A Light Read (EDIT)

[RAKAMRAK]

I seem to be the only one, but I disagree that centered = balanced. I love the lighting and B&W choice and I think the white space adds positively to the minimalism. Personally, I might even add more white space (black) to the right until the guy's head is at the 1/3 length, before I'd choose to crop it in. For me, more white space adds to the dark, immersed feel and would make the photo feel less staged IMO

I agree with the knee brightness seeming a little high, that was the first thing that caught my eye.

Since I was one of the early commentators to this post who opined negatively about the black empty space to the right of the subject (the current version of the photo no longer has that) so I thought a clarification would be in order. I do not think that "centered = balanced". But I definitely think in the current composition with just the subject in the far left of the frame without anything other than dark emptiness to the right made it look unbalanced to me. There are numerous occasions when such a composition (subject on one side of the frame and emptiness on the other) may create a strong story but this situation did not look like that to me. Rule of the third is also a nice thumb rule to go to but there also we need something on the opposite vertex to balance it.

 

[petach]

I seem to be the only one, but I disagree that centered = balanced. I love the lighting and B&W choice and I think the white space adds positively to the minimalism. Personally, I might even add more white space (black) to the right until the guy's head is at the 1/3 length, before I'd choose to crop it in. For me, more white space adds to the dark, immersed feel and would make the photo feel less staged IMO

I agree with the knee brightness seeming a little high, that was the first thing that caught my eye.

Since I was one of the early commentators to this post who opined negatively about the black empty space to the right of the subject (the current version of the photo no longer has that) so I thought a clarification would be in order. I do not think that "centered = balanced". But I definitely think in the current composition with just the subject in the far left of the frame without anything other than dark emptiness to the right made it look unbalanced to me. There are numerous occasions when such a composition (subject on one side of the frame and emptiness on the other) may create a strong story but this situation did not look like that to me. Rule of the third is also a nice thumb rule to go to but there also we need something on the opposite vertex to balance it.

Oh, I wouldn't say you opined negatively at all. It was constructive and very welcome thank you, and I am pleased you took the trouble to.

 

[Pugshot]

I like the image very much - just the way it is. Very evocative. I don't mind the amount of black - it serves to isolate the important parts of the image and is very effective as negative space. Personally, the back story is interesting, but ultimately I don't really care where the subject was sitting. Because of the surrounding blackness, I can make up my own story of where he's sitting, what he's doing, etc., - and that engages my mind when I view the photograph. Isn't that what we all strive to do with our photography? To the extent I would do anything, I would darken the portion of his coat that is getting reflective light bounced into it by the book, and maybe try to darken the pages of the book - if there's any detail to be gotten from that (probably not). But even if you didn't change a thing, I think this is a beautiful image. It really made an impression and I could see myself returning to view it again and again. Very well done.

 

[Roger Jones]

Chiaroscuro is great but I want to see into the shadows. Just a little bit of separation between figure and ground gives more depth to the image. Rembrandt uses dark shadows but they have detail. More detail in the highlights helps as well.