My first whuppin'...

[Huzband]

The learning curve begins. Tear it up.

http://huzband.smugmug.com/photos/392558312_JVYZE-XL.jpg

[Miguel Delinquento]

Welcome. This may hurt.
Pros:
-The interesting looking instrument. Is it some kind of a custom-built electric bass?
Cons:
-Whole tone of shot is too murky grey to see much of anything
- Confusing set of objects surrounding the musician
-Musician, who is focal point of shot I would assume, is poorly illuminated and lost in the mass of stuff
-Focus looks too soft, though that's challenging to assess because of tone
-What is so compelling about this musician anyway (besides his instrument)?
Suggestions:
-You could have taken the shot much closer and gotten more of his facial features and intensity in the picture to help convey some emotion associated with music
-Some folks would say crop out the bridge and everything but the man; I would simply suggest reshooting the shot.
-Please let me know if this B&W rendering is your intention. I prefer a more traditional balance of highlights, midtones, and shadows for this kind of street shot. But I'm interested in your objectives for this shot.
-Keep taking pictures; it is good that you are shooting the street and choosing black and white.
-Keep posting here as I'm sure we will enjoy watching improvement.

M

[du8die]

:agree

This image is pretty flat - there's no real contrast. Only gray. There's no pure whites, no pure blacks. This just isn't that striking. I attached the levels - this shot is seriously underexposed. Can be fixed in PP - but it's better to get this right in-camera.

Once the exposure is right, open up the Aperture and see if you can blur the background a bit.

A much tighter crop would tell more of a story.

Thanks for posting.

[Huzband]

I appreciate the feedback. After all, that's why I posted. And if I thought my feelings would get hurt, I wouldn't have stuck my nose out.

I've had similar comments from a couple friends that have seen this shot, but they were too vague to really be helpful. Your specific suggestions DO help, & I'll use them.

B&W was my intention. I shot another one in color, but didn't like it at all, so it got deleted. I don't have Photoshop, & won't have it till I get the in-camera stuff dialed in.

Thanks again, & keep 'em coming.

[baldmountain]

I think the point of the shot is the odd juxtaposition of the musician over the lamp post, bridgework and building. But I do agree that the musician disappears into the background. You do NOT want to open the aperture to blur that background since the contrast of those elements and the musician are the point of the shot. But you do need to get your subject to pop a bit more. I think this may be an instance where you need some flash. Maybe one high and from the left to add to the light that seems to be coming from that direction already. Maybe another low power from the back or side and right to help separate your subject from the background.

Another possibility is to shift you position much lower and a bit right to frame the subject's head and shoulder in the sky behind the building and the lamp bulb would be under his elbow rather than over it. But then you may find that you are getting the top of the window in the shot. :dunno

Like others have said. More exposure.

[iambarefoot]

Perhaps it'll be my thing to chime in on the musician shots.

My 1st impression was that this was a nice candid shot of "dedicated musician practicing in a hall before a performance" and then I realized that it's an outdoor shot, and that the musician is probably in performance, in which case he should be highlighted/emphasized somehow.
I like the idea of showing a street musician in the context of a cluttered cityscape, but I have to agree with the others that the low-contrast B/W doesn't help.

[Scoupe]

I don't have Photoshop, & won't have it till I get the in-camera stuff dialed in.

Thanks again, & keep 'em coming.

Then there's the theory that one dials in their post processing and capture together, similar to zoning your entire B&W workflow in a film situation. No B&W film photogrpher ever expects to print their work "as is" straight from the negative. Photoshop IS your darkroom in digital, it's not just for tricks and rescuing poor captures.

I really like where you're going with this image. As mentioned, the major issue is the lack of contrast. I think the degree of background blur is almost perfect. Would like to see a little more face, but keeping as much of the lamps, signs, bridge parts, as possible in, because, as mentioned, the juxtaposition really adds to the interest.

Things that might have nudged this image from interesting to arresting:

Passersby, especially if they were ignoring the concert as they passed.
A more dramtic angle on the instrument or musician.

you've got a good eye developing, IMO.