Image Critique: What Do You Think?
I’ve come across the following image numerous times on Flickr and every time I do it captures my attention – so I thought I’d share it today.
Taken by Patrick/adwriter it was taken on the set of a TV commercial of a married couple. While taken as part as an actual shoot I think the image conveys a lot of emotion and captures a moment in time really well.
The angle of the bodies and the creases in clothing draw the eye into the image and while the hammock lines above the subjects faces converge away from them I find the expressions on their faces are strong enough to hold me there.
The image is also a reasonable example of a Rule of Thirds image that works (perhaps not quite on the exact third lines – but there about).
Depth of Field also enhances this image for me with both the foreground and background somewhat out of focus – leaving the faces of subjects the clear focal point for the shot. The pink flower in the background above the couple is a slight distraction but again the image really is all about the moment captured and expressions on the subjects.
What do you think?
95 Responses to “Image Critique: What Do You Think?” - Add Yours
November 16th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Besides the compositional elements you mention, this image is a perfect example of story telling. When I see it, i see this couple have been together for decades and are still very much in love, and it makes me wonder why, what is their story? The emotion in their faces is also a visual draw. One more compositional element too is that they are on the right side of the image; which is right
November 16th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Your comments match my thoughts…. right down to the pink flower!
November 16th, 2010 at 5:51 am
Ditto… the composition of the photo evokes feelings and emotions, which is what photos are supposed to do. It might sound like a strong word to some, but I find this photo phenomenal.
November 16th, 2010 at 6:02 am
i guess it’s typical ‘cute’ image in a way but i love it. i think it captures the emotion very nicely. depth of field is great, especially with the hammock and the earth behind it; picture’s sharp (enough to my novice eyes) and the colors, i think, work well.
don’t like the lines very much though. they’re nice and ‘textural’ but i don’t think they fit in with the human subjects, which seem backgrounded into the corner. it feels to me like the angle of the shot was chosen specifically for those lines and that textural quality, but it’s so zoomed in that i don’t get the ‘laid back’ feeling (because of the angle and the hammock) from the photo.
i wish their whole bodies where in focus, the photo’s subjects were a bit better foregrounded, and there was a greater difference (in terms of depth .. this is hard to explain .. in terms of distance too i guess) between the closest thing to the camera and the thing furthest away. the photo feels a little bit flat to me.
not sure if any of that is useful since i know very little of photography .. just my feelings. interested in what other people think!
November 16th, 2010 at 6:02 am
Angles, rule of thirds, rah rah rah…this is just a great photo no matter what rules may (or may not) be applied to it. Congratulations to Patrick on capturing such a unique moment. We all try to do the same.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lendog64/5088241435/
November 16th, 2010 at 6:03 am
This photo makes me smile- and almost cry. The angles are beautiful and it evokes emotion from the lucky viewer. Amazing.
November 16th, 2010 at 6:24 am
Cute.
November 16th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I’ve been looking for better ways to take photos of elderly people, meaning ME.
I’m 62 and my wife is 60.
There are LOTS of ways to take pictures of younger people and kids, but you don’t see a lot of “sexy” photos of senior adults.
Any suggestions???
November 16th, 2010 at 7:26 am
I never noticed the pink flower till it was pointed out to me.
What I really like is the shallow and deep depth of field in the photo. Look at the tips of their feet. They seem to be right in front of your face. Like you are there with them.
November 16th, 2010 at 7:27 am
The emotions are very well captured. The couple’s love and passion for each other are displayed very effectively in the lady’ blush and the man’s closed eyes. The tilted hammock adds more emphasis to this fact. But personally, I think that the background is quite distracting!
November 16th, 2010 at 7:51 am
O.K., I’ll be the bad guy. This image doesn’t work for me for several reasons:
1) Contrary to what everyone says, the hammock’s lines lead the eyes away from the subject(s); not into the subject. You have converging lines exiting at the top of this photo and my eye is drawn to follow these lines up and out of the image.
2) Notice how everyone is talking about the nice “pink flower”? That should not be the case, your subject should be clear and should not have to compete with other elements. This flower is a distraction and actually clutters the image. It allows for the eye to bounce back and forth from the subject to the flower – the eye never rests.
