Originally Posted by
GrumpyDiver
Hi Vaez - you asked me to comment on your shots, so I might as well start with this series.
What I do like about what you have done here is that you have taken an almost cinematic approach in telling your story; you start with an "establishing shot" of the castle to help your viewers situate the environment where you are taking these pictures. You then take us into the architectural details and as we go through them, people are introduced into the scene, first as part of the background and then as the main subjects. In other worlds, these are not just standalone images, but you are telling us a story about the place and the people that live there.
Getting into the photography itself; while I do like shots 6 - 8 the others don't do as much for me.
Let me start with why I like the three shots; you are up reasonably tight, so we can concentrate on the people. The windows and walls put them in context. Much like the building, which is a bit run down, the people in the windows also look like they have seen better days. The people are inside the building and are protected from the harsh light; yet there is enough reflection from the walls to light them just enough with diffuse light, and that works well for you. The setting is fairly simple and they almost look like the building and windows around them act as a frame, keeping our eyes on the subjects.
The other images are not helped by the harsh light (and the harsh shadows) when you took these pictures. Late in the day or early in the morning, with softer light would definitely help here. I also find that these shots are not "simple" enough, so my eyes dart all over the images, without finding an anchor for them; there is just too much information and not enough guidance. If you go back to shoot, try shooting close to sunrise and / or sunset to see what that does for you as well as try concentrating on specific architectural features that are both simple, yet hold our interest. Nicely said; get closer when you shoot.
The last shot, with your neice and her husband is nice; but there is so much other intersting material; the windows and the wall; I find I look right past them and really notice the background more than the people in the shot. Again, too much visual information for my little brain. If the shot is of the people, get in closer (much closer) so that the background does not compete with your subject. Remember, in an image our eyes tend to be drawn to the brightest area of the image; if that is not your subject, this can be a problem. The background stands quite nicely by itself; so you are really giving us two pictures in one, and that is not working. Had you done a closeup of your relatives and a shot of the window and wall; you likely would have produced two strong images, rather than one middling one.
I hope that this helps...