Viva Arizona

[h00ligan]

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C/C appreciated and welcome. A family protesting the immigration law. Full size

 

[h00ligan]

I'm going to bump this to ask for some feedback - I guess it helps if you know what's happening in Arizona right now.

 

Thanks for your time.

[azzo]

Edward,

 

I very much like this shot and you've managed to capture some beautiful sky that adds to the atmosphere.

[h00ligan]

Thank you Ivan.

[stuny]

Edward -

 

Since Ivan is about 6,000 miles away from you and probably is not aware of the situation, I'll expand on his comment by saying that the sky, colors and tones suggest a great deal of unrest, which makes this a very strong photo.

[h00ligan]

Thank you Stuny. I'm glad the image conveys the general sense of what's coming. Three more days until it goes into effect. I do still need more work on the perspective correction it seems.

 

For those who may not know what is happening - it's an anti-illegal immigration law, the most strict in a long time. Bear in mind half of the state's population is Hispanic, many with accents.

[azzo]

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True, I wasn't aware of the reason and of the new laws but I could sense it.

 

Edward and Stuart, thank you both for explaining.

[likalar]

I like this image, along with the caption. If you had posted only the image (without the caption), I wouldn't understand the extreme darkening of the large flag and sky.

Your photo and caption (and link) have already extended awareness; Nicely done!

 

Larry

[allamande]

I'll take a crack at this:

 

I am following the news closely as this also affects us in Southern California, with protests going on here along the same lines.

 

Against the backdrop of this enormous news, I think this image lacks in energy and focus. It's surprising how few are protesting, and how small they are made to look, because of your framing decision. Maybe you are trying to show how powerless they are in the midst of all that's going on. Then it succeeds, with the looming architecture, flag, and street sign overpowering the people in both symbolic and physical dimensions.

 

I also question the choice of PP. For me, this looks highly polished and glamorized, overpowering the story itself. When I first saw the image, the first thing I've noticed was the PP, and that may not be what you want.

 

Again, this is all very subjective, but since you asked for feedback, I wanted to give my 1 cent's worth and hopefully contribute in a meaningful way. I view the topic itself to be extremely important with huge repercussions and negative impact on all our lives.

 

Ece

[daveleo]

since you specifically asked . . . . i will offer my criticism

 

the people are lost here in all the geometry of the scene and the overpowering postprocessing (which is dramatic) . . . i'm not getting your (or their) message out of this photo . . . in fact even after you explain it, i wonder "if it's such a politically tense issue why are only 6 people protesting ?"

 

(the answer is probably that protestors would be tagged for future investigation as to their immigration status, but that explanation never gets to the table here).

 

what would i have done if this event was what i had to photograph ? . . . beats me . . . it looks like maybe you can't get there from here.

 

 

allow me to ramble on . . . i once photgraphed a Native American pow-wow festival in a huge sports field . . . filled with RV's, hot dog stands, biker people, popcorn and cotton candy . . . .there was no way in h3ll you could capture the intimacy and provocative activities of the Native Americans with all the crap in the background and along the edges. . . . i get the same feeling about this situation here.

 

yeh yeh . . . i talk too much.

[h00ligan]

Thank you all for your feedback. The idea was to make the people look less than the overwhelming system and exactly to portray that such a hot issue has such little support here. I shall reflect on the opinions expressed and consider. I appreciate the time spent examining. Re the flag, that was actually brightened selectively about a stop or so, brightening more made it look cartoonish. I appreciate that all photography is subjective and may miss some, this was my effort or interpretation of the issue and people. I value the input greatly.

 

Full disclosure, I am a legal immigrant on a green card. Stuck in the middle of this law due to my chosen residence. 3 more days.

[vdb]

I must agree with ece...they look so impotent. I'd considetvstraight b&w and make it a series...with some close ups of faces and emotion...to create a photo essay.

[Scotto]

I'll offer a little bit. I feel that you're not close/wide enough.

 

I think that by trying to capture too much, you haven't captured enough. I think that protesting always needs some context, but in this photo, we have cross-streets, the name of the courthouse, and unique architecture. Any one of these might have been enough to give the viewer context/location. All 3 might not be necessary.

 

I also can't see the signs that the protesters are holding, determine exactly which flags they are flying, or even see their ethnicity- which is clearly an element in this picture's topic.

 

Lastly, my eyes are drawn to the least interesting part of the picture: the windowless part of the building. This is usually the part of the building that has the elevators and bathrooms, hence no windows. Why am I drawn to this? Well, it sits right in line with the rule of thirds, it's the brightest thing in the frame, and most importantly, there are five arrows pointing to it. It's really strange, but if you put an arrow in a frame, the viewer's eye will subconsciously follow it.

 

Just a couple of things to think about. I think you might have captured a bit more of what you were looking for by using a wider lens and getting closer.

 

I hope this is helpful. I think other members can probably help on the processing much more than me.

 

Best regards,

 

Scott

[fotografr]

Thank you Stuny. I'm glad the image conveys the general sense of what's coming. Three more days until it goes into effect. I do still need more work on the perspective correction it seems.

 

For those who may not know what is happening - it's an anti-illegal immigration law, the most strict in a long time. Bear in mind half of the state's population is Hispanic, many with accents.

 

That being the case, it should be easy to vote out the nitwits who passed the law, then repeal it.

[h00ligan]

Scotto, thanks for your feedback. This shot was made with an x1, so no chance for a lens change, and unfortunately limited by a decent sized intersection with too much traffic for me to interrupt (as well as a police officer present). I appreciate your thoughts and will certainly consider how to get more detail next time I'm out. I do think that a larger size version would reveal a bit more, did you look at the larger version?

[melissah]

Ece has it right IMO. This whole topic is very scary. Today it's the Mexican community, (who are treated like shit anyway) tomorrow? Racial profiling (if accepted) will eventually effect ea and everyone of us.

 

When I look at this image I done feel the fear I do knowing what's going on for real.

Scare me.

 

I'll take a crack at this:

 

I am following the news closely as this also affects us in Southern California, with protests going on here along the same lines.

 

Against the backdrop of this enormous news, I think this image lacks in energy and focus. It's surprising how few are protesting, and how small they are made to look, because of your framing decision. Maybe you are trying to show how powerless they are in the midst of all that's going on. Then it succeeds, with the looming architecture, flag, and street sign overpowering the people in both symbolic and physical dimensions.

 

I also question the choice of PP. For me, this looks highly polished and glamorized, overpowering the story itself. When I first saw the image, the first thing I've noticed was the PP, and that may not be what you want.

 

Again, this is all very subjective, but since you asked for feedback, I wanted to give my 1 cent's worth and hopefully contribute in a meaningful way. I view the topic itself to be extremely important with huge repercussions and negative impact on all our lives.

 

Ece