3) This image makes more use of the “Golden Mean” rule, which is O.K.. But I think the “Rule of Thirds” would be stronger given the type of background we’re working with — placing the couple a tad bit higher and over to the left.
4) Finally, the bottom of the photo distracts. I’m looking at two blurry feet that pop up like mouse ears from the bottom and form a barrier rather than leading me into the photo. Again, another distraction.
Yes, I know…I’m raising eye brows all over the place. Fact of the matter is photography is subjective, but you need to have sound mechanics for a good composition. Yes, you can break the rules, but you really need to know when to break them and when not to. If I were judging this photo at a local camera club — these factors would lead to its dismissal.
So, what is good about it? Well, you do have an excellent story being told; there is evoked emotion. The green and yellows work nicely here too adding to the relaxed feeling this couple is experiencing. In the end, if the photographer got in closer and/or cropped out the top third of the photo to get rid of some of the distractions I mentioned earlier, you would have a blue ribbon winner!
If the photo is meant to be trendy with today’s “photo journalistic” approach; a-la the Cartier Bresson movement for today’s digital enthusiast; well, then I guess it works. Although, even Cartier Bresson practiced sound photographic principles to his own photography. He always framed his images perfectly and never cluttered them with extraneous elements that would distract from the street story he was attempting to tell, unless those elements had a role in telling that story.
You asked for critique…I hope some of this was constructive. Cheers!
November 16th, 2010 at 7:56 am
What do I think?
I think this image gives me the heebie jeebies.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Well its a good image. Certainly conveys a lot of emotion as you said. Although, I did not notice the flower till you mentioned it. It was well blurred in with the background. Rather than the flower, the black cone like shadows in the foreground are slightly distracting.
It looks like a hammock so you’d expect the lines to converge away from the subject. It’s not a problem. You can think of the lines as coming in diverging to support the subject.
The rule of thirds and flat horizon aren’t hard and fast rules. Sometimes, you can bend the rules slightly to achieve a good artistic effect. Sometimes, portraits do not have to have flat horizons to be good. You can compose on a diagonal plane which you have done beautifully. Having the couple towards angling towards the top right corner emphasises the fact that he is sort of leaning toward her to kiss her. It shows that extra intimacy and emotion in the photo.
A bit of post-processing would improve the photo. With a bit of experience in cloning, you’ll be able to get the dark shape distraction (i think its their feet) out of the photo using the colour of his trouser and shirt to clone. Also, if you really want to get rid of the flower, you can do a bit of cloning there as well. I dont think the flower is a big issue though. If anything you want to post-process, it’s the shadow in the foreground. If you want to bring some texture to the cheek into the photo and remove the blown out highlights of the cheek, you may need to do some shadow/highlights or slight texture enhancements. But most importantly, if you dont want to change lighting, definitely clone out the shadows in the foreground.
Overall, I rate it 8.5/10.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I agree with your critique. The image does tell a story and does it well. I’m not so sure of the square crop though. If it were cropped from the top to just below the pink OOF flower and from the left about half way down the gentleman’s sleeve, I believe the balance would be better and would bring the couples faces nearer.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:35 am
I agreed with your comments and critique. This is a very good sample of a story telling photo. it has passion and loving impact.
In relation with the composition comment about that it is just a reasonable example of the rule of third, I think it is a prefect sample of the Golden Rule; the male face are located on the one of the two main spots.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:52 am
I love the sense of movement in this – I am waiting for both of them to fall out of the hammock! I also love that my emotions were immediately stirred – I felt immediately happy. That, for me, overrides any technical pros or cons.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:00 am
It’s charming. The composition works for all the reasons the author states but more importantly the emotion conveyed is what makes this remarkable and what makes all who see it smile.
I can’t imagine why it would give someone the “heebie jeebies.” Perhaps if she elaborated since the author asked for critiques, that comment would make more sense to me since I enjoyed it so much. I would certainly be interested in knowing why it produced a negative reaction.
