Court Shoes!by
robconComment by Artyste: Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club, I am your critiquer, Artyste.. prepare to be amazed! (or not).
Initial Thoughts
Nice lighting, cool shot, but a little small and crowded.
Composition / Content
Composition is nice, although a little more negative space in the image might have given it a less crowded feel. I like the choice of shoes, elegant in a way. The perspective also seemst to give the shot a bit of a tilt that I'm not entirely big on. Also there's just something about the loose lace that flows counter to the image.I think if it was coming back toward the heel it might give a better feel. I just don't, personally, like the way it disrupts the black toe line.
Background
I'm not entirely sure if I like the crumpled jersey there, although it does anchor the shoes (without it the shot would be unbalanced), so it was a good choice to have in. I'm not sure about the lighter background in the one corner either.. but can't explain why it throws me like it does.
Camera Work / Technical
Great job of lighting and metering. Good exposure, no harsh or glaring hotspots or washouts. Hard to do with white objects and dark surroundings. Focus is also great, although I do agree that the DOF went too shallow too quickly.
Digital Processing
No information given, but I like the B&W conversion. It's pretty strong.
Fits the Challenge
Definitely does that, but still lacks a certain other quality. It's still a rather, mundane shot of shoes, as I see it. Well done, but just no real extra to it.
My Opinion of the Photo
As much as I like the shot itself, and you show some great technical know-how, I feel this just suffers from the "ho-hum" syndrome. To many voters this will just be "another pair of shoes". Experiment with angles and perspectives and creative set-ups in future challenges, and your technical efforts will begin to pay off. A good entry that probably should have scored higher than it did. Good luck in future challenges.
Photographer found comment helpful.