Photo Critique

GOOD PHOTOS

Photo: Aykut Unlupinar / Anadolu Agency, European Pressphoto Agency (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-turkey-syria-escalate-20121015,0,4238026.story)

I like this photo mainly because it's telling a story. It's from an article in the LA Times about how Syrians flee across the border to Turkey. This picture illustrates it quite well, there's no room left and the boat is almost sinking but it still appears to be a better option than staying at home. The colors are also creating a great contrast, the colorful scarves against the drab background colors. I also like how the people are the ones in focus, and how the background is blurry to make the people more exposed.

Photo: John Gambrell / AP (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/pictures/121003-best-pictures-month-we-love-coral-parkour-dancer/#/best-news-pictures-september-2012-dancer_59837_600x450.jpg)

I think this is a great example of how effective it can be to use contrast in a photo. That was what first caught my attention, an African dancer standing alone in a room with what appears to be a basket case. The person is also placed after the rule of thirds, which puts the dancer in focus. I also like how the photographer has been paying attention to details. There are a lot of things "going on" in this picture, as in there are a lot of small things to notice, but at the same time the picture feels calm and still. The body language of the dancer probably has something to do with it. I also like how the light is falling over the room, and how a piece of the window is showing and letting in some more light.

BAD PHOTOS

Photo: Heiko Junge / European Pressphoto Agency (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html?ref=europe)

First av all there's just too much going on in this picture. I guess the man behind the podium is suppose to be the center of attention, but instead it's the man with the blue mic who's in focus. I wouldn't have chose a picture where the man who's talking to the journalist has his eyes closed. I also think this picture could be cropped much more tight than this. The point is probably to show how much of attention this press conference caused, but it makes me focus on the notebook and the camera lens in the foreground, instead of the man talking. There should also be more light on the man behind the podium, and less light on the journalists standing on his right.

Photo: Stefan Berg (http://www.gp.se/nyheter/goteborg/1.1095596--en-del-vill-ta-bort-gamla-karlekar-)

This photo could also have been cropped more tight. I think it's disturbing that you can see a piece of a picture frame and something blue (no idea what it is) in the left corner. The fluorescent lamp could probably also be cut out of the picture. I also think the picture is a bit too dark, it would be better with some more light in the background. The picture in the foreground of the picture is also disturbing, since it's so out of focus. I see that the point was to actually show the man behind the disk, but in that case the picture in the foreground is both too big to be so out of focus and also too close to the lens.