[CWyatt]

Cheeky street photo from Spain. Shot on 35mm film, 50mm lens, scan from print. Technical settings are a guess. Thoughts welcome.

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Last edited by CWyatt; 03-27-2013 at 01:26 PM.

[CWyatt]

bump?

This has a lot going for it. The composition just works with the progression of walls and shadows and then the second look with the kids. It has motion and immediacy, a moment in the alley. If Murillo had had your camera around 1650, it might look like your photograph. If I saw this in an exhibit, I'd have stopped and spent some time looking at it. This is what photography is for.

[CWyatt]

Thanks Brooke!

[K-9]

I'm wondering if color would work better here. There is simply no focal point in this shot. The viewer's eye just goes straight into the alley, but there's no interest there. The distorted boy in the left corner appears awkward.

Color would make it another vacation photo, would diminish the impact. B&W eliminates distraction. This is hard light, hard contrast, hard edges and textures with leading lines that pull you right in. Then the eye comes back counterclockwise, and you see a hint of one child and another in shadow. Then you see the rugged textures of the eroded wall and paving. Whats behind the walls? What are these kids doing? Play? Hiding? Are they in trouble? What is life like for them?

Its a complex photo with lots going on and the viewer will personalize it. The first thing I thought was Murillo, Street Beggar. I spent time in Spain, a long time ago, US Navy in Rota and saw a lot of alleys like this. It was not upscale, it was hard. Franco was still in power and the Guardia Civil were tough on the street kids. Without the kids, its a foreboding alley. With the kids, its a story that the viewer completes. Good art allows that.