New Joiners - People #509

A quite straightforward composition but one that really works. I like first of all the way the aperture has been deployed to isolate the figure and I like that the shutter speed has captured the rain and the direct gaze. The red strip stands out well from the grass and overall, despite (or because of) its simplicity, this frame really works well.

I like this but what are we looking at? Are we focused on the man praying or on him as part of the rest of the crowd? If it's the former, I think that the frame needs to be made closer. That can be achieved either by the photographer moving - or (less successfully) using a longer focal length. If we want to photograph the crowd then we might alter the photographer's position - perhaps a little lower to make the figures dominate more. I think that there's something about the details of the hands in this frame that could be made much more of.

This is clearly a very important photograph for the photographer but sometimes that preciousness is not conveyed to others by the image. Here's a lovely moment that might be improved by firstly, better exposure but more importantly by considering the background - the hanging basket - in a way that doesn't conflict with the main image. A nice frame however.

Whilst I think that this is impactual and a strong image, I'm always asking how this might be made better? I think what bothers me is that although we focus on the model's eyes - emphasised by the beads - the background, specifically the lines of the arm-rest of the chair is distracting. Surely a better composition would have been to place the models head into the neutral space of the red of the chairs' backrest. How to do? The photographer moves an inch or so either way making the forground/background harmonious.

I think that there's a great deal to like with this image. I like the dramatic framing and I like the exposure which seems pretty accurate but even though the curve of the wall is engaging I think ultimately it distracts. We have to decide early on in composing I think what is crucial to what we're trying to say: here the extra architectural detail (interesting in itself) is extraneous and a little confusing. That said, we only discover by being brave compositionally - so keep going.

Sometimes the best images are the simplest and this is both impactual and simple. Lovely framing, nice colours and a big smile. Clearly the circles of the inner tubes frame the face and, because they are contrasting colours, give a sense of depth to the portrait. Very nicely done.

I do think that this is an innovative and interesting shot - an unusual angle and framing. That said, I don't think that it quite works because there are too many disparate elements that draw our focus from the hands over the pregnant belly. The arrangement of the blanket is crooked and the grass is too dominant, More the ripper jeans just draw the eye. I think that this is a brave idea - and the photographer should push on - just refining the composition.

A very strong portrait of a man whose face indicates a quiet composure. I really like the simple framing and the use of a large aperture to isolate the key details of the eyes. There's enough detail in the focus fall-off to be able to give a good depth the the image however and the black background draws us inevitably inwards to the image. Nicely done.

A lovely moment captured with emotion and empathy. That said, the image is a good example of how the photographer moving a little might have made a stronger composition. The background is confusingly layered with both sheep and a fence and a car. Sometimes we need to consider how the foreground and background interact and in this case - even if it disturbed the naturalness of the moment - it might have been worth pursuing.

There's a good deal to like here - the figures against a neutral background, the natural poses, the moment caught without intrusion and so on... That said, I wonder if a portrait shape that exploited the whole figures without cropping - and excluded the additional wall detail frame left - might have been more effective. Even so, the portrait is natural and pretty well balanced and I think, does what it set out to do.

I think this frame gives a good impression of character and is pretty warm in terms of empathy and emotion. The issue I think is that it's clearly cropped too tight and the light bulb and other extraneous bits in the background seem to intrude and fight for our attention. I think that either we have to be lucky in terms of background or we move ourselves around a subject to compose harmoniously. Keep pushing as this is nearly there.

I think again, this is a good example of considering foreground and background when we compose. A good attempt at isolating the pedestrian but harsh shadows (middle of the day?) and a long lens (not necessarily a problem in itself) presents a rather impersonal image. More the trees, cars and incongruous sign give different and rather confusing signals to the viewer. Still, a decent effort - but a strong image has to balance multiple visual clues and so keep pushing.

There is something very lovely about this - a natural (if slightly confused expression) on the child's face and the adult behind. That said, how to improve? Clearly closeness (physical and to some extent, emotional) closeness isn't an issue but the frame 'feels' a bit snatched. Once we've gained trust and moved into make an image, we have to make the most of the opportunity. Is this about faces? in which case them perhaps excluding the cropped hands of the child and perhaps making the frame a landscape might have been better - or is about stepping back and giving both figures a bit of space and perhaps not looking down so much? Either way, a good effort.

Well, I certainly think that this is an interesting image but rather than concentrating on the child in the centre of the frame, one's eye inevitably tries to find a foci because the subject is almost hidden. Well done for spotting the child but by composing more carefully and excluding a third of the left side of the frame we might have been able to retain the idea of the child's 'peek' without losing him in the background.

Nearly, I think. Without technical data I can't decide whether this was a (very) low-light effort or a deliberate exposure. Either way, the effect is rather haunting. I think however it's a little too mysterious in that although it has a certain beauty, it doesn't go beyond that. I like the directness but perhaps for me, the small collar detail (bottom left)slightly detracts - as does the landscape format... but this is an interesting and engaging effort.

Lovely. An interesting backstory to the image and a decent exposure although I think it might have been an idea to push the ISO up a fair bit (it's only at 640) to get a little more exposure latitude. That said, I like very much the (kind of) rim-light effect of the light breaking across the man's profile and the almost monochrome feel. Overall, a really interesting and ey-catching effort. Well done.

This is a strong frame and says a good deal but I wonder if it might have been even better taken a little closer in. The long lens compresses the image components - hands and face so that they all blend into one. Additionally, I wonder whether if you'd have stayed on that focal length, a lower short might have made a profile that might also have been inpactual. In any case this is still an intriguing image.