[ghiaauto]

I'm an amateur photography and taking photos is one of my hobbies. I would like to improve my skill.

Feel free to say anything about my picture

your critique will be highly appreciated and substantially useful for me

PS. the shutter speed of this picture is 1/400 but the drop down list doesn't have it

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[UncleVanya]

I'm an amateur photography and taking photos is one of my hobbies. I would like to improve my skill.

Feel free to say anything about my picture

your critique will be highly appreciated and substantially useful for me

PS. the shutter speed of this picture is 1/400 but the drop down list doesn't have it

I'm not sure I should critique you but here goes. Your main subject, the person, looks like an afterthought, he isn't the focal point, the archway is more brightly lit and the shape drawers your eye towards it. Fill light on the person and moving him over into the arch might work better.

---------- Post added 02-19-15 at 12:26 AM ----------

See rule of thirds for why I say to move the person over. He is close to the midline, whereas the arch is on the left.

[MD Optofonik]

I wish the model was a little more to the right of frame, with the wall instead of the corner behind him. There is a subtle creepiness to this that I like and positioning the subject so off center would, I believe, add to the effect; you don't notice what's "off kilter" with him at first. It took me a moment to realize the model appears to be suspended in mid air, floating. The angle of his head, shoulders, position of his feet and arms, all compliment the the creepy vibe. Good idea. I'd like to see you re-shoot it and post the result.

[Macario]

Yes I have to agree, the position of the person is not the best. Either to the left, that he is in the arch, or to the right that he is closer to the wall. That just depends on what you want to tell with the photo. In the centre could also work, but then he shoule be more to the back or more to the front.

[UncleVanya]

Is he on tip toes or is there another way the floating illusion was created?

[mee]

jumping as the image is taken is the general technique. Or Acme hover-shoes. hehe

the archway is gorgeous.. well lit and wonderful colors. I like the framing of the archway. The person in the photo, as others have mentioned, seems like an afterthought.

I think you need to do is chose what is the focal point/subject of your image and cater the entire image around that subject. Right now you have two subjects -- the archway and the person. There can be only one.

[sholtzma]

It's an intriguing shot, and I appreciate your work. If you don't mind my trying to help....

I copied your low resolution JPEG into Photoshop to offer two different interpretations of the same scene. The first keeps your wide view but crops away some relatively empty negative space and also lightens the man and darkens the overly lit arch. The second crops far into the photo to emphasize both the arch and the man beside it, again lightening and darkening to minimize the overcontrast of the original and to bring out the man more.

If I were advising you, and you could set up and shoot the scene again, here would be my suggestions:

1) identify your subject better, because the original is confusing your audience. Is it the floating man (probably), the arches, the effect of the spiritually charged space on the man?

2) fill your frame with your subject. If it is to emphasize the man, show him larger in the frame.

3) control contrast better. The man is too dark compared to other parts of the scence.

4) add some punch to the scene (say, with post-processing or with HDR techniques). The tones are relatively flat.

5) shoot in RAW or at least high-resolution JPEGS. RAW will give you more latitude to play with the image in post-processing and will allow you to crop without artifacts such as the ones now visible in my versions of your photo. (You may have done this already, having posted only a low-res image in order to meet the PF.com limits. If so, you can crop in many ways and post-process in many ways to improve this photo.)

6) Assuming your main subject is the man, ensure that he is in perfect focus. Even if you have to sacrifice some depth of field with a larger f-stop to ensure a fast enough shutter speed to freeze his motion. Alternatively, use high ISO, keep your shutter fast, and still have a small enough aperture to get sufficient depth of field.

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[bdery]

I like how you used the natural light to illuminate the hall. I'd have moved the person forward, used a flash to brighten him (it might still be possible to do so in lightroom) and used a side illumination to do so. Increasing contrast a bit might do the image good, too. The shot is interesting and creative, so kudos for that!