November 16th, 2010 at 9:54 am
The composition makes the image very pleasing on the eye. But I really love their faces. Sure they are actors but it seems so honest and real. Just her smile has me intrigued.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:44 am
I love it! All of the compositional elements in the picture lead the eye to the point of focus, the faces of the couple. Their expressions tell such a wonderful story! I want to be just like them when my wife and I are older.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I have sat in countless photography critique sessions for colleagues, students and art shows. There are some images that may have numerous technical flaws but I think this is the point we begin to depart from photography into image making. I understand there are a multitude of impassioned definitions of each term, so I am taking the liberty to use my own. To me an image conveys emotions often intangible but not always. A photograph is, in my opinion, a representation of a captured moment. Slicing hairs perhaps, but whatever words we choose a technically perfect photograph can be an emotionless moment frozen by the available technology. An image does rely of technical perfection, it relies on honesty. One final note for me is an image that captivates me is also one that I will return to.
This is an excellent image.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
@Smitty – you’re right as far as the rules go. Sometimes though, I think you can let the rules tell you whether you like a picture instead of just looking and deciding for yourself.
I remember a comment from joe Bussink where he had a gorgeous image that contained a ton of emotion and both he and the client were in love with the image. Then it was judged and did poorly because the focus was slightly off. That’s where judging falls short. I think they look more for fault in an image than merit in an image. What do you guys think?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
I love it too. although i agree with smitty that some cropping might have improved it. were it me i would have cropped out the knot/convergence of the ropes just above the pink flower, although bresson was very much against cropping
the feet may distract but the moment might have been lost to readjust the shot.
all in all a very nice “unposed” shot.
November 16th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Not meaning to put a damper on things, but does the photographer behind this image even know it is being critiqued? I guess this is educational purposes anyhow so not against any rules to do so, but Darren, I’d like to think you contacted the owner beforehand…
That behind me, I’ll proceed to give my comments anyhow
Patrick has captured a wonderful story here – it is very heartwarming. Technically though, there are some things I find take away from the image: the angle of view seems a little oblique, lighting is unbalalanced and the overall frame is cropped too tight particularly from the right and bottom, the result of these makes the man in the image dominate the scene, and also I find the lines of the hammock keep leading my eye away from the beautiful couple, and I keep feeling compelled to study the green support post through the ropes. To me, this feels like an image that not much forethought went into, lighting wasn’t planned, and it wasn’t setup – it was just one of those moments that any photographer wouldn’t want to let by without capturing.
November 16th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Sometimes it works to break a few rules. This is a beautiful and emotional image~
November 16th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
In my opinion, this is a great image since it really deliver the moment with strong emotion of the subject. For people photography emotion is all that matter. Composition wise, I would rather crop the left and top side to give more attention and focus to the emotion it self. The additional space given in the original image is not really telling more story… I am still at 50 and wish to have me photographed this way…
November 16th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I strongly believe the main image should be in the main point i.e. in the center!
November 16th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
To me the lines of the hammock are too distracting, especially because te top part of the image is also brighter. On the other side, the timing is perfect.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
This photo just makes me smile. What a wonderful moment to capture!
November 16th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
What I think is “Why is Barbara Bush snogging with that strange man!?”
Actually I like this picture so much. It conveys joy and closeness and connectedness. Love the depth of field blurring. If I nitpicked the photo I would have brought the couple into the photo just a little more. They seemed a little squished into the corner.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Love it. It doesn’t look like 2 actors on a TV set, it looks real. And true love/happiness with our partner when we’re that age is what we’d all really love to have, right?
November 17th, 2010 at 12:27 am
I’ll go with the minority here–not a great image, I’m afraid, although it makes for a great snapshot. Her facial expression is interesting–unfortunately, less than great composition forces my eye up to where the hammock strings converge, about as far away from that interesting expression as possible, and the shallow DOF makes it feel dated somehow.
Typically, when my friends and I critique each others’ images, we try to offer up fixes, but I’m afraid I don’t see an easy way out here. Depending on if/how the image was cropped, moving the subjects up to the upper third of the image might help. If the photographer is allowed a “do-over,” I would suggest shooting from around 4:30-5:00 o’ clock if the current angle would be considered 6:00. Then, I would frame the image so we can see his left hand and at least her entire body, if not his, too, while minimizing the rope/frame of the hammock. Finally, I would strive for more of the image to be in focus and allow the lines inherent in the image to direct the viewer’s eye instead of the shallow DOF.
