Critique ?capturing the vitality of the musician......

Elines

Elines

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Chris
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.... or just a blurry picture

3209-1393797100-072532c2f508f3b96d8470cf9119d9ec.jpg


I took this on recent holiday in Portugal. The musician was giving a combined talk/presentation/demonstration of Portuguese Fada music on the Portuguese guitar.

I wanted to capture the vitality of his performance but would be interested if I only see that in this image because I was there.
 
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It is one of those, "Marmite" shots. I am unsure myself, I do like the idea of showing movement in the shot, but is it OTT. Maybe less movement in the body and retaining the movement in the arms would have worked better. As an abstract image I think it works, and credit too you for experimenting with the settings.
 
Thanks - I have also posted this on the 'People' forum and had broadly similar comments
 
I like the blur but would be tempted to crop this quite tightly, even as far as losing parts of the musician, as for me the pale background is a distraction.
I'm thinking left and bottom edges here as his legs and right elbow don't add anything vital to the composition and the diagonal made by the neck of the instrument is a strong shape.
I like blur, always a hit and miss technique but can lead to some amazing intentional ' happy accidents '
 
sorry, just my opinion but not enough detail for me ....nice idea though :) may be the background is wrong?
 
Ok - thanks - I still like it, but am trying to see if I can get one I like as much from other 'not so blurry' pictures I took.
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
Well composed blurry square spacing, great action, no fixed focus lead area, ... works a treat on this for me. I like it.
Click to expand...

Yes - so do I - just goes to show that there can be many different opinions on the same thing (which is good:))
 
Personally, I'd have used first curtain flash sync with a slow shutter. That would have got the musician in focus due to the burst of light, whilst having a blurred part of him also in the frame to express his movement, based on the ambient light exposure.
 
Defo more to be had from this scene, more space, better background or further away...could be really cool that comp done just right I think, tis in the details Id guess.
Given the low lighting conditions you could go for a trick I learnt, if your camera will allow the combination. .... pop up flash on rear curtain sync, utilising your cameras pre-auto focus light trick like in this shot..... Goes like this, action, open shutter, pre-light long soft burst, high speed flash, close shutter.

Opens in same tab unless I right click, dunno why?
 
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James J/Forbiddenbiker - thanks for the comments.

I didn't know about that technique so thanks for that, but I couldn't have used it anyway as I only had my compact Panasonic (TZ30) with me:)
 
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