Granddad Ted

[scrivna]

Hi all,
This is my first shot up for Critique using my newly purchased 350D :-)





The image was taken at a family BBQ, all comments and suggestions welcomed.

Thanks!

[clockdoc]

I think Granddad Ted offers lots of potential but this shot was a real challenge to begin with. The range of tones between his ruddy complexion and the very light hat make for a difficult exposure decision. It appears you decolorized the background to make it less obtrusive. That worked to a point but it is still a little busy tone-wise. Was Grandad sleeping or reading a book? The downward direction of his eyes takes some of the life out of the shot. Keep shooting.

[scrivna]

Hi clockdoc,
I see what you mean about the hat, it is kinda distracting. When i desaturated the background I also applied a gaussion blur to try and make it a bit more subtle, didn't really know what else to do. He's looking down coz he's eating chicken legs lol, i quite liked the pose as i think it made the image more peaceful and sombre, but i think your right and if you could see his eyes it would bring a little more to the image, thanks for your comments!

[Murtasma]

I think going darker in the background and doing just a black and white version would look nice. This guy really looks like Mr. Magoo.