On my way home from work I found myself waiting at a stop light long enough to point my camera out the window and capture this iconic view of neighborhood kids taking an iconic break from skate transport in San Luis Obispo.
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Thank you all so much for your comments with special thanks to PGerst for the in depth critique.
In response, I will say that I really struggled with this shot because of my unfamiliarity with the limits on resolution required to submit the capture. The picture I wanted to submit was much wider in scope and included much more context, but really became difficult to view at the size that would have been required. So I tried cropping until it fit... the results speak for themselves. Thanks so much again, this was a really beneficial learning experience for me. I hope to participate again soon.
I normally break my comments down into composition and technical components. For this photo, I want to concentrate this critique around the composition.
Composition The main problem with this photo is that it appears random, without any prior thought to how the photo will be composed. Often, this is related to as a snapshot. In reading your description, my thoughts seem correct. Let me describe what I mean by snapshot a little more. In your description, you mention specifically "neighborhood kids" and "break from skate transport". When looking at the photo, I don't get the sense of a neighborhood or even that they were skating. Essentially, this photo is taken out of a larger context, perhaps you saw these kids skating and saw them take a rest. The photo, out of context, is a snapshot, a simple capture of time without the relative space around it. If not for the skateboard, which is a minor element, I would not know what these kids were interested in.
Generally, I speak about composition in terms of lines, shapes, contour, color, etc. In this case, I'll discuss space. The photo is divided in the middle. The right photo shows a kid ordering what my guess is an ice cream or similar. On the left, you have another kid, doing something. There is nothing in the middle. This empty space divides the photo leaving the viewer unsure of where they should look.
In terms of the challenge, street photography, there is little to portray a street, except for a reflection of a parked car.
The idea of the photo is just, and there are many ways that a shot like this can be improved. For example, make the skateboard and kids more of a major element. Focus on them together more, with the skate board. The boys could be resting against a tree or a mailbox on a sidewalk with their ice cream, drink, or even nothing at all. A low angle shot with the skateboard in front of them, possibly a little blur on the kids would bring a story to the photo.
Let the photo tell the story, not a description.
If you would like to discuss this more, please let me know.
You have two pics here. Guy on right, busy talking to somebody cut off. Yellow reflection ads but would have zoomed in on this part of pic with the guy talking. Not much to the guy on left. Skateboard theme would be lost but overall better pic. Blue cast in pic also needs to be warmed up for this
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