Hi Ellen,
This image belongs in a genre called documentary photography and it is a genre that I am really passionate about. So often photographers, both amateur and professional try to set up an image but often best photographs are those that are observed and captured in the moment.
This is definitely one of those images. It tells a story and if you did try and set up this photograph, chances are it would never be as convincing.
In as much as I like this moment, there are a few things that you could have done to improve it… both at the capture stage and in post-production.
One of the most distracting elements in this photograph is the van in the background. Because it is both big and white our eyes are drawn directly to it. In making this image I would have moved off to the left so that I could eliminate it from the background.
The second thing I would have done would have been to either move closer to the people or to use a longer lens. There is too much irrelevant space around the people, which is not contributing to the image.
The third adjustment I would have made when capturing this scene would have been to have taken more control of the exposure… the main subjects are underexposed. There are a couple of ways you can take control of exposure; one option is to work in Manual exposure mode but another option would have been to dial in +1.5 on the Exposure Compensation setting on the camera (just remember to reset this to 0 again afterwards).
Post-production is also an important stage of the image making process. Even if you have everything right in the camera there is still a chance that you might need to brighten up the faces on the subjects, and on the seagulls. One of the simplest way to do this is to use the Dodge tool. The only thing to be aware of with this tool is that you have a choice of three ranges to work with – Highlights, Midtones and Shadows. Chances are you will need to use the Midtone adjustment to just lighten the faces a bit.
Below is an image that I have made a few adjustments to. You will notice that I have brightened the faces on the woman and child, as well as that man that is lying on his side to the left of the picture. And there is another difference with this image too. Notice how much more impact there is when you get rid of that from the background.
Do some homework on documentary photography… I think you will find it interesting.
Cheers, Anthony
Birds - Image Doctor's edited version