November 17th, 2010 at 3:15 am
Ok, so now we start posting image critiques about random images random people found on the internet here. Nice. Really educational.
November 17th, 2010 at 4:21 am
I really like the color of their clothing, honestly, because I feel it dates them, since they’re colors that aren’t seen in modern fashion, really. Such a sweet picture!
November 17th, 2010 at 4:48 am
Well sir, the image does nothing at all for me.
It looks like a canned marketing piece for a bank, or mortgage, or healthcare plan.
Very staged and sterile.
Sorry
November 17th, 2010 at 5:19 am
I’m lost for words! I just hope me & my wife would reach this stage and remain as sweet as they are. The picture is so powerful that it touched my emotion. As of the moment I still cannot explain why and how. Maybe when I have overcomed this emotion then I can go back to my senses and explain how it touched me.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I love the image. Definitely story-telling!
November 17th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
CONTRASTS… that’s all I can see in the photo…
1. They are quite old yet smiling such ever green smiles!
2. Instead of being on a park bench (safe and secure), they are in a hammock! (that is something even I at 30 get quite unnerved to enter into!)
3. Instead of doing something sombre like holding hands and looking into the distance (traditional senior citizen pic), they are sharing quite a mischievious kiss!
The photo conveys a message of being “Forever young” without ever saying it!
November 17th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
sorry, I don’t like it. It looks like they are falling out of the picture.
The story is good, but unbelievable – a hammock of all things. Hard enough for younger folk to manage getting in & out of but if these oldies fall out of it, they’ll break bones. (and she is so far over near the edge that I’m sure she is about to take a tumble)
November 18th, 2010 at 12:45 am
I love the image itself, really. I find it’s cropped slightly too far over to the corner for me; but not a lot.
Never even noticed the pink flower; I had to go back and look for it!
The hammock lines can go either way, I think — depends on your perspective. (Kinda like that old woman/vase or the spinning ballerina thing)
I do feel like the emotions conveyed here are genuine, and a believable, real portrait is what I prefer most.
November 18th, 2010 at 4:42 am
I find it funny that there are so many comments about how this elderly couple seem to still have so much passion for each other and life, and seem to know each other so well… for all we know they are just senior actors and are together on set for the first time, and the old guy is breaking the ice with an unexpected kiss… maybe what we’re looking at is not the latter stages of a long-term relationship, but the promiscuity of a new one?
November 18th, 2010 at 9:34 am
The key to this image is that so many people are putting their own interpretation on it, which for me, is the sign of a great image. Sometimes we have to forget about light and the rule of thirds and depth of field and look at what has been produced and the impact that it will have on the viewer. It has got us all wondering, are they actors? or are they a couple who have been married for years? or are they stealing their first kiss? That is what good photography is all about. The rest are just tools, guides to help us capture a story. We shouldn’t get hung up on them.
November 18th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
All I can say is that I really like this picture, whether they are a couple or just actors when I see this picture it makes me smile. It has a lot of emotions and closeness.
November 18th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Lovely photo, I agree great composution and clear message.
Serge
November 18th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
I love this image too. It’s nothing like a snap shot. It tells you a whole lot about their lives and the sort of people they are in one single shot. Framing is just about perfect too. Lovely shot!
http://www.jpayne.co.uk
November 19th, 2010 at 3:27 am
I agree with smitty’s points. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who found the flower and feet distracting.
