Just starting out on this website and can use all the feedback I can get. Please critique this shot, and possibly others on my page....I will critique back.
For this shot I put a wireless speedlite in my cupboard and used high speed sync to dim the ambient light. I took this photograph of my friend looking for a snack....or shall I say, being blinded by the light.
I really like this shot. The rim lighting on his arm is great. Reminds me of a story from my childhood "Indian in the cupboard". The only thing I would have done differently is maybe have a bit of the light hitting his hand and that cupboard door to give it a bit of definition. Love the shot and idea!
Hello - I am no expert and have no technical knowledge. I like the light and your use of chiaroscuro. The only thing I am unsure of is what he is looking at. Until you wrote he was looking for a snack I could not tell. Perhaps the front hand/fridge needs more light on it so that it is clear what he is looking in. Then again perhaps I should keep my nose out of things. Cracking focus and composition. Enjoy your project.
For my taste i would changed the composition to remove the negative space and bring more of the body in the shot but as it is taken now I would crop it tighter and leave enough darkness around to add to the strong.
I also agree some extra light on the front hand would be nice as he looks stumpy
I think you have a strong start of an idea here. The "story" is interesting even if you don't know what the person is looking at or looking for, it makes you as the veiwer wonder and brings you into the picture. The lighting is good, but I agree with the others who have said they would like to see his hand and the edge of the door. The composition is also a strong start, but here is where it becomes slightly subjective as some will prefer more negative space and others will prefer a tighter crop. And that is where you as the artist makes the decision in the long run. However, since you asked for a critique, I would come in closer. Why? Because the darkness is not the subject, the man looking in the cupboard is. We, as the viewers, are interested in him and not so much where he is, or the particulars of what he is looking for; we're interested in the fact that he is looking. I would still strike a balance of the negative space and the subject as it lends to the "mystery" of the shot, but I would be careful to not let it overpower the composition. A sligthly tighter crop would solve that "problem" easily. So that's my 2 cents worth!
I absolutely LOVE the light on his face, perfect balance and exposure. I do not like his arm where it is, I would have had it lower and I agree with the above comments, unless your point was to intrigue lookers to guess at what he is doing, we need some more info. Either a different angle so that we can see into the cabinet or some light on the cabinet door. Very creative!!
Technically i agree with what everyon's said - especially stumpy and his right hand not being in detail too.
For me though, i'm more concerned that you're not getting across the idea or theme of the shot easily enough.
Its a cupboard ... yet no cupboard i've ever seen has a light in it - and even then, not all cupboards contain snacks. If it was a fridge, that'd be a lot more obvious . For me i'd like to see one more thing... either one thing to make it more obvious that he's looking for a snack - make it a fridge or make him hold the snack or something...
I would have had him kneel down so you could get the same shot at a much lower angle and leave out all that detailess black space around the shot. It's not doing anything for you.
Put another light source behind him to create rim lighting on the back of his head.
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I also agree some extra light on the front hand would be nice as he looks stumpy
Nice shot BTW
For me though, i'm more concerned that you're not getting across the idea or theme of the shot easily enough.
Its a cupboard ... yet no cupboard i've ever seen has a light in it - and even then, not all cupboards contain snacks. If it was a fridge, that'd be a lot more obvious . For me i'd like to see one more thing... either one thing to make it more obvious that he's looking for a snack - make it a fridge or make him hold the snack or something...
1. Maybe another speed light at 1/16 power directly above - used to add a faint rim light along the top of his right arm and hair.
2. Maybe add some smoke or dust to show streaks of light coming out of the cupboard... that would be cool!
3. Need emotion! Light shooting out of the cupboard means something is in there... something more than a snack.
Put another light source behind him to create rim lighting on the back of his head.