New Joiners - People #506

This is a good image; it's natural and we get an indication of character and it's clear that it's consensual and collaborative. I wonder though how we might make a better frame given the chance again? For me, this might start with an accurate exposure. Once you know that, you can compose safe in the knowledge that the image will be accurate. Here, it looks like the front of the shirt is burnt out and I wonder if that is because you've trusted the camera to make an average exposure across the whole frame? I quite like the composition but I wonder whether a less cluttered backdrop might have given a better result. Sometimes, this means asking someone to move or it means the photographer could adjust his own position. Either way, this isn't a bad effort and with a little more input, a good starting point for a better frame.

Sometimes we have to live with things in an image that are a little problematic so we can appreciate what's good about it. This is a case in point - the whole frame is a wonderful moment captured with the a marvellous reflection, well anticipated and captured. The background of the spectators is annoying but concentrating on that would be to detract from an excellent, energetic and engaging image.

Sometimes, whether by accident or judgement, a photograph can give us something that is both precious like a memory or something more interesting/disturbing - like the unintentionally channelling of a Francis Bacon 'mouth'. This image would appear to have both and, whilst not exactly technically excellent, has emotion in spades and that particular indefinable quality that some images have to stop you in your tracks. Lovely. A good example of the joys of happenstance in photography.

There's something very engaging in this image and I think that it has to do with several things. Firstly, it's simple - it isn't trying to do anything complicated - plain background, decent exposure and a portrait that hints at character. Secondly, however it has a really nice touch with the hands and the hair detail. We 'read' people in real life by their eyes and their hands and this captures something very much I suspect of that person. I would have really liked to see the other hand because it seems to jar with the crop but that said, I really like this.

This is a perfectly nice image but the person looks frozen and I might say, a little uncomfortable. That might be a generational thing - posing for selfies through social media but our job as a photographer making such images is surely to convey something about the model 'as a person', for the camera. Sometimes we're confronted by a model that's completely intent on looking a certain way - but I think that what might have helped here was a more relaxed approach - one that relied less on hope the person looked but more on how she felt. Nice effort in any case.

This is an engaging, characterful face pretty well captured but it seems to rely on post production, specifically clarity and vignetting to make it impactual. There is a better photograph in here that you've already seen: one that is likely one step to the left so that the foliage doesn't become an element that clashes with the man's hat. The point is to move yourself around so that that elements are harmonious - you're nearly there - keep pushing.

This is a lovely frame that shows real emotion and engagement. I like how you've framed the aunt and her nephew but the image is a little confusing because the background is so pronounced and thus, distracting. One of the keys to successful imagery is the interplay between foreground and background and when we have time to make these kind of images it's important we choose where (and when) to shoot. Nice effort though.

Lovely - a real moment captured. That said, technically the frame can be improved. It's soft - unsurprising as it's shot at only 1/60th of a second when the dancers are, if not in full flow, then still active. Secondly if you can't direct the action you need to be able to move yourself so that the foreground and background are harmonious. It very nearly is - the grey of the background would have been perfect (and really shown off the couple's colourful clothing) if you'd have managed to move to the left. That said, this is well seen and a good effort.

Well, from this I get some sense of personality but I also get some discomfort. Was this a snatched image and if so, how might it have been improved? Good photography is often about an unsaid collaboration between the sitter and the photographer - putting the subject at ease. More, making the foreground and background harmonious - here the chap's head is bisected by a picture on a wall and I find myself looking at the other man walking into frame. It does give an impression of character, and it's not bad - but keep pushing with composition and dialogue (verbal or not).

This is a relatively engaging image - but how to make it better? Good photography is about (amongst a great deal of other things) making images that are harmonious and easily 'readable'. I can see this is someone leaning against a car but what are the essentials here? We 'read' images, especially portraits by the amount of information we register. Would this have been better then either as a tighter head shot or wider so that we might see some context about his location and/or choice of car? Also, if we casually crop his hands (both left and right) whilst hinting at them, aren't we left wanting to see more? Further - the horizon cuts right through the man's face - a further distraction. Shooting from slightly above or below might have made the dance between foreground and background a little less jarring. Finally, the quality of light at sunset - warm, rich and gentle seems to be in contrast with covering the whole frame with a green tint. Well done for seeing this image but a few little adjustments might have made this a more engaging image.

Almost... when a photograph is this clear and well executed it seems churlish to criticise ... but the obscured foot and the partly cropped upright of the frame really bother me. An inch or so can really make the difference between a good composition and a great one and as photographers it's incumbent upon us to scan every bit of the frame to make sure things are harmonious and as good as they can be - we can never go back. Which here is a shame because the kid's hair bows against the clear pattern of the ground and the angularity of the swing ropes is gorgeous. Keep pushing.

I think what I like about this is it both subverts and conforms to the conventions of portrait. It subverts because this isn't a full face, straight-on, run-of-the-mill imaging of a person. It conforms because it does what a good portrait does - it tells us about the subject but in a slightly different way - here through the patterns in the man's hair. It does this in a visually harmonious way and rather than simply a detail, we get some additional context. Nicely done.

Lovely. A relaxed, simple and natural image that balances well the shapes and colours on either side of the model. What I really like is not so much the laugh but the hand through the hair that gives additional shape and dimension to the composition. Nicely done