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Photo Critique #142
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Photo Critique #142

on Jun 22nd 2012 with 13 comments

Friday Photo Critique is our weekly community project, where we publish a photograph submitted by one of our wonderful readers, then ask you all to offer constructive feedback on the image. It’s a great way to learn more about photography, express your viewpoint, and have your own image critiqued!

Quick Ground Rules

  1. Play nice! We’ve deliberately chosen photographs that aren’t perfect, so please be constructive with any criticism.
  2. Feel free to offer any type of advice – composition, lighting, post-processing etc.
  3. You can also link to photographs that you feel offer a great example of this type of image shot exceptionally well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s candidate for Friday Photo Critique!

The Photograph

Photo Details & Inspiration

  • Sony A330
  • 50mm
  • f/1.8
  • 1/160
  • ISO 100

This image is part of a series in which I was attempting to tell a story through a series of images of a girl. These images were tied together with various props including this mirror, but most importantly the vibrant red of her coat.

Photographer: Phillip Farrugia

Please let us know what you think in the comments – how would you have approached the scene or taken the photo differently? A massive thank you to everyone who commented last week.

The most constructive and helpful comments will be featured on the site. Interested in submitting your own photo? You can do so here!

 
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By

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

I was raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. After high school, I left for Western Kentucky University where I obtained degrees in photojournalism and cultural anthropology. I am currently employed by CityBeat, an arts and entertainment weekly in Cincinnati. The work I am doing here is very rewarding and I suspect it will continue to be. I am available for freelance work in all areas of photography.  

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  • Harrison

    Great photo, love the composition and the colors. I would have dialed the aperture up to maybe 2.8 or even 3.5 to get the mirror and her sleeves in focus though.

  • http://frymanfoto.com Bill

    Agree with Harrison, I would like to see the mirror and her hands in focus. Possibly shift the center of focus forward and let the fence and plants go out of focus while bringing in the hands/mirror.

  • http://www.tomwindeknecht.com TomW

    I like the dark, surrounding background quality. The red jacket really pops too! I may have put the subject a little more to the right, in order to give her more “peering room” on the left side of the photo. Good shot!

  • http://yashmatunited.blogspot.com tom

    That red jacket is a killer contrast with the rest of the picture, I think I would either warm up the colors or dial down the contrast a bit because the lady’s hair really blends in with the wall in certain places. Great Composition.

  • maureen

    This is a unique photo that really makes the viewer linger and wonder. I actually like the fact that the mirror and hands are out of focus because it puts all the attention on her beautiful face. The contrasting red against the dark backgroun adds dimension. Overall I think this is a wonderful photo.

  • cmfolio

    I think this photo would be much more interesting to the story if you shot the mirror covering her face a little. This could give the illusion there is something she is self conscious about that we don’t know of yet.

    Photo quality wise, there is a lot of CA which either could have been fixed a little or shoot at 2.5-ish to try and minimize it a little more. I don’t think the full 1.8 DOF is needed here.

    The colors are nice. Almost has a film feel to it.

  • glenn

    I like what you did here. If there were 1 thing I would have done differently it would have been to have the subject stand further away from the fenced background so that it would be more out of focus. As it stands I think you did a great job. I hope that we are all given the opportunity to see the other images in this series. Is the mirror backwards intentionally?

  • Bill Borklund

    The mirror is fighting with the face for the viewers eye. Make the mirror more subtle so that the viewer notices the face first and then sees that she is looking into the mirror. The mirror is to strong now.

  • Tiberman Sajiwan Ramyead

    Screw focus! Screw white balance! Screw depth of field! Screw sharpeness!

    The composition is ok AND it conveys Phillip’s message. The rest is secondary.

    That’s how I begin to see things as a DSLR beginner.

  • Calvete

    I like the picture. I think your message is clear> I would change nothing. Good!!

  • http://phillfarrugia.com Phil

    Thanks for all the critiques, will take it all onboard in the future.

    Yes, I feel like I have to work on mastering using a wider range of apertures,
    as opposed to playing it safe at wide open. There are a few things I would’ve done differently
    had I taken this again, all part of the learning curve I guess.

    Again, thank you!

  • Betty Stepp

    I like the composition and the color. The background is too busy for my taste. I don’t feel that it helps to tell the story.

  • http://naimpressionz.com Noel

    I like the colors and the lighting seems to convey what the photographer intended. As Betty said, the background is a bit too busy for me. Since there isn’t much separation between the subject and the background, the ability to blur the back ground really isn’t an option. I probably would’ve gone with a B/W or Sepia tone conversion. Also, when I first view the photo, I wasn’t sure if my eye was supposed to be drawn to the subjects face or the mirror. The f/1.8 suggests that it should be the subjects face but I still find my eye wandering to the mirror.