New Joiners - People #578

Whilst I think that this is an interesting image because of the (slightly underexposed) colour on the woman's jacket, I can't help thinking that it's simply a picture of 'someone asking past something'. To be fair, the frame is nicely balanced and well timed but apart from the noting that the colour of her jacket matches the building (somewhat), what is it trying to say? Perhaps a more engaging image might have been made closer in or from a different angle. It isn't that this is a bad frame necessarily but now that you can make a reasonably balanced image, try and push your range (emotionally, aesthetically etc) to go further and challenge yourself, and by implication, the viewer. Still, well seen.

This is a photograph of a print - or perhaps because of the key line at the bottom, it might be part of a contact sheet - which would explain the dust and dirt that covers it. However, the image itself is intriguing. A nice contrast between the softness of the model's dress (a stop or more underexposed I'm afraid) with the rocks and the texture of the water. However, she's missing part of her foot. That her other leg isn't visible is fine, but such crude cropping of what feels like half an image is a real shame.

This is nearly there. I really like that the frame is composed of abstractions created by shadows and shapes and that they are well exposed and thought through. However the woman - the focus presumably for the viewer - is compromised by the messy background behind her. Sometimes, that's just about timing (did she come out and close the door behind her?) but it could have been offset a little I think by de-centering her and making those distracting elements part of the central conceit. Still, this is a good effort and well seen.

Images of crowds are often interesting. Straight away, I think of 'V-J Day in Times Square' by Alfred Eisenstaedt and then Raghu Rai's 'Commuters at Churchgate Railway Station in Mumbai' from 1996. What makes these interesting however are that they have a focal point - and whilst this frame is interesting in that it allows us to examine the (almost exclusively out-of focus) faces of the crowd, I'm trying to work out just what the photographer wants the viewer to see or understand. If crowds are fascinating (and they are) a good place to start is to hone in on one face and let the viewer examine that.

This is a good idea and (presumably unconsciously) channels the work of Lee Friedlander whose images of the mundanity of the American 'social' landscape often included a self-portrait. I like the idea here but the image fails for several reasons. Firstly, although I can see the idea is a device for a dual portrait, the inclusion of the traffic behind and the loose framing means that the eye meanders. Secondly, the exposure is compromised by, I suspect, believing what the camera meter has suggested. This means that the highlights are blown and the shadows are very thin. A more accurate metering would have helped here - but keep on making interesting compositions.

This is a really bold frame and it almost works very well. I like the dramatic angle and the graphic texture of both the pavement and the building against the soft lines of the person. However. because of the way that it's exposed, it's really tricky to delineate the figure because he essentially blends into the shadows. Primarily I suspect an average exposure has been made that takes into account the sky and the foreground and this has compromised any shadow detail. A more accurate exposure and/or fill flash might have made this a real cracker - but in any case, it's well seen and a brave attempt.

Well, I think after reading the caption that the subject's expression still looks intriguing. I like this image very much but if the eyes are the most important part, why am I seeing the bars in the window behind so prominently? For me this image is about the face framed by the scarf and anything else is a distraction. Being closer-in is the way forward here.

There are likely several interesting images here that have caught your eye but in the end, they remain largely unexamined because you haven't focused clearly on any of them. I can see a really interesting pattern with the stairs, the shadow and the woman and I can see a lovely shape of the station (?) roof - but as a composition, this is too loose. Occasionally, elements all come together synchronously but from this distance and on a 24mm lens that's like conducting several orchestras simultaneously. You would have been better getting closer to one of the potential elements. Go closer and simplify!

Lovely. A really nice moment caught well - especially given the framing the includes a large chunk of bright sky that might have confused the exposure. That said, that large chunk of bright sky is somewhat distracting and takes the eye away from the (unwanted) kiss that's the central motif of the frame. I really like this but a slightly lower framing might have made this even better. Well done however.

Sometimes 'feel' trumps technical or even aesthetic norms and this image is a case in point. Despite some the highlights in this image being blown, the moment of self-contained contentedness is beautifully captured and I love, the off-kilter angle of the swing chains that seem to make us look harder at what is in essence, a very simple image. The expression and the naturalness of this frame (and inevitably its sepia/nostalgia treatment) make this a winner. Really well done.

This isn't the most egregious example of a clash between foreground and background - and of course as a snapshot, it does what it says on the tin - a memory recorded. However as a photograph - an aesthetic recording that is harmoniously readable by an audience - I find myself looking at the vehicle and figures behind that are incongruously placed. A way around this might have been to shoot from a couple of inches lower so as to isolate the action in front of the cloudy sky. Keep pushing.

This is really nicely done, but as always it's the small details that make things perfect. I think apart from a pretty well exposed frame (mind the highlights...), the strength of this image is both the composition and the contrast in textures between the girl's dress and the tree. I think what slightly compromises it is the framing whereby I can see her legs peeking from beneath the dress. I think a slightly tighter crop to the hem might have been less distracting but this is a good effort.

I really like the graphic nature of this image and it's well-seen. The red and blue horizontal blocks of colour echo some of the other lines here - the stripes of the girls shirt and the denim details as well as contrasting with the curves of the neckline and of course, the face and hair. In that sense, I see no point in having this as 'soft-focus' and perhaps even pushing the subject more to one side might have made a more dynamic, impactful image - but this is a cracking effort. Well done.

I like this, not only because it's a real candid moment but because there is a focal point and that focus is held to the detriment of the background which has been thrown-out with a large aperture. The image is nicely exposed, although I'd have liked a little more space above the man's head to let the composition 'breathe'. Other than that it's a cracker. Well done.

This is a good effort with a tricky technique and one, back in the day before absurdly high digital ISO that was essential to capture pretty much anything in low light without saturating the image with harsh flash. However, whilst I like the effect of the spinning ride, the overall composition doesn't say much beyond demonstrating the 'transparency' of the main figure. The additional figures in the foreground are seemingly random too, so whilst this is an interesting technique, it's best - like most technique - employed in the construction of an image that works aesthetically. Now you've got a handle on how to do it, let's see some work that speaks to both technique and composition - but well done for pushing yourself here.