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<blockquote data-quote="Browncoat" data-source="post: 29196" data-attributes="member: 1061">Candid shots are usually more difficult to critique than other photos, because of the human condition.&nbsp; Generally speaking, it's very subjective as to whether or not someone has &quot;captured a moment&quot; or just &quot;took a snapshot&quot;.&nbsp; In other words, when you're presenting candids to other photographers, 99.9% of us are going to ask ourselves if we would've pressed the shutter button or not.&nbsp;&nbsp; Here, I would have to answer no, and here's why:This composition has the dreaded stake through the head effect.&nbsp; You want to avoid straight vertical lines that appear in the background close to your subject's heads.&nbsp; On a technical note, 1/125 isn't fast enough to stop movement and there is some very noticeable motion blur in the hand.&nbsp; That would be okay if it added to the scene, such as someone playing guitar, but here it is a distraction.&nbsp; Kudos for getting down low for this shot.&nbsp; That's one of the keys when working with kids.And lastly is the subject itself.&nbsp; Cute kid.&nbsp; However, this is a photo of a toddler who appears to be trotting around with her sippy-cup.&nbsp; This is something most of us see 10 times a day, every day.&nbsp; That's perfectly fine, but when photographing the mundane, you have to up the ante a bit by showing a different perspective.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Browncoat, post: 29196, member: 1061"] Candid shots are usually more difficult to critique than other photos, because of the human condition. Generally speaking, it's very subjective as to whether or not someone has "captured a moment" or just "took a snapshot". In other words, when you're presenting candids to other photographers, 99.9% of us are going to ask ourselves if we would've pressed the shutter button or not. Here, I would have to answer no, and here's why: This composition has the dreaded stake through the head effect. You want to avoid straight vertical lines that appear in the background close to your subject's heads. On a technical note, 1/125 isn't fast enough to stop movement and there is some very noticeable motion blur in the hand. That would be okay if it added to the scene, such as someone playing guitar, but here it is a distraction. Kudos for getting down low for this shot. That's one of the keys when working with kids. And lastly is the subject itself. Cute kid. However, this is a photo of a toddler who appears to be trotting around with her sippy-cup. This is something most of us see 10 times a day, every day. That's perfectly fine, but when photographing the mundane, you have to up the ante a bit by showing a different perspective. [/QUOTE]

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