per se - but then perhaps that's not the point - rather a (well-ordered) slightly abstract jumble of people. Intriguing.

I think that this is a fine image: it shows exactly what these children are doing and gives a reasonable impression of their lives. The framing is relatively simple - they're slap-bang in the middle of the frame and the railway tracts either side guide our eyes around the picture. The issue is that the exposure is off. The highlights are blowing and that detracts from the image itself. This is tricky especially in bright sunlight but a more accurate manual metering might have saved this. In any case, well done for seeing.

There's great potential here: the colour of the cherry blossom, the red of the brick and the contrasting green of the girl's top. That said, the image is lacking: is it just about the colour palette, or about the cyclist, the tree or all of these things? If it's the latter, what works is the clear visual definition of all three elements but what hinders it is the framing (the wheels are obscured) and the shop front is confusing. This gives the impression that the frame is claustrophobic. I think that expanding the frame a little to give a little more context to the street and the cyclists place within it. Very nearly - keep pushing!

There's more than one way to take a portrait and this is an intriguing effort that suggests rather than shows. Although the figures could be more clearly defined, I like the anonymity and I like the strangeness of the whole thing. The unfiltered fluorescent casts an eerie green light over everything. Nicely done.

This isn't a bad frame - it is decently exposed and the framing gives context and delineates clearly the figures. On closer inspection however, it seems a little disengaged and 'flat'. How might we improve? I think we have to decide whether this is about weather in general or the figures in context. If it's the latter then perhaps a lower angle would work - emphasising the figures in the foreground and diminishing the crowd behind. Also, focussing on just one of the groups might be more impactual. Keep pushing - there's an stronger picture in there...

This is such a nice idea and very nearly a lovely image... but... this poor chap seems to have a piece of fence coming out of his head. Once you see it, you can't un-see it... When we make an image we have to constantly scan foreground and background and make sure that they are in harmony. With practice this becomes second nature and I'm sure that after seeing this, you'll never make that mistake again. Keep on going because these little mistakes are all part of the process - and you did see a really interesting frame to start with.

I love the ingenuity and approach of this rather unorthodox portrait that combines traditional lighting and a little clever open shutter technique. Although I can see a small figure to the right of the frame who's clearly waving the torch this doesn't detract from something a little surprising and different from run of the mill portraiture. Thinking outside of the box and backing it up with creativity is refreshing to see. Nicely done.

This is nicely done. A decent balance of the lights giving a moody yet defined face. Just to be picky, a hair/rim light to define the portrait from the background might have made this 'pop' just a bit more and the light falls off at the bottom of the beard. The eyes and sockets hold pretty well. But - the watch... a bit too distracting as it's a catchlight in itself - especially as we can only see a fraction of it. This however is a strong image and nicely made. Keep going with the experimenting and you'll crack a style that works for you. Nice.

Despite its technical limitations this frame has 'feeling' in buckets. What can we 'read into' this frame? The momentary interaction between the child and the snack vendor? Pathos? Longing? Power? Who knows - but it seems to work on a very human level. The technical issue revolves around what I presume is a very centre-weighted and camera-dominant exposure. A better solution to give some depth and context to the image would be a more careful exposure that allowed us to see more of the surrounding and therefore a greater frame (sorry) of reference for the encounter. Still, a lovely effort.

This isn't a bad frame and I like how we get to see the chap making a carving - but I wonder how it might be improved? First off, exposure wise, it's a bit 'flat' - that might be because it has been shot in colour and converted (?). However in any case, a bit more careful exposure especially around the (partly covered) face might be needed. Secondly though, the framing both tells and conceals. Either I'd like to see more of him and his box of tools and where he's sitting in a slightly wider shot or if we're concentrating on just him and the carving a closer but perhaps crucially portrait frame to emphasise concentration. Either way, it's about thinking on what you want to achieve before you frame and press the shutter. Well done for seeing though.