[Adrian]

This is a picture I took in my mate's pub at the weekend. It's another mate's missus being taught how to play the spoons by one of the folk singers that were in the bar. I know the exposure is somewhat awry, and the DOF could be better but the light from the window was difficult and I didn't have a flash. Taken with my Canon Canonet GIII QL17 on Ilford XP2 (ISO400) at 1/50th, f/4. Critique would be very welcome as I'm trying to get back into simpler photography and using film a bit more when I can.

[CT]

I'm not sure what sort of critique you're looking for there Adrian, it's a nice available light shot taken in what appear to be cramped conditions. I think you've done well exposure wise particularly as you're shooting against the light, so inevitably you're a bit under-exposed on the left where the fiddler is, although he's not really the main subject. Your shot captures the concentration of the spoon player and the student nicely and their heads are leaning nicely together which focuses attention on what they're doing.

The only thing I think you could perhaps have done differently was to have taken the shot from the spoon players left for an easier less contrasty exposure and to eliminate the fiddler, perhaps concentrating just on the two participants. Probably there was someone sitting there though, and anyway, I quite like the lighting as it is, and the guy on the far left standing and looking on helps to focus attention at the table.

It's a shame about the white blob in the bottom right hand corner, but it's nice - I like it. Hope that helps mate?

[Steep]

The shot really works for me, the three faces leading you down from top left to bottom right in a swoosh to the spoon player who's expression of concentration is marvelous. The lighting works well as it fades away to the left leaving the girl and spoon player the focus of attention. There's a name for this kind of photography which I can't remember, it's a real moment in time captured.

9/10 in my book, 10 if you clone out the white cloth thing bottom right

[Steep]

I seem to remember from my days using XP2 that it retains a lot of detail even in under exposed areas. If you do your own printing you can probably bring out some of the darker parts on the left but tbh I'd leave it as is.

[dazzajl]

I really like it. Being on B&W film does that mean you've printed it also?

The print has almost more impact on the final image than the neg with B&W and hence leave alot of room to really enhance your vision of the finished shot.

I would personally crop in a little to remove the dark object just above the hanging coat and also along the bottom and righthand edges. This creeps in a bit closer to the subject but also leaves less of the white thing in the bottom right to deal with. Then with a bit of holding back the top right corner can be brought back in to balance the overall composition.

I've done a very very rough example of what I mean which for some reason doesn't want to show in this post but can be seen here

http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=yc5j...mp;nostam p=1

[CT]

Nice work there dazzajl. 8)

[Adrian]

Many thanks for all the comments and help. Dazzajl, thanks for that, I'll do some work with the burning tool in PS later. I do have a print which shows much more detail than the screen image. CT, that's just the sort of critique I was after. composition-wise, the subjects hadn't realised I was taking a picture although most of them now just assume I'll be carrying a camera somewhere, but it would have been difficult to change my positioning due to the shape of the room. The white blob is an unfortunately placed carrier bag but I think that can go.