Street Chess - C&C appreciated

[flashback]

This is a color shot I've converted to B&W. Does it have a good feel for B&W? Does the image work as cropped?
Any and all comments always appreciated (and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow yanks.)

[Donald]

Does it have a good feel for B&W?

Yes it does, in my opinion. By going B & W you focus the attention on the subjects.

It was obviously taken in harsh sunlight. That helps in terms of achieving a broad range of tones from black to white. However, I feel there is too much blown out. If we look at histogram of the image, or even just viewing the picture, we see that there are a lot of blown highlights. I would be tempted to pull back on the highlights (there will still be blown parts) to try and soften out the extreme contrast. I know that others will not agree and will like what you have got here. But that's the beauty of how we see things differently.

Does the image work as cropped?

For me? Yes.

I like the tight crop. It directs attention to where it needs to be directed.

[zen]

Jack,

I tend to agree with the 'monotone master', Donald, but not as much. That is, the blown out areas do not bother me as much as they do Donald. However, the board's reflection in the onlooker's sunglasses is a bit of distraction. I'd prefer the reflection not be there, but that's just me.

Nice ideas, though, and thanks for sharing.

Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving back to you.

Zen

[Dave Humphries]

Hi there Jack,

At the risk of driving you nuts with 'another negative', what bothers me most is the sharp and bright background, it makes the scene too busy for my taste.

The tight crop helps, but isn't enough for me, it might be possible to tone down and blur perhaps.

I would agree with Zen the board reflection is rather distracting in her sun glasses.
Although the blown highlights don't worry me so much, especially if they're only on the subject and not also in the background.

Yes - B&W was definitely a good decision.

Hope that helps,

[Shadowman]

B & W can create a timeless image provided there are no indicators of the present. The glasses and the logo on the crate might indicate current conditions. Nice shot.

[flashback]

Donald,
Zen,
Dave,
John,

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I've attempted to: reduce the hot spots, blurred the background, tightened the crop and removed the reflection in the sunglasses. Not sure if I've botched it or not (and removed the logo on the crate.)

[Donald]

Big plus to everything ... except the tighter crop. I prefer the original. I think it's tight enough to have the attention very clearly where it needs to be, but provides us with a bit of context, a bit of 'narrative' that, for me, is missing when all we have are the 3 main people in the scene. But that's purely an aesthetic choice. It's still a very good picture.

[Shadowman]

Nice edit.

[John 2]

Well seen and a nice image in its second edit. For me, the highlights in the BG could still be taken down a bit. They distract just a little but a good image.

[Marie Hass]

I like what you have done with the second edit. Well done.

Marie

[flashback]

Thanks everyone for the comments, the suggestions helped make it a better image. I'm torn between the two crops but, in my opinion the second, tighter crop focuses more on the three around the chess board. Plus it eliminates more of those body parts in the upper image.

[Wavelength]

Nice.....and Chess is always a game of Blacks and Whites

[flashback]

Thanks Nandakumar, funny it hadn't occured to about chess pieces being b&w.