I do find the faces compelling and my eyes tend to linger on them, but I keep seeing that flower…
Oh, and I would agree and disagree with the rule of thirds comment smitty makes: I think the subjects need to move down a little so as to make the kiss coincide with the intersection of the bottom- and right-most thirds.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:29 am
On the whole, I like this – great expressions but the composition could be better – it’s one of those situations where the need to capture the expression over-rides some of the finer points of composition and there may not have been time to get it perfect. The main thing that would have improved it in my view is not to have included the woman’s shoes. Having said that, I’d be very pleased to have taken such a picture -well done.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:31 am
A nice photo in most respects, but the two feet at the bottom ruin it for me. Likewise, I feel like I’m looking up this woman’s nostrils, which doesn’t feel right.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:44 am
Wow, I’m amazed, as in totally knocked for a loop about how many different perspectives there are on this seemingly simple photo. And what’s more is I agree with a lot of it. I like doing this, it helps me see my own photos (I am so amateur I just bought my first SLR 3 weeks ago) from a new angle. Thanks everyone for all your input. I’ve loved reading all the comments.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:52 am
the moment is lovely and a pleasure to see
the photo benefits from its subject matter more than its composition
November 19th, 2010 at 4:03 am
I like the image. It has a certain grab shot appeal despite manufactured blur. But folks you all are missing an important fact. The emotions are not real. It is a setup with actors which diminishes that ‘moment’ captured essence everyone is enamored with. It’s a pleasant image that could pass as an honest, private moment if I had not know it was setup.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:04 am
I love this image. Society too often bypasses seniors and assumes they are no longer playful, joyful or meaningful to society. This image depicts all of those things. I love it for what it is – a fun depiction of two people swinging in a hammock.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:05 am
OK.. this picture, while it makes me smile because of the expressions and emotion, but the angle makes me uncomfortable. When there’s this kind of beautiful story, my brain automatically says…what’s next? In this, I feel as though the very next shot is them on the ground with a surprised look.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:06 am
I love the image, it is full of emotion and fun.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:09 am
I think it’s an interesting shot and you did a nice analysis the way I like.
Some shots hide lots of interesting compo, color and DoF elements one can get if just sits a little more time looking at the image.
A very good exercise you can do to enjoy those that are really great photos and differentiate them from the huge mass of simple snapshots.
I call it “Phototasting” and is something I often talk about in my blog… that is in Italian but easily “Googletranslatable”
Ciao !
P
November 19th, 2010 at 4:26 am
After reading all of the above “comments” It reveals me that you can never please everybody… Which is fine becausi it is also prooving that there is room for all kind of Art. Yes there are rules and yes they should not be broken without knowing what you are doing. Therefore, I found this photo critique excersise should be done more often and I do respect photographer who are fearless enough, or “egoless” enough to have their picure critiqued. Thank you all for sharing your comments. This is the BEST way to learn what works and what don’t!
November 19th, 2010 at 4:41 am
I love this image as, it seems, many do. I think that there is energy and emotion and a true uniqueness to a particular subject. It tells me that life, energy and romance never end – even at advanced ages.
I find that the hammock helps frame to subject. The off-center positioning (use of the thirds-rule) helps tell me that this is really just a small glimpse of a much larger – and endearing – story.
I think the one thing that distracts me, though, are the two “point” blurry things in the foreground (which I am assuming are the lady’s feet). It looks more like something got in the way of the camera. This is probably because that there is nothing visually that connects here feet to the rest of her body. It is good to have the out of focus foreground to isolate the faces but I am not sure I like those feet!
Overall, though, two thumbs up. Thanks for the inspiration!
November 19th, 2010 at 5:09 am
I seldom find myself agreeing so fully with both sides of an issue. This image has great merit and serious flaws. Can the one outweigh the other? Obviously they can from the widely varied reactions. I think the greatest improvement would be a selective adjustment to the brightness, particularly the upper half. The hammock lines, combined with the overly bright background, allow the eye to exit the top of the image.
Here is the bottom line for me: I find myself studying a photograph rather than living a moment with a loving couple. In other words, I see a moment I want to be involved with, but various elements keep drawing my attention from total absorption with the subjects.
My compliments to Patrick for being ready to capture such a sweet moment. This type of shooting is no easy thing.
November 19th, 2010 at 5:29 am
It’s all in the eye of the beholder … always. There is no such thing as an objectively good or bad or warm or creepy image, or any sort of adjective you choose. Why? The beholder is always a subjective point of view … every one of us has experiences, beliefs, preferences and more which flavor our reaction to an image, and this applies regarding content, composition, technical execution and all the rest. What you think and feel in response to an image is (A) always valid for you and (B) is utterly independent of the interpretation and response of others. What totally works for one may be utterly wrong for another. That’s what I love about doing custom photography, where we let the customer always be right.
November 19th, 2010 at 5:34 am
Looks too ‘staged’ even if there is some small story in the lady’s expression. I wouldn’t come back and look at it. reminds me of AARP or a life insurance ad (or is that the same thing?).
November 19th, 2010 at 5:45 am
I think this is a sweet photo expressing love between two people.
