OK so the sun was directly overhead, I only had a split second, the girl in the photo came in really close and I snapped the shot, not even sure if she was in focus. It's burnt out on the top and there's flare in her eye but she did have a great smile and could play the fiddle so incredibly well
The flare and the bleached out sky don't really matter because the important thing is that you've captured the moment.. I love the way she's looking directly into the camera, it makes quite an engaging image!
What I like is your enthousiasm. You must have been in love or close. Or she was. Photos don't have to be perfect to tell the story nobody would have known without them. Go on doing this please Daithi.
the first interpretation is the correct one. She was great but she was dancing as she was playing and only momentarily came to the camera so I had to shoot without attention being paid to the composition really. If I had the chance though, I would photograph this girl again and be more considerate toward the image I would try to get. Honestly, this lady was really beautiful in person with a fabulous smile.
1) A capture of a quick, spontaneous moment, in which the girl appeared, smiled, and disappeared again an instant later. The blurry & cropped hand and the tilted background support this interpretation.
2) She seems to be in an excellent mood, not at all worried by the fact that she's being photographed - so maybe she would have given you enough time for slower = more careful composition (aiming the camera lower to include her hand fully and possibly also avoid the flare) and focusing (maybe with a bigger aperture).
I'm undecided between these two interpretations, and hence between perceiving this photo as a keeper or not. There is the infectious smile, the close distance combined with the wideangle lens that really draws the viewer into the picture, and the action-revealing motion blur of the bow hand - these are all strengths that give value to the photo.
As for the weaknesses: Thanks to the small aperture and the wide angle, you got away with the focus. Tilted horizons I do not worry about except in landscape/architecture shots. But the flare is annoying, and I think some of the sky could really have been exchanged for more foreground/subject.
In the end I'd say that if you get the opportunity, try to reshoot. If not, not - the photo already has its appeal.
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{K:24381} 5/12/2004