John - I like your concept in #158 but agree with Sandy, your subject is just too dark. I think you need to bring out your subject a bit more by dodging. Given the strange colours and where the light is falling, this could cause issues with the face. B&W might be worth trying too.
Nice shot
There are good tones in this monchrome image but I feel the composition could be stronger. From the title, the subject appears to be on the left and looking out of the frame. I find the empty ground takes attention away from the people in the mid-ground, possibly due to the lines in the paving leading the eye past them.
I was experimenting with this image from post 158, the first is the original from the post, the second is that image with dodging on the face, legs, and some of the clothing and converted to B & W, the third is the second with a levels adjustment to tone down the background. This is a low res image as I did a PrntScrn form FastStone. Comments on the tones and effects of conversion on background welcome.
I think the added information in the paler background of the 2nd image does not add to the image but the tones of the body are good.
The 3rd image is more dramatic with its higher contrast but the subject is less natural. The lack of detail in the background does not matter to me, except it begs the question: do you need as much of it in this version?
It is probably just my perecption, but in the monochrome versions the forearm and hand nearest the camera seem to be growing out of the ground in these small images, and might benefit from some dodging to seperate them from the foreground shadows and "connect" them to the upper arm.
Hi David,
Thanks for comments and suggestions.
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I wonder what the image would have looked like with more sky and less reflections in the water.
In general, unless the water is almost completely still, downplaying that part of the scene and concentrating on the areas that have more texture will often result in a stronger image.