New Joiners - People #605

An excellent and arresting image whose composition is simple but elegant. I like how the model 'pops' from the background with the rim light and I like the light fade from left to right - but the beard and the hair to model's left is just a touch too hot - but this is a strong effort. Well done.

Delicately done. Overall, an excellent exposure and simple framing but the highlight (sorry...) is the shadow-pattern through the fan. Sometimes these ideas work and sometimes they don't but this gives another dimension to the portrait. I think that the background is rather distracting and I'd have been tempted by something more neutral - but nevertheless an excellent effort.

I really do like this - not only for the model's pose but for the graduation of sharpness from left to right which is (deliberately) arresting. A simple composition, decently exposed and an idea carried through presumably from a spontaneous moment. Lovely.

Part of being a photographer is deciding what to exclude from an image and this is a very good case in point. Clearly the light is the draw here and it rakes nicely across the rickshaw wallah's face. However I get the impression that this is snatched at. How much stronger and better balanced would this have been if we could see his fingers and if the angle was such that the wallah's head was to obscure the guy with his 'phone behind? One has to think about both foreground and background AND all of the other compositional elements at the same time. You're responsible for every inch of the frame before you commit it to the final image. Well seen though.

This is a potentially interesting image but it's execution, I'm afraid, rather lets it down. I like that the image captures a real moment of contemplation but the highlights to the left are almost completely blown - and that's where the viewer inevitably looks first. A more accurate reading from the highlights via a hand meter or judicious use of the camera's spot function would have resolved this. Nice try so keep pushing.

This is a sensitive portrait that despite its technical limitations is reasonably well captured and depicts the vulnerabilities and sensitivities of its subject. As a composed photograph however, it is compromised by the way that it has been evidently cropped: the knees (?) to the right and the hint of another body to the left are really quite distracting. What we put in the frame is a decision. Either crop tighter to emphasise the subject or come back to emphasise the context. A nice image in any case.

This is a decent stab at an in-situ portrait which nearly works. I like that you wanted both the porter, his ridiculous load and a bit of the scenery. However, the image feels cramped and I think that either you might have framed him closer in or further back. This is a compromise where his feet and the staff and cropped and the load almost touches the top of the frame. I think successful images like this are about decisions - what you will and what you won't include, and why.

Nicely done. The composition here leaves space for the figure and his footsteps to breathe into the image. I especially like the patterns of the sand and the tide are rendered well and not under-exposed. A strong, graphic effort that allows our eye to wander after leading us into the frame. Well done

I really like this - a strong portrait decently framed and in relative harmony from the background. All good - which makes me wonder why the overly harsh rendering in black and white? I can understand that this might have jarred a little in colour if the subject was wearing garish clothes but I really think that this hi-key approach is a bit self-defeating: a more accurate exposure that didn't blow highlights (or at least brought them back in post-) would have meant an image easier on the eye. Still, a good attempt.

This is a good attempt at trying to show the viewer what the photographer has seen. I like the way the image is framed by a literal arch but the image itself is confusing and this I suspect may have something to do firstly with the time of day and the ambition of the image. Firstly, there is an interesting moment which has almost been caught but the issue with photographing within these tight streets is that the light can be several stops different between highlights and shadows. Sometimes we just have to wait until the light is more uniform or we just have to get in closer excluding such sharp disparities of the sun. Well done anyway.

This isn't a bad effort but the caption explicitly states that the "subject becomes aware of the artist". Apart from the rather portentous self-titling, is that a bad thing? Sometimes it's OK to have a subject aware of you. If you don't want subjects aware of you, either work yourself into a position where you're un-noticed or ask them not to look at the camera. Either way, that means being closer physically than here which feels like a 'snatch'.

I rather like this and it has immense potential as a song(er) portrait with just a little bit more attention. I think the first issue is exposure: the rendering is rather 'thin' and colours are flat. A proper exposure for the face would have rendered the image a good deal more punchy. Secondly, although there's only a tiny depth of field, I think an even less distracting (plainer) background would concentrate the viewer on the model and her tattoo. That said, not a bad effort.

This is a fine, empathetic image that captures some real emotion. However, it's a little harsh in its treatment of the subject and that's directly linked to its lighting. Clearly the room was dark and flash has been used to illuminate the subject - but that light is very hard. Light has different qualities and you can control that depending on the effect that you want. Bouncing the flash from the ceiling or wall or diffusing it through a translucent material would have made this a really nice frame. Have a read around diffusing flash and see if you can soften your lighting apposite to the situation.

I think that the issue here is that of a quick snap rather than a considered photograph. Often that's about being fearful of reaction or changing the mood/composition. That can be a concern but here, in such a touristy place like Jaipur, that's just something you have to contend with. Clearly this is taken with a phone - with all the allied issues of auto exposure that's been fooled by the light reflected of the jewellery - but taking a bit more time to compose, wait and possibly engaging might have captured a stronger moment. Well done in any case.

A camera is just a device; what comes out of it is a decision. That I think is the difference between a photograph and a snapshot. The issue with this image is that I'm sure you had a clear idea of what you wanted to communicate, but the viewer can't tell what that is because there is no clear decision that is communicated visually. Is it the people or the buildings? Is it the woman with the red hair or the man leaving the frame on the left? I think a good idea is to decide what you want to say and think about frame as you see it and then the best way to do that. Keep pushing.