Photo Critique #165
tuts workshop

Photo Critique #165

on Nov 30th 2012 with 8 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

  • Nikon D3100
  • 40mm Micro
  • 1/80
  • f/11
  • ISO 800

I am fascinated by the shape of the egg. For me, it is a new life, the world, and the hay is the mother, the people trying to protect us from harm.

Photographer: Salmen Bejaoui

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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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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  • Miguel Reznicek

    Apologies ahead of time: I just don’t see it. The picture doesn’t convey a story or a message. It looks like clip art. (I have had my photography criticized too and I know it’s not easy. ) You should ask yourself “what am I trying to say?” when you submit a photo.

    This is my opinion:

    For a photograph to pass the threshold out of mediocrity it needs to have at least these characteristics:

    1. Should evoke emotion in viewers unrelated to the work.
    2. Should be technically well executed. (Composition, processing, presentation etc.)
    3. Must transcend the commonplace.
    4. Preferably should show some aspect of the photographer that makes him/her stand apart from other photographers.

    Now what do you think?

  • Jeffrey

    Firstly… That is straw, not hay… it matters in the story as hay has the seeds and creates new life, while straw is the leftover waste product used for animal bedding and garden mulch.

    Image wise, It seems to me that the egg has much less depth than the straw. I’m afraid that I don’t know how to suggest to improve it, as quite frankly, I’m not a very good photographer – I just hope that my comment might help you think more on the shot.

  • http://www.facebook.com/MrXile Michael Owens

    If the egg was hatching, or perhaps even slightly broken – it would convey more of this so called ‘story’ you wanted to convey.

    The colours, although muted due to its nature, dont convey well at all.

  • KSri

    It is said “An image is worth a thousand words”. This photograph can be explained in three words “Egg in straw”. With an image, you need to fill in another 997 words to make it worthwhile.

  • Sean Y.

    Wow…tough crowd on this one. Time for the complimentary “egg sandwich” rule of critique: I agree with most of the other comments that the subject itself doesn’t convey as much to us as it may to you. However, to Miguel’s point, you composed the image well technically…egg is nicely exposed, vignetting helps to focus the viewer on the main subject, sharp and in focus and good use of breaking the rule of thirds. As a general rule, consider what your photo is telling the viewer…if it doesn’t convey that powerfully or uniquely, it may not be a successful shot from an unbiased outsider’s perspective.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1297544442 MarySue Price

    I actually really like the photo, I love farms and have experienced first hand the raw beauty of birth and death there, So I do see all this in the egg.However it is a very personal photo obviously and not everyone will get it. I once took what I thought was a very beautiful photo of the shadows from a tree on a chapel wall that I just loved. To me the chapel itself had a lot of historical and architectural significance, but one viewer critiqued it as a perfectly good photo but boring. It held no interest for him . I think that is the case here . It takes a special person indeed to see what you see in THE EGG . The trick I guess then is to find a way to convey what you see in your photo . That in fact is what we are all after when we photograph right? and is in essence what makes a truly great photographer.Keep working on it.

  • http://twitter.com/DanSDawson Daniel S Dawson

    As far as the clarity, lighting, and tones of the picture go, it’s well-executed technically speaking. However, as others have mentioned, there’s no story or evocations of emotion from this photograph.

    From an artistic standpoint: the composition is bland, the way the subject is displayed isn’t compelling, and the perspective is limited.

    One idea of a shot that came to my mind, that would use the same elements as the current one, would be to place the egg upright in the straw, and either put a strong artificial back light behind the egg or even a soft, natural morning light (going with your maternal hen theme) and shoot the silhouette straight on, but of course considering basic composition rules such as the rule-of-thirds.

    This picture definitely isn’t “bad.” It simply is not interesting. The key to the image I imagine you were trying to produce is just creativity and thinking outside of the nest ;)

  • DLiptak0204 Flickr

    This is a nice composition for a stock image. Otherwise, I’m not entirely sure what message you’re trying to convey. If you can, use a tripod and pick a lower ISO to reduce any possible noise. That egg isn’t going anywhere..you have time for a slower shutter speed!