Embrace of love and serenity

[The amateur]

This serene photograph captures a tender moment between a mother and a child seated inside a mosque. The scene is illuminated by soft, natural light filtering through intricately designed windows, casting a warm glow across the patterned carpets and stone columns. The dominant tones of beige, gold, and muted reds create a sense of harmony and tranquillity.

The mother, dressed in an olive-green garment and a patterned hijab, radiates warmth as she gently embraces her son, who wears a cheerful blue jumper. Their expressions reflect comfort, affection, and a shared sense of peace, adding an emotional depth to the image.

The architectural details of the mosque—geometric carvings on the columns and the grand arches—emphasise the spiritual significance of the setting. This photograph beautifully conveys a sense of connection, not only between the figures but also with the sacred space they inhabit, evoking feelings of love, serenity and reflection.

[DanK]

This is a very nice image, but I'd tinker with it. I think it needs a little subtle dodging and burning. Right now, the pillar at the left, the carpet mid-left, and the archway tops on the left are prominent compared to the mother's face. You can't burn much without losing the impression of light coming from the left, but I think you can change the balance. I've made a quick start on what I mean, dodging the mother's face and the right side of the boy's face, and burning the pillar, the archways, and that part of the carpet. The changes are small, but I think moving in this direction would make it even stronger than it is.

[Manfred M]

Another well executed image, Antonio. Overall, I agree with Dan's comments about some dodging and burning being used to "calm" the image by reducing some of the "hot" areas and some of the dark areas to even out the look.

This is very similar to Serenity in Sacred Light and some of the same comments and thoughts that I made there also apply here.

[The amateur]

Dear Manfred and Den,

Thank you both so much for your always excellent comments on my photographs. I truly appreciate them.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give your latest feedback the attention it deserves until the end of the month. I’m currently quite busy (travelling) and won’t be able to implement any changes at this time.

Please be assured that I will come back to your suggestions as soon as possible.

@ Manfred - For some reason, I hadn’t seen your comment on the "Serenity in Secret Light" thread until now. I'll have to check my settings as I don’t seem to be receiving email notifications.
That must be the issue, as I only see comments when I manually check the forum link.

[The amateur]

@ Dan
Hey Dan,
Thank you for editing the photo!

It's clear that you darkened the area of the left pillar and the carpet, which really makes the people in the image stand out.
I actually tried to do some of this in the original image, but you definitely took it to the next level.
I have to admit, even with the burn tool, I wasn't able to achieve this result, and the same thing happened with another photo I took in the same place.
The touch-ups on the faces look pretty similar to what I had, but I do think the overall mood of the image has changed a bit with the increased focus on the people, who are, after all, the main subject.

@ Manfred, thanks for your comment too!
I agree that "evening out the look" might not be the best approach if we want to emphasise the lights, the rays of lights, or recreate the atmosphere of a place.
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Anyway, that's my take on it, if I understood your both observations correctly!