Thinking about going home

[mugge]

I spotted this lady with pram sitting all alone near a creek. I like the intimacy of the square format in this image and I think that b&w is the best option also. C&C welcome

Thinking about going home by Ole Hansen, on Flickr

[escape]

Everything looks out of proportion. To me the effect is jarring. Like something taking a hold of your knob labeled perception and giving it a quarter turn. Interesting.

[xpatUSA]

A striking shot with little regard for "the rules" ... I like it and 1:1 works well.

Prams have changed a lot during my lifetime!

What sensor (FF/APS-C/m43/cellphone) and focal length, please?

[Geoff F]

For me, the lower quarter of this image is taken up with an out of focus bench. I would crop tighter at the bottom and possibly go for something like 3 x 2 ratio. If the forground had been in focus then OK for the square image.

[pschlute]

OK here is my take:

1. You have created an image which I have looked at in detail. That is no small feat.

2. Having an OOF area at the front can be troublesome. I think it is here.

3. The pram overshadows the lady both in size and perspective.

4. The lady standing hand on hip looking (wistfully ?) into the water is the strongest part of the image, but it's effect is diluted completely by the factors above.

I understand that this was a candid shot and you can only work with what your presented. I too would have taken the shots but I am afraid would have consigned them elsewhere.

Sorry

[DanK]

sorry to say that I agree with Peter.

One other element that I find problematic-but which you could fix--are the two very bright areas right in the middle. I'm not sure what they are--I think maybe a rock and ball. Whatever they are, the stark contrast between them and the areas above them are distracting. You could darken them, of course, but I think Peter's #2 and #3 would make this not work for me anyway.

[xpatUSA]

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4. The lady standing hand on hip

I think she is sitting because I see a knee between her waist and the pram. Maybe Ole can tell us ...

[Wandjina]

Sorry, but I am just confused by this image. I didn't see the pram until I read about it in the description and then I had to search for it. I am not sure what the white object is in the middle of the image.

[William W]

Great idea – Wrong Camera Viewpoint.

***

Noted I was not there, so this is not a critique, rather something to think about for next time-

"The Shot" in this scene, was from a camera about 20ft to Camera Right, moving in an arc, at about the same Subject Distance. Hence revealing some R. Cheek, some Lips, perhaps a glimmer of an expressive Eye and some Forehead.

Similarly, from the above described Camera Viewpoint, the Pram would be generally more dominate - AND - (importantly) be BETTER placed behind the Subject as the SUPORTING, secondary Subject of the pondering which the Main Subject is undergoing.

***

It is really difficult to get impact, meaning and story in any candid portrait where there are no physical facial features: secondary physical features such as the hands are vitally important in this situation.

However, the gesture of the hand on the hip is all but lost, as is the presence of the Pram mainly because of the big lump of dark grey tone in the foreground which simply hunts the viewer’s eye and sucks it in forever.

WW

[mugge]

A striking shot with little regard for "the rules" ... I like it and 1:1 works well.

Prams have changed a lot during my lifetime!

What sensor (FF/APS-C/m43/cellphone) and focal length, please?

The camera is Olympus m4/3 and focal length 150mm (300 35mm) f5.6 and 200 iso

[lovelife65]

Ole, I love this image. It made me wonder, what is she thinking about? Is she okay? Love the bench although wish it were in focus.
Black and white is perfect. No real critique but I love the uniqueness