Beautiful, reflected or not

[Marcusluvsgreen]

DSC_0273 by Marcus-foto, on Flickr

1. in what area is critique to be sought?
Contrasts and reflection. I took many shots but failed to find one where my reflection is whole when i bump the contrast to create greater segregation between the colors.

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
Never really thought of this but being a student... this is what SS emphasizes haha. The merlion symbolizes Singapore, the many colors represent the many ethic groups, culture, qualities of our tiny nation. I'd like people to look at my picture and feel that Singapore has a large diversity of residents, cultures and groups of people
.
3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
Crowded area with not much room to work with. Late at night at around 10+pm. At that point in time I was feeling both tired and annoyed by people who constantly throw flashes into my long exposures.

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture
Theres much work to be done to increase the contrast and sharpness of the merlion and reflection of it.

 

[ed9119]

the EV difference between the lit subject and its reflection is a little too wide ..... if you want to expose it better u could consider using HDR technique

or a little dodging in PS on the reflection could help bring it out a little better?

composition wise, imho thos people bottom left side are distracting .... could try closing down the aperture, using a tripod and go for a longer exposure

from the absence of a 'water veil' i guess you shot this handheld ?

 

[zaren]

you can try backlight correction and graduated tint to increase the contrast of the reflection,
e.g.

 

[Marcusluvsgreen]

No this isn't hand held, it's just that people kept walking around and flashing

 

[daredevil123]

Also note that your shot is slightly tilted to the right...

 

[clapattack]

I know the reflection contrast is not too great, but I liked the natural look better. We cannot always control what is in our surroundings so I think for what it is the shot is very good.