New Joiners - People #575

Photography as an aesthetic form is always about intention. That means the photographer visually explains what they want the viewer to see. Here, all I see are several people facing some sort of fence that bears no relation to the caption. I'm sure that this evokes good memories of a nice day but for the viewer, it's very confusing. Next time, have a think about what you're trying to convey visually and whether your position and framing allow for that.

This is a cracking idea that in terms of exposure, almost works but in terms of emotion, actually does. Although shot on a phone, the idea of panning remains the same for any camera and here the notion of movement (and happiness) is well communicated. The issue is the overexposure of the sky which is where the eye is drawn first... that's really down to the auto-exposure of the phone trying to make an average exposure. Still, it's a good effort, well done.

I like that this image is taken from a low angle and looking up at the boy - it gives a real sense of both the rest of the beach and drama. It's always tricky however to shoot into the sun. That's not to say you should never do it but if we do, we have to be aware of the flare that can obscure details and here that's happened across the boy's face. Even so, I still think the image has strength and that lies in the feelings it evokes. Well done.

This is great and has all the feel of one of Sally Mann's images. Technically hard to fault - a good exposure that ticks as many shades of grey as there are and, although compositionally straightforward, engaging and impactful. I think the wide-open aperture is all too often used these days but here it works perfectly and the zone of focus is critically in the closest eye. The neckline of the dress echoes the curve of the face and we're left with an image that asks as many questions as it answers. Well done.

A very strong entry that speaks both the best of formal portraiture but also to a graphic sense that contrasts with the soft lines of the subject. Well exposed and intimately framed, the impact for me is the delineation of frame whose top half speaks to chaos and the bottom, to order. Lovely.

There is an interesting image in here (or several actually) but it depends what the photographer is actually trying to say. The framing as it stands tells us that it's raining and that there's a girl under an umbrella. If the image is about the girl then there's little substitute for moving closer. If its about the weather's effect on the girl them compositionally, the photographer would again be better to move to a position where the elements of the street - the distracting side of the car, frame left, and all the other shapes and colours in the background aren't arranged so as to distract the viewer.

Whilst I really like both the framing of this image - the idea of a frame within a frame - and that it's taken from a high vantage point, other elements seem to let it down. Although sharpness is often over-rated, this is muzzy and shooting on Tungsten film probably hasn't helped: there's a lot of green which means either there's a surplus of fluorescent light or it's been scanned poorly. It IS a good idea but it's compositionally loose and for clarity's sake a focus on perhaps just the pianist might have communicated a more considered visual idea as the background with figures and light is distracting. Keep thinking about clear and simple compositions - but also keep experimenting with the frame idea.

This is a nice image of a man working and generally I think that this succeeds. It clearly shows what he's doing and the context - all important elements in capturing real life. It does however, feel strangely unemotional and distant and I think that's largely due to the fact that it's shot from above with little emotional connection. That connection doesn't have to include a smiley face or a thumbs up, but it does need to show an intimacy that this angle doesn't allow for. Keep going and strike up a conversation or at least an acknowledgement that you're present. Your images will likely improve!

Sports photography is usually about capturing the action by stilling it but sometimes, it's nice to get a sense of movement and by slowing the shutter speed, that's exactly what we have. However, the technique needs to be used sparingly and here, although we can just about make out what's going on, the image is a little too impressionistic and the framing, which gives too much emphasis to the court and it's colours, is too loose. Good try and maybe next time, up the shutter speed just a little.

Although this is clearly a 'snap', it actually contains the elements of a rather aesthetically interesting composition. The children looking through holes in the fence and the abstract nature of the hose reminds me very strongly of Cartier Bresson's "Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City, 1934" that depicts two prostitutes looking out through hatches in a wooden door. The 'looking-through' is well used device and here, a more careful cropping of extraneous elements (the child at the bottom of the frame and the child on the left would have made something really interesting.

I really like the shape of this frame and I especially like the 'feeling' it evokes. The chef is well caught and his posture is evocative of a long, slow night. That said, a more careful framing would have immeasurably improved this. The figure to the left is extraneous and adds little and so a frame that was made closer in - which you might have either retained the two women for 'depth' or excluded them both for clarity - might have been stronger. Still, this is well seen.

This is nicely done and just about makes an image that isn't too compromised by the interplay of foreground and background. I like the woman at the front, her pose and her hat that frames the face. She is compromised a little by the woman behind, but it's the line of wood (?) frame left that is the issue. With all of this, a decision about what to focus on and a framing that is in harmony with that is central. That said, this is a very human image that is close and impactful. Well done.

I can see that this is an interesting scene to come across and, as an aid to memory it gives the viewer an indication of what you saw. The difference between an image like this however and a photograph is usually aesthetic intent. I think that there are a lot of potentially interesting images in this frame but that would have required you to actively engage with the fisherman and frame what you thought was important. Next time, think about what you want to 'say' about something and try and do that creatively.