Assignment 2 feedback

Overall the feedback I received for this assignment was positive.  My tutor said that I had a good eye for capturing the perfect moment for a photograph but that more work was needed on my shooting discipline to get backgrounds and framing perfect.

I feel that my choice of lens for this section of the course contributed to the background problems.  It is difficult to get the balance right in being conspicuous and choosing the relevant gear.  However this is something I will continue to work on moving forward.  I feel that only with more practice and experimentation will I find a set up that will be the most comfortable for me.

He also mentioned avoiding visual gimmicks in the future instead relying on the power of the content of the image to relay a message.  Again I am pleased to have this feedback because up until now I have been unsure of how far to go in post production.  My gut feeling and the images I myself like the most are those that look more natural and tell a story rather than are heavily manipulated in photoshop.  Maybe this is a lesson I need to learn and rely more on my own judgement.

Images that were highlighted were

Marching Soldiers

My tutor said that I had captured the action at the decisive moment in this image.  The key element being the foot.  He compared it to an image of Reni Burri where the woman's heel is the key element.  He mentioned the fact that the flagpole is coming out of the Sgt Major's head but that was being picky.  I was pretty restricted movementwise for this shot.  If I was able to move I may have been able to compose so the flagpole was better placed.  

Tour de France

This image highlighted the problems of the backgrounds in the set.  Although my tutor did say that this was a superb capture of expression.  

I have looked at cropping the shot which I think improves the composition but I could have made a better job of the shot at the time of shooting.  I think this is where practice will really come in.  Until I started this part of the course I underestimated how quick you have to be to get these images!

Child Soldier

I personally like this shot, but it does have problems in the background like in many of the other images I have taken for this set.  De-saturating parts of an image is generally frowned upon by the professionals so it is something I should avoid in the future for this type of photography.  

My tutor suggested converting to black and white which is what I had originally done -again I should have listened to my gut instinct.  

On the plus side my tutor said that this image together with the majority of my submission is very well seen and just needs a little tightening of technique to reach an excellent standard of street photography.  This feedback I really do value and it means I am on the right track.  I think all I can do now is work harder and practice more.