November 19th, 2010 at 5:54 am
I would have to go with Smitty’s response on this one. While I did not look long enough to come up with all the things he did, I did not wig on the image when I first looked at it for some of the reasons he listed.
November 19th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Great shot and their expressions are lovely,but I think the out of focus feet
at the bottom of the frame are a bit distracting
November 19th, 2010 at 7:27 am
The strong diagonal line through the image formed by the hammock support adds a level of dynamic movement, I can almost feel the hammock sway. The mere fact they are elderly and in a hammock suggest a young at heart attitude and zest for life. I don’t think the rule of thirds is particularly relevant but the image is made more dynamic by the figures being compressed into that corner and partially escaping, can’t be contained by the bounds of the image.
The expression on the couples faces is perfect, you can almost hear what she is thinking, the way long married couples have the depth of companionship and true intimacy. He stretching to kiss her and her laughing, a portrait looking straight up people’s noses is unusual but in this case shows it is about them and their intimate moment not the viewer.
When you look more closely you see an out of focus pink flower, then across a bit it looks like a rose bush, to me this implies family garden, they aren’t somewhere posh they are down home and loving it. Also the clothing worn by the woman in particular shows a strong attention to detail. Her button and collar are very neat, conservative, even the brooch she has on her collar suggest some special meaning to her which adds to her humanity and the community that these people exist in. His is as neat, just not decorative, their clothing says we belong together and we are part of a conservative community.
Ok so I just read the Zen of Photography so please excuse the lengthy critique, that is what this image says to me and I don’t believe any of it is accidental, this is a planned image to even including the out of focus feet in the foreground.
November 19th, 2010 at 8:39 am
I like this image a lot. it really captures the emotion of the couples still-going love. I like portraits and always try to bring out emotion. I’m still learning so I don’t always get it. great shot again.
November 19th, 2010 at 9:42 am
I love what the image represents, but I also am not a fan of the composition for reasons already mentioned. I also have an uneasy feeling looking at the image as I feel like I’m rolling off to the right out of the image due to the sway of the hammock.
November 19th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I didn’t even notice the pink flower until it was mentioned and do not by any means, really consider it an actual distraction.
To me, the subject is clear, the story is there, the emotion is captured and overall It’s a great shot that the couple would be happy to hang on the wall. I also get some kinda of medical insurance vibe from it haha. I’m not sure what everyone else is saying because it’s way to much to read, but I did read the first few and skimmed some others.. All of this talk about lines? I did not even factor them in to the overall feel of this photograph because they done an excellent job of isolating the subject in the first place.
November 19th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Very nicely captured.
Liju Augustine
http://lfotos.wordpress.com
November 19th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I noticed in some of the critiques that the image was flawed because it was taken on a set for an ad. I think many things were presumed on that basis. I think the flaws in the image were part of the composition. If you didn’t “know” anything about the image, you might think it was a shot taken by the family photographer. The flaws were intended. Because the couple are presumed to be actors and so are posing, so what. Is it not fair to say that it is difficult to get a “perfect” shot that isn’t posed or set up in some way? For me the actors did a good job. Perhaps they just met or they are actually married, either way, there is a chemistry between them. She appears to be prim and conservative and he appears to be relaxed and more modern. His touch, his words makes her feel giddy, add to that that he has leaned the hammock over enough to add to the thrill is shown because her feet came up to try to keep her balance. I see this image as a professional set up “lucky” shot by a hobbyist.
A lot of “psych” science goes into ads, if they can get your attention or get you to think a thought it helps to sell. The image does that for me. I want the wife and I to still be happy with each other with or without the rest of the world. I hope that by that time in our life I can still make her feel giddy.
I study ads (stills & videos) to learn how all the elemnts make the image “work”, I may not like the brand or company but I want to learn photography.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I really love this image. I think that everything about it is just wow and it makes you think of your own grandparents sometimes. If these were my grandparents in that picture, then i would cry almost every time that i see it.
November 19th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I also didn’t notice the pink flower initially. The focus is really on their faces and their expressions says it all!
November 19th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I wish I could really grab a picture like it! But I think copping it some would be better. The couple would be more of the focus.
