Bob,
Now, that analysis is obviously expecting more or less serious reply.
In fact nowadays less and less critique meets the standard.
This week I already thought of writing one myself to fulfil the emptiness, but luckily something appeared in the very last moment ;)
C(ontent) A candid, seemingly unposed, picture of two children.
I shoot posed pictures only as the very last remedy when I'm plumb desperate.
Or when eagerly insisted. But even then I try to shoot 2-3 unposed ones.
I´ve trained my grandchild not to notice me much, so I can sit or lay on the floor and snap my album shots from the best perspective.
BTW - me and my wife have developed a tradition of compiling one 200 shots album for each birthday. So far we have only one grandchild, so it has not been very exhaustive, but we have plenty of children ourselves, so times they are a'changing soon!!!
Among the shots really sole ones are posed, the rest is candid or, let's say -- "journalistic". It makes the albums much more lifelike.
R(eaction) I noted the interactions betwen the kids but didn't really warm to them. In part it looks like the younger kid has turned his eyes to the photographer breaking the moment (?)
Photographer -- it's me behind the camera, but the kid is looking absolutely elsewhere. He has kinda inner vision of the person on phone, although imaginary.
I agree the moment isn't highly dramatic, but what caught my attention was the softly milky window and the contemplative eyes of the boy -- he was really inside this fake call.
I agree such shots have purely bloodline charisma ;o)
A(rtistic) I tried to look at this as a piece of artwork and was getting nowhere with it. As a family candid of the interaction it was fine.
To be honest I did nothing to alter the album shot. I simply threw it onto the table for everyone else to look at.
The generalization level is low and the boy's eyes don't tell the story.
But philosophically speaking a child as it is tends to be a matter in itself, often if not always worth watching. As one Estonian writer has put it: "When finding a seat at a table try to find your neighbour among kids or elderly people. One is living the life you don't remember any more, the other knows things you do not know yet."
P(hotographic) The harsh frontal flash dominates this picture. It leaves the background a pale second. I'm not happy with the balance of the picture: much of the right half is superfluous.
Oh boy -- and I tried so hard to keep the flash level down. I really did .. :o(
That's the digital soapbox's integrated flash -- a tad better that phoneflashes use to be.
BTW -- Your cropping is very much OK. I love quadrat myself, especially when used at environmental portraits and midlevel details.
These days I take out some of my 6x6 cameras simply for being high. I shoot, get catharsis, and never develop the film :o)
Really thankfully,
Peeter
--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 1.11.2004
