Farmer's wife ... dignity in labor

[juznobsrvr]

I like taking candid photos of people but once in a while a subject will make eye contact that can enrich the overall image. She was busy at work and realized that I was about to take her picture so she gave me a nice smile. Then she quickly gave me her business card indicating that she also does windows, plumbing and federal income tax returns. Who would have known that?

[bnnrcn]

I have already voted for not cropping. IMO although the woman is too centered, cropping doesn't add to the image at all and I also like the woman on the right hand side, she adds to the composition

[juznobsrvr]

I have already voted for not cropping. IMO although the woman is too centered, cropping doesn't add to the image at all and I also like the woman on the right hand side, she adds to the composition

Thanks for kind response, Binnur. I felt the same way too.

[dje]

Good shot Rob. The woman's facial expression in this shot is priceless. I really don't think it matters much whether you crop a small amount off the right or not. The way the woman's head is positioned relative to the cloud pattern makes this shot IMO.

Good catch.

Dave

[davidedric]

Cracking image, Rob. The crop is secondary.

Dave

[KimC]

This photo is amazing!!! Love everything about it!!!

[gregj1763]

Cropping is up to you Rob, I can't take my eyes away from her smile and how the clouds seem to radiate away from her. Brilliant image mate

[IzzieK]

Everyone has given you a good response. I cannot. I am looking at it through a laptop in a bright room. I can see too much clouds in the foreground and highlights from the top of her head and along the back...not a good sight I must say...The pose is OK I suppose. And it will help if you remove the extra farmhand (?) bending on the right side too...

[John 2]

This is clearly splitting opinion. No crop for me. The woman on the right and the small figures in the BG form a circle of attention that keeps bringing my eye back to the main subject. So to me they are important. Without the woman on the right, you would just have dead space. I do feel though that the mid tones are a bit light. Needs a little more contrast.- IMHO of course.

[FootLoose]

It seems a bit over-processed to me, Rob. As John said, I think it needs a bit more contrast. The field to the left of the woman is darker than on the right; and there is a halo running down her back. It is a compelling composition but I think the whites in the clouds should be pulled down a bit, because they are competing with her face at the moment.

[juznobsrvr]

Good shot Rob. The woman's facial expression in this shot is priceless. I really don't think it matters much whether you crop a small amount off the right or not. The way the woman's head is positioned relative to the cloud pattern makes this shot IMO.

Good catch.

Dave

Thanks Dave for kind words. Mean a lot.

[juznobsrvr]

Cracking image, Rob. The crop is secondary.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Much appreciated.

[juznobsrvr]

This photo is amazing!!! Love everything about it!!!

You are much too kind, Kim. Thanks for fab response.

[juznobsrvr]

Cropping is up to you Rob, I can't take my eyes away from her smile and how the clouds seem to radiate away from her. Brilliant image mate

Cheers, Greg. Thanks for kind comment.

[juznobsrvr]

I am looking at it through a laptop in a bright room. I can see too much clouds in the foreground and highlights from the top of her head and along the back...not a good sight I must say.

To borrow the parlance from my mates from the land of Oz, cheers, IzzieK.

While I wasn't really looking for a critique apart from the cropping, I do thank you for commenting on the overall composition. I'm intrigued with your observation about seeing too much clouds. Have you considered calibrating your laptop's monitor in a bright room?

The pose is OK I suppose.

You sound like you are not sure. Truthfully, this was not a posed shot. Had it been one, she would have dropped her stuff and gave me the most fabulous pose with her hands akimbo. Or she would have shown me her best kung fu move.

And it will help if you remove the extra farmhand (?) bending on the right side too...

Thank you. Your dog must know a thing or two about the rule of thirds.

:-D

[juznobsrvr]

This is clearly splitting opinion. No crop for me. The woman on the right and the small figures in the BG form a circle of attention that keeps bringing my eye back to the main subject. So to me they are important. Without the woman on the right, you would just have dead space.

Thanks, John.

I do feel though that the mid tones are a bit light. Needs a little more contrast.- IMHO of course.

Noted. YMHO is appreciated. Cheers.

[juznobsrvr]

It seems a bit over-processed to me, Rob. As John said, I think it needs a bit more contrast. The field to the left of the woman is darker than on the right; and there is a halo running down her back. It is a compelling composition but I think the whites in the clouds should be pulled down a bit, because they are competing with her face at the moment.

Thanks for commenting, Greg. It is what it is. Plainly, it is a botched shot. The halo running down her back reveals that the subject was underexposed. I sacrificed the contrast in favor of the mid-tones to bring out some detail to the shadows. A choice I have to make here. And trying to pull down the whites in the clouds any further would be like trying to turn lead into gold. But I thought the context would outweigh the technical flaws. But perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Cheers.

[IzzieK]

[QUOTE=juznobsrvr;428715]To borrow the parlance from my mates from the land of Oz, cheers, IzzieK.

While I wasn't really looking for a critique apart from the cropping, I do thank you for commenting on the overall composition. I'm intrigued with your observation about seeing too much clouds. Have you considered calibrating your laptop's monitor in a bright room?[/UNQUOTE]
No. I have a simple calibrating system for my laptop but I do not think it is necessary for me to do so.. my choice. (See Greg's comments...)

You sound like you are not sure. Truthfully, this was not a posed shot. Had it been one, she would have dropped her stuff and gave me the most fabulous pose with her hands akimbo. Or she would have shown me her best kung fu move.

'Sounds like ... ? I said I am not sure because I am looking at your image from my laptop in a very bright room. Taking a shot at me just because I dared comment differently?

Thank you. Your dog must know a thing or two about the rule of thirds. :-D

You do not know my dog...so please DO NOT even mention him in posts where it is not appropriate.

And I agree with Johns' assessment as well. And of course, Greg. Aussies says "Cheerios" not not just "Cheers".

[juznobsrvr]

[QUOTE=IzzieK;428796]

Taking a shot at me just because I dared comment differently?

Sorry, didn't mean that. I thought your post was funny. Cheerios.

[thegman]

Rob, a great capture, IMHO I do think the crop would work better, I am still very much a newbie at photography and PP. In this image my attention is drawn straight away to the clouds. Then, the ''farmers wife''. I feel the person in the background lends very little to the overall image. I feel the main subject should be the beaming smile. That is awesome.