November 19th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
I really like this image – it is emotional and it does tell a story. Yes, there are slight distractions to this image; the feet in the shot for instance for me are a bit distracting. However, the subject is so strong that I am only drawn to this distraction after I tire of looking at the subject. I agree that the hammock lines are going “the wrong way” but, I like them and given how the image is so strong on the bottom, it is little distraction and actually makes me think of rays of light falling on the subject. Yes, the flower is a slight distraction too, but, again, the subject over powers and when I explore the image, I see the details of the surroundings which helps tell the story more completely. It says, they are in a garden, likely their retirement home, they care about it, and they love beauty. To sum up, photos are a bit subjective; the subjects, the people – captured beautifully – hold my gaze and as a fellow human, I am drawn to that immediately. I get the emotion, I feel it and then I begin to explore their surroundings and in this case it’s part of the story. (My 5 cents! Inflation….)
Paul
November 20th, 2010 at 2:17 am
Emotion and a Smile, a big smile. The photo delivered exactly that, which is what photograpy is all about! No need for me to nit pick a photo when it delivers results!
November 20th, 2010 at 2:39 am
Forget the rules, this is one of those images that requires no analysis. It’s just great fun. The spontaneous moment is captured perfectly.
November 20th, 2010 at 3:05 am
Darren,
you are asking for honest replies, here is mine : the photograph in itself is well composed, and it does what it is supposed to do, which is: it conveys an emotion. As to what that emotion is, I might have a slightly different take than most anybody else. The photograph scares the crap out of me. Why ? Because in 20 or 30 years, I will probably look the same, an old, wrinkled man with a worn-out body, kissing an old, worn-out woman. Old people, especially men, are supposed to be wise, composed, balanced, and without too much passion. That is what REALLY scares me, because I already see a lot of people around me, people of my age, losing their passion. I honestly think that people get WAY too old these days. 50 years should be the max, if you get everything humanly possible out of those 50 years, you should be ok. Sorry, I do not want to depress anybody, it is just how I feel when I see this photograph.
November 20th, 2010 at 10:22 am
A feel good photo for sure I would like to see depth of field used more effectively..i.e. converging lines
leading out of the picture, if you must have them, would work better if they were out of focus. The foreground
does not work for me either. Crop this image so the attention is only on the charming facial expressions. The
story is there.
November 20th, 2010 at 10:22 am
A feel good photo for sure I would like to see depth of field used more effectively..i.e. converging lines
leading out of the picture, if you must have them, would work better if they were out of focus. The foreground
does not work for me either. Crop this image so the attention is only on the charming facial expressions. The
story is there.
November 20th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I really don’t believe in critiquing. I think this is a great photo. If the phtotographer feels it is a good photo and the subjects feel it is a good phtoto, nuff said, I think photography among other things is an opinion. I see photos by “professional photographers” a lot on the internet, I don’t always think their photos are too great, in fact some of them are terrible (in my opinion). I think if you spend all your time trying to capture that “perfect shot”, worring about rule of thirds, cropping, depth of field ect…that moment in time will pass and you missed your shot. I figured out a long time ago, you can’t please everyone, and almost everyone can see fault or something they would have done differently after the fact. So, my opinion is photograph what you feel when you feel like it, if you like it, it is good. Not saying igonre the rules, just bend them to suit yourself, and be confident and passionate about taking photos. Critique is just an opinion!!
November 20th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I think this image is a great photo for it tells an emotional story beyond words. That for me overcasts the minor technical flaws pointed out including the pink flower that i hardly noticed.
November 21st, 2010 at 12:33 am
Its a fun image, conveys a lot of emotion. I dont like the blurry feet at the bottom.
Not that I am an award winner or anything. But I would probably post process this image a little more.
November 21st, 2010 at 3:53 am
I like the emotion shown by the older couple for each other. The converging lines of the hammock lead
directly to the faces. I would have cropped out the bulginng trousers and centered the faces a little bit.
The skin tones could have been darker.
November 21st, 2010 at 5:09 am
I also would have cropped the picture right from the point where her shoe meets the bottom of the picture, so to cut out the man’s trousers, and up just below that little flower. I actually tried it with my Windows snipping tool, just to see if it would look good. Other than that, I did like the depth of field technique used to draw attention to their faces.
