Waiting,

[wennn]

I opened my door and I saw this middle-aged man pushing his mother (i presume) on a wheelchar, he looked up and smiled at me. Just as i was about to step out of the house and it started to rain, or rather, downpour.

So I took this photo on my door step, my first picture with my new 400d while waiting for the rain to subside.

Editing it a little to darken out the background and crop it, though at first i though the pillar (still on the left) and another on the right would have been a nice frame. The bin is unsightly but I can't crop it out. Also, the colour looks to be harsh but I feel it gives the old lady a bit of a more "fragile" feeling.

Hopefully your opinion will help me better my ideas on composition, light etc and whatever you think I need to improve on THANKS!

i don't know why it doesn't show up, but it's here http://www.flickr.com/photos/wennn/2403025695/

 

[wennn]

hmm hello? a little help...?

 

[flipfreak]

 

[wennn]

ah thanks but i was thinking of help in more of the c&c way, but thanks too

 

[Yapster]

Seems a bit OOF to me. Did you purposely do it?
Also, in black and white, i feel, details are very important since colours no longer play a big part.
And your shots seems to be too high of a contrast to see much details.
Composition wise, hmm, the man's arm is blocking the old lady's face.
I think since he smile at you, maybe you can ask to take a photo of them.
And if he and the old lady agree, i would prefer a view from the old lady's side instead.
Meaning, i can see old lady's face first then, the man.

 

[wennn]

hmm, yah i realised it's a big oof too i think it wasn't on purpose though :S but i blurred out the background cos it wasn't very pretty and i felt it'll draw the picture more towards the man and the old lady. you can see a slight bit of the old lady's face but i felt the focus was more on the man cos b/w made the old lady a bit more covered and she seems more dependent. hmm what u think?

but i couldnt take it from the other side cos it was blocked and this was taken on my door step too. hehe but i'll take note on composition..

 

[blackpearl]

The subject is out of focus and it would be much better if the face is shown. It did not evoke any emotion in me. sorry. Try again.

 

[Yapster]

hmm, yah i realised it's a big oof too i think it wasn't on purpose though :S but i blurred out the background cos it wasn't very pretty and i felt it'll draw the picture more towards the man and the old lady. you can see a slight bit of the old lady's face but i felt the focus was more on the man cos b/w made the old lady a bit more covered and she seems more dependent. hmm what u think?

but i couldnt take it from the other side cos it was blocked and this was taken on my door step too. hehe but i'll take note on composition..

Hmm, i was pretty much drawn to the man and old lady, but not because of the subject, more by the polo tee of the man. In a way, ya, you acheive this objective.

As for the old lady being covered by the man, i agree it is covered but not protected. The way the man stand gives me a sense of laziness and "bo chup". I mean, it don't bring out the feel of protection if this is what you wanna achieve.

 

[flipfreak]

just my noob 2 cents worth on this pic. the old lady can barely be seen in the pic. she is overshadowed by the man standing there. in b&w pics, i think the subject of the picture needs to be alot stronger in terms of composition, texture, details, etc because there are no colors to complement the picture. u shld either zoom in or walked nearer and snap a close up with her as the main subject. her skin texture and tone will probably make it an interesting b&w subject.

 

[foxtwo]

OOF is not a big problem, except it looks like the left pillar is the one in focus so eh, check your AF point next time.
Lack of detail is also not a biggie, this shot, behind the back of featureless figures, someone might be able to link society<->disabled<->elderly<->filial piety<->etc etc. In a way that is what makes up for the image rather than to see the faces of who they are, in which case the story would be 'this is granny and her son'.

Other that that, I like the back lit granny, it gives a tinge of sadness and bleak feel. Unfortunately the plastic bags are a huge distraction and would prefer there was more separation between the back of the wheelchair and the background.

And finally I give tons of brownie points for making your 1st image on something other than the Gundam toys/dolls or 'the scenery outside my window' etc. Hope to see more from you in the future!

 

[wennn]

thanks for all the critiques, but like what foxtwo said i think iwasn't focusing on the details of the subjects but more on them being IN the shot, like their relation and how the old lady was dependent. maybe it just means more to me cos i saw them or smt... hahah but yep. thanks i will try harder

 

[Yapster]

That's the spirit! Shoot more to share! Don't give up!

 

[night86mare]

i'll be honest

1) bad angle, if your subject is the old lady, then you have not done it properly, she is obscured

2) whatever processing you have done has worsened the problem in #1 further, you end up blending the two humans into one frame

3) whatever processing you have done has also made the picture 2d to the point of 2d, a lot of detail is lost, extreme contrast is not meant to be done this way

advice is, don't be afraid to explore new angles - framing is creative, yes, but not entirely necessary, sometimes keeping it simple instead of trying to add some "artistic element" is the best strategy, especially when it comes to shooting people. and go lighter on the processing cheers, and please keep shooting.