Extreme Grooveby
itripnComment by Kavey: Critique Club
Initial thoughts
Unusual image, focus drawn strongly to alien-face spectrum.
Composition/ Content
In terms of content, I can't say that strumming a guitar puts me in mind of Extreme Action though I do like the way the image shows movement so clearly.
The diagonal lines of the strings work well above the semi-circular edge of the hole. The organic shape of the hand contrasts nicely with both.
In terms of composition, whilst I do like the idea of having a bit of negative space at the bottom the balance doesn't work for me here. I think losing a good chunk off the bottom and showing more of the hand at the top would be more pleasing in terms of composition. As it is, it feels a touch top heavy to me (because the top is where all the interest and detail is). I think you can get away with having less detail at the top of an image than at the bottom - bottom heavy always seems to feel less out-of-kilter than top heavy.
I don't know whether it's intentional but my focus is very quickly and permanently drawn to the alien-face. This means my eyes spend less time appreciating the rest of the image and only look there because I'm deliberately assessing it. Using a regular, plain spectrum would reduce this tendency to focus on the alien's "eyes" and may lead to a more natural movement of the eye around the entire frame.
Presentation
I like your choice to present this in black and white. I think it really allows the lines and curves to come through. It also means there's no conflict between the fleshey tones of the hand and the colour of the polished wooden guitar. The border is simple enough not to interfere hugely with the photograph itself.
Camera Work - Technical
Nice choice of shutter speed to produce just the right amount of motion blur and detail. Nice range of tones within the image.
Fits The Challenge
Not very well, no.
Message edited by author 2005-04-22 12:42:15. 
Photographer found comment helpful.