November 21st, 2010 at 6:55 am
Love it! It’s the kind of picture my instructor was looking for when we did our photojournalism project. Wish I could have found one as nice!
November 21st, 2010 at 7:07 am
Geeesh!! I hate to be the bad guy here, but I don’t like the image at all. It may be the pose, it may be the white hair; but the failure to hold either of the subjects’ eye makes it creepy to me. It’s almost as if he’s kissing a dead person who died with a grimace on her face. Much of my objection, I’m sure, arises from their reclined pose.
November 21st, 2010 at 10:12 am
It brought immediate tears to my eyes in a good way and touched something very deep inside.
Of course all the rules and lines and depth of field are there!
Precious!
November 21st, 2010 at 10:26 am
I think they’re going to fall off the hammock.
November 22nd, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Love it! It is emosioned filled – doesn’t look like a deliberate pase at all. Great photo Darren. I live in South Africa and I am a amature at photography but must say that your tips has help me alot. Thanks so much and please please please – do not stop
November 23rd, 2010 at 2:48 am
Aww this is so cute, I love the angle its taken from and the rule of thirds works very well here
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I checked this photo out just after I finished reading the DPS article on portraiture called ‘Fill the Screen.” So in essence it seems there’s too much rope in this photo. I think the couple would be well served by a crop that fills the screen with their faces, leaving some hint of the hammock. I messed with it a bit and cropped it so his lips are at the top right third. To me the best part of this picture is her reaction to his kiss. I just love her expression. She feels special, and it shows. She could have had this same expression if she were seven and an eight-year-old boy was planting a kiss on her cheek.
My wife likes the original rather than the cropped version, so there ya go. I really liked the assignment, which forced me to think long and hard about the image.
November 24th, 2010 at 9:50 am
I am glad they are not naked !!!!!
November 28th, 2010 at 12:43 am
“I find the expressions on their faces are strong enough to hold me there.”
But just for a while. Sometimes you have no other choice to capture a moment like that but in this photograph, the overall composition is not impressive as much as it could be I believe!
November 30th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I realize my first response was too brief so here is a more detailed one. The angle of the image indicates that the hammock is tilted quite a bit pulling the subjects off center. In imagery Gestalt often refers to what is not in the image as well as what is there. With Gestalt in mind (he was the father of modern day advertising) and believing every image tells a story, here is my story of this image. The subjects lives are out of balance. The hammock represents that. It tilts, as things out of balance are wont to do, and they both fall out, he on top of her. She is old so her hip breaks and she is dead within a year (statistically this is valid with broken hips). Within two years he too is dead (another statistical probability). Ergo this image is askew because it is meant to portray two lives out of balance and gleeful ignorance of their respective fates.
December 1st, 2010 at 12:27 am
I is amazing what you can surmize from a photograph. I admit that her hilarious response is all our of
whack with the friendly kiss. Maybe she’s laughing at his assumption that he could do anything about it.
And what is that bulge in his pants at the lower right? I don’t think it adds to the composition.
December 4th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I like this picture in many ways but also dislike it.
The following are things I enjoyed:
-The photographer’s way of capturing the emotions of the two subjects.
-The simple depiction of love
-The sharpness of the features
-The depth of field
-The story telling from the photograph
-The lines leading towards them
These however are things I didn’t so much enjoy:
-The flower is really a distraction and so is the darker pole in the photo from the hammock, and the bottom of the picture.
-There doesn’t seem to be too much leading in and out of the photo.
-I feel that it could have been planned better.
-Even though there were some nice vertical lines the way this was shot theres no way to get the eye out without exiting the same way you entered so I wish it had a little more creativity.
However, overall this is a nice shot and I did get enjoyment from seeing this photo so thank you for posting.
December 14th, 2010 at 7:08 am
I think the emotion showed is the most important thing, and it doesn’t matter whether they were actors or a genuine “maried for 60 years” couple. But I wish the photographer had cropped out the top bit of the photo just after the wooden bit of the hammock: that way there would not be such strong lines leading out of the photo. And I agree with others about her shoes. They should not be there: either frame the photo better, or if it was a “grab” shot with no time to frame properly, then clone them out. Despite these failings, I like the photo.
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