Let's try a different critique, if everyone would be so kind.

[JeffR]

Unlike the last request I put up for a critique, this one I'm much more certain about. I'm really fond of it, but I greedily stand to learn something from criticism.



Shooting info: Tokina 80-400mm at 80mm, shutter priority, 1/400 of a second, f/7.1, ISO 400. In color, take my word for it, the shot didn't work at all.

[Tindalos]

1. Ok, here goes

I generally like the flow of the picture. The way the eye moves from the boy in the foreground, down the line of parked cars to the people walking at the other end. The speed sign in dead centre is a bit distracting and I'm not sure what you could do to easily fix that. Also, I might crop it a bit tighter (others would disagree but I like tight crops) taking a bit off the right side to reduce the white house/bright patch on the tree, and a bit off the top to reduce the clutter of tree branches. Overall, I like the picture.


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[Cassandra]

2. I can see how this wouldn't work in color.

You'd lose the interplay of all those lines and it would be too busy. The kid makes me think of Beaver and I'm wondering why he's not taking advantage of that nice hill to have some fun with some speed. I would crop a bit from the right; some of what's there feels like extraneous information.

[Mira]

3. What the others said,

I'd crop to take off one third of the snow pile on the right, keep half of the tree, and I'd crop down from the top and go as far as you can to get rid of the noticeable powerlines. Then I'd go into photoshop and mute or light gray out the "40" in the sign. (if I knew how, which I know you do)

I like the photo a lot because it has a touch of Norman Rockwell Americana in it.

[Celebration]

4. Not much criticism on this one

But I would probably crop just a bit off the top and the right--not off the bottom or left.

Love it!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. Like the composition

and the hat on the boy gives this an old time feeling (to me anyhow). I'd crop it so his back tire is the edge on the right and cut down of the sidewalk but keep the cars, oh hell, like this! :)

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

10. Bastards!

They removed my crop! :)

[NV Whino]

6. I got nuthin' on this one

I think you nailed it.

[ManiacJoe]

7. One of the things that helps with critiques...

...is knowing where the photographer was wanting to go with the picture. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes not. For this one, I don't know.

The direction I take this may be completely different from what you were originally envisioning. The cropped bike suggests to me that he was not originally intended to be there. I find the houses and trees behind him not really bringing anything to the shot.

What I do like is the repeating pattern of the light poles and the diagonal line of cars. Cropped to just that, we get a line of cars stuck behind a small pile of snow all waiting for it to melt and let them by. :-)

[alfredo]

12. Triangles all the way down. They go from the light posts

to the cars, then to the base of the poles. The curve of the lights directs you right back into the picture.

I do like the boy in the picture. He disrupts the orderliness (geometry) of the scene. Of course that's what a boy is supposed to do.

[CC]

8. I like it though

I could go with some cropping and the sign is bright. It is a shame you didn't get the whole bike though might not of been doable. I like the crop ManiacJoe did but it gives a whole different focus and feel to the photo. So I went with a try using some of my original ideas and some of the above suggestions keeping the guy on the bike. Lost the sign too. Loves me some photoshop for those times you just can't remove things in real life. Oh also toned down the sidewalk and snow but just a little bit.

[HarveyDarkey]

9. That right crop works for me

The dumpster & trash can were distracting for me, The sign, not so much.

[JeffR]

11. Thanks, people. I didn't intend for this to be a drive-by OP but

I got bogged down with work this weekend and couldn't get back sooner.

A few miscellaneous comments:

The shot was taken off a monopod, since I was shooting at f/7.1 for deep focus. I was positioned so that the kid on the bike would appear at the far right as he headed down the hill. I'd anticipated that he'd pick up some speed and maybe I'd get him blurred, but he crossed me up by turning tightly before he really hit the slope. As to the framing, there's a consensus about reducing the amount of clutter in the shot, and I can't quarrel with that. The shot I originally envisioned was the kind that F.Gordon always liked, with all kinds of things going on within the frame. I'd also hoped to set the kid against as big a backdrop as possible, but the fact that he turned in front of me changed what I thought would be an effective way of staging him.

I really appreciate the feedback from everyone!:hi: