So..what sucks about this shot?

[mjardeen]

For me the best way to respond is to recrop and slightly reprocess your image. I do think there is an emotional connection in the image that gives it worth beyond simply those who know the two people in the image. I see the love of a mother/grandmother for her child. I do think that going B&W is a good way to go so that the distracting colors are removed from the essential content of the image. I toned the image as I think it gives the image a more emotional feel. I used to never tone my images and then started at first with more subtle ones and now go bold. The tone I used here is one that replicates the Silver Gelatin look.

[Narcolepsy]

For me the best way to respond is to recrop and slightly reprocess your image. I do think there is an emotional connection in the image that gives it worth beyond simply those who know the two people in the image. I see the love of a mother/grandmother for her child. I do think that going B&W is a good way to go so that the distracting colors are removed from the essential content of the image. I toned the image as I think it gives the image a more emotional feel. I used to never tone my images and then started at first with more subtle ones and now go bold. The tone I used here is one that replicates the Silver Gelatin look.

I really like how you've reprocessed, cropped and toned this shot.... However - perhaps the reprocess has also really highlighted the hand - which was perhaps a little problematic already - lightening the hand might help?
I also agree that there was already a good emotional connection in the original

[mjardeen]

Here's another take that removes fine detail and crops out the distracting ear and most of the hand. I did this quickly just to make the point that there are millions of ways to change the image -- this one is meant to focus in on the main point of the image, the connection between the two subjects.

[Daniel Flather]

I also wonder now WHY i even want it to be published on a website.

Exactly, who cares what others think.  If you like my photos, fine, if not, that's fine too.  Why does everyone want to conform?

[JR]

Here's another take that removes fine detail and crops out the distracting ear and most of the hand. I did this quickly just to make the point that there are millions of ways to change the image -- this one is meant to focus in on the main point of the image, the connection between the two subjects.

Really like what you have done here buddy!  Really nice.

[Hulk]

I like the picture, I find it good, and emotional.

But...

Maybe I've seen too many Nachtwey shots, and maybe because it is B&W, but for me it feels like being taken just a moment before the nazis or the serbs (in Bosnia) come and shoot everybody.
Then, it becomes a painful shot.

[FreManga]

I really like how you've reprocessed, cropped and toned this shot.... However - perhaps the reprocess has also really highlighted the hand - which was perhaps a little problematic already - lightening the hand might help?
I also agree that there was already a good emotional connection in the original

I'd say if there's a lot of attention being focussed on the hand, then that's the part of the photo that has the most merit in it. A tighter crop on the hand and child's face admittedly loses the kiss, but maintains the the loving touch while bringing a bit of ambiguity into the shot, making it more interesting. It takes it from being a hallmark moment to something a bit more open to interpretation - an therefore involves the viewer. There's a lovely contrast in textures in this section of the image which is highlighted with this crop.

[jdramirez]

I really like how you've reprocessed, cropped and toned this shot.... However - perhaps the reprocess has also really highlighted the hand - which was perhaps a little problematic already - lightening the hand might help?
I also agree that there was already a good emotional connection in the original

I'd say if there's a lot of attention being focussed on the hand, then that's the part of the photo that has the most merit in it. A tighter crop on the hand and child's face admittedly loses the kiss, but maintains the the loving touch while bringing a bit of ambiguity into the shot, making it more interesting. It takes it from being a hallmark moment to something a bit more open to interpretation - an therefore involves the viewer. There's a lovely contrast in textures in this section of the image which is highlighted with this crop.

I like the texture of the hand... but I really don't like what you did with the shot. 

[Canihaspicture]

IMHO after looking at the pic some more the very best you can do with this picture is use it as a learning experience... and toss it in the don't do this pile. It's one thing if it's candid and that's all you could get, but that hand is too difficult to remove and the framing is dead center which is normally a big no no. At the end of the day you could Photoshop it to death and it still won't make it a great shot simply due to composition and the visual distraction. I have a great many shots like this myself and I just try to see what I did wrong and try to improve on the next one or simply don't hit that shutter until it's perfect (even if it means missing the moment).

[mjardeen]

IMHO after looking at the pic some more the very best you can do with this picture is use it as a learning experience... and toss it in the don't do this pile. It's one thing if it's candid and that's all you could get, but that hand is too difficult to remove and the framing is dead center which is normally a big no no. At the end of the day you could Photoshop it to death and it still won't make it a great shot simply due to composition and the visual distraction. I have a great many shots like this myself and I just try to see what I did wrong and try to improve on the next one or simply don't hit that shutter until it's perfect (even if it means missing the moment).

IMHO the goal of this should be to look at all the ways you can see an image, recrop, and reprocess to get it closer to your idea of a better image. Below is an original image, it's a piece of crap, but I think the final processing changes it into something that hits my vision of what the images ideal is.

The amusing part is that it was taken with my first digital camera which was a 1mp. To me it shows that vision, composition, and processing all add up to creating the image in your minds eye. Mind you that I do not think this is some fantastic image, but I do remember it as being the image that got me thinking that I could goo all digital and I did when 5mp became common. My inspiration for precessing always goes back to Ansel Adams taking more than 20 years of work to get the print he had always seen for Moonrise over Hernandez NM.