Black & White : Lesson 9

[Beth]

During a break from a family photo session, I encouraged Zac to play around with his brother’s accoustic guitar. We joked about how he would pose for his debut rock n’ roll album.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

I really like this photograph, but I feel there is a lot of hidden potential in this idea. It’s a great start, but I would love to see you experiment more with depth in this image.

But let’s start with the technical stuff first. The image does exactly what we asked from you. You’ve provided a well composed image with a wide tonal range. The grey background, the dark black shirt and the small highlights of light help give this photograph a dramatic look. I particularly like the lighting highlight in the boy’s hair. That adds such beautiful texture to the photograph.

There is nothing wrong with the photograph but I want to see you experiment with depth more. I really like how the boy’s hand is on the guitar, but I would have loved to see his hand play a more prominent role in the foreground. What if he rested his elbow on the guitar which would have allowed him to extend his arm towards your camera? You could then have played with proportion and depth. Or what about changing your position and laying on the ground and shooting upwards with the guitar playing a primary role in the photograph. I want you to start experimenting with depth a little more. It’s visible in your shots, but I know you can push it a little further. What you’ve done isn’t’ wrong, but I think you’ll benefit from experimenting!

All the best.

[Author]

Posts