Leeds park memorial!!

[Jblackjr]

OK so I was able to get this shot this evening as my daughter and I was leaving the park. There was still some light outside so I used a flash and it blacked out what little light was in the background. The lower exposure is intentional as I think it adds to the mood of the picture. Anyways, what do you guys think? I hope you love it as much as I do.

[Jblackjr]

Sorry forgot to mention...

Nikon D5000
F/6.3
1/250
ISO 400
35mm
Flash-Yes

[Krusty79]

FYI, you're supposed to ask for feedback on specific elements of your shot. From the forum rules...

"Please include the following information, if possible, with your image: EXIF info, type of camera, specific questions (What do you think? is not a specific question). A meaningful title, NOT "Critique Please", will also get your post noticed in a crowded section, as well as any additional information you can give about the conditions in which you shot.
Only post if you are willing to be critiqued - this isn't a place for showing off, but a place for people to suggest how you can improve."

[flytyer57]

I don't think the lower exposure helps any.

[oohan101]

this shot has a lot of potential. Perhaps having it in a contrasty black&white or some sort of monotone effect will add to the drama/feeling of the loss of a solider. The underexposure is a good idea, but i dont think it works too well in this shot. If you want moody, dramatic, feelings etc... i recon black and white, or even something like a Bleach Bypass filter. Just a suggestion, would have loved to have taken the picture myself. Good effort though!

[Jblackjr]

What do you not like about the lower exposure? All the detail you need to see is there. Saying you don't think it helps really doesn't explain to me why or what I should do to fix it. Also Im pretty sure I covered exactly what needed to be covered. I asked what y'all thought of the picture. If I need to be more precise then I suppose I should have asked what could be done to improve the picture. To ask specific question would imply I know what I am doing and think other aspects of the picture are perfect, however I don't and would welcome critique from all aspects.

[Jblackjr]

Thank you Oohan101. That helped much more than the previous 2 post. I have several more at different exposure I will continue to play with it and see if I can create something that works better.

[Jblackjr]

Better?

[flytyer57]

Find somewhere in the middle and you might have something. Maybe merge the two shots together?

[Krusty79]

Originally Posted by Jblackjr

Also Im pretty sure I covered exactly what needed to be covered. I asked what y'all thought of the picture. If I need to be more precise then I suppose I should have asked what could be done to improve the picture. To ask specific question would imply I know what I am doing and think other aspects of the picture are perfect, however I don't and would welcome critique from all aspects.

If that is the case, just say you're new to this site and are not sure what to ask. When you just ask, "What do you think?", it does not sound like you read any of the rules and did not put much thought into what you were trying to accomplish, so why should we? If you are not sure what to ask, just break it down into 3 categories - composition, exposure and processing. You can then ask for feedback on any of those categories.

I agree with the other posters that the underexposure is not giving the desired effect. I think the edited version is a little too bright. You never said what mood you were going for, so we're going to have to guess. You could add a sepia effect or a grainy effect if you were going for more of a vintage look.