Critique Street child

[the_traveler]

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[greyflash]

Touching. Well photographed.

 

[Rolf]

Thank you for this one................

 

[dossy]

Great street portrait, Lew!

 

[Charles Loy]

very much centered, but I like you photo

 

[Palouse]

It's an exquisite exposure. I am drawn to his feet and face: the face says child, the feet say older man! Thanks for sharing this one Lew.

 

[mobokeh]

Well, this is a good one! There's so much to like here.

First, the colors....I love the colors. Second, the composition. I really like it, as well. Sometimes things are better centered. This imo, is one of those times. Then there are the small details in the composition that are so effective: the sandals just below the boys foot, his folded right leg with placement of the right foot in the wall's crack, placement of the bowl? on the wall to his right, bent right wrist, his facial expression combined with the slight tilt/turn of his head.

This is all tied down with effective anchor/leading lines in the upper and lower right hand corners of the frame.

It all adds up to produce a very compelling portrait....street, or otherwise.

It's really difficult, for me at least, to come up with any meaningful criticism of this image. One thing that might make some difference, is applying a vignette(not too much). It might provide some "pop" and a slight 3D effect, by making the boy stand out a bit more from the background. Pretty lame, I know, but I had to come up with something.

 

[the_traveler]

Thanks for the responses and the comments. It is gratifying to get positive comments from people who have some experience and taste.

Here is a little add-on that I usually keep hidden for a couple of reasons

The picture is soft (my mistake) and I really wouldn't print it.
Cambodia has a deserved reputation for child prostitution and the stance of this beautiful, little Khmer girl just made me uncomfortable.​

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[rbsinto]

Lew,
I like the shot of the young boy very much, but really can't add anything more as David really mentioned it all.
As for the second photo, while yes it is a bit soft, it is more than sharp enough to present the story.
Perhaps the softness could be construed as being a metaphor for the girl's life. While it is hard and difficult the softness of the image reminds us that she is still just a small, young child. I hope that makes sense.
And I understand your discomfort with her pose because of the realities of life for many children in Cambodia. Even here in Toronto where we don't have that problem to any great extent, most photographers I know are very wary of photographing children they don't personally know or are related to because of the stigma attached.
Lew, as an aside to these particular shots, I think you are an outstanding photographer both in the technical sense, and because you have the ability to recognize important and essential qualities of the persons and situations you photograph and capture them.
Robert

 

[Palouse]

^^ Nicely said Robert, very nice!

 

[the_traveler]

Thank you, Robert, for the compliment.

 

[crazy]

For those who have not done so, I highly recommend a visit to Lew's web site......excellent, thought provoking images!