How would you improve this?

[rsparker]

I'd appreciate some spcific criticisms of this image.
Thanks,
Robert

[brad]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the grain.. but that is just me.

The foliage behind him is too much... he needs to be in front of something less busy or you need more DOF seperation between him and it.

The contrast is a little flat.. you could stand to boost the brightness and contrast a little bit, while still preserving the grain effect if that's what you want.

[rsparker]

Brad,

The specific feedback is much appreciated. I blurred the background a bit, toned down the noise (which in this rare case I actually do like), and bumped up the contrast.

Is this any better?

Thanks,
Robert

[babybluetx23]

Im not a big fan of the nois either. I think Trying to run noise ninja would help a bit. Personally I would have liked to have seen the subject "pop" a little more and the background more blurred.

[michaelbates]

Robert...I don't mind the noise in this one. The somewhat busy background and contrast does lend itself to the old b&w film days which HAD noise

I wish there were a bit more blur to the background on the left side of the image. Some might say they want more separation from his hair and the dark background on the right, but I like the effect there...it's just that the area on the left is a little too busy for my taste - but that's just me!!

Michael

[andylaiphoto]

I like grain and I like the shot, only thing is the back of his head gets lost.

[Laura S]

I hate to be different, but I find the contrast level too high, the image is much too dark, the man's hair disappears into the background. There is not enough blur in the background to separate your subject.

[eurotrash]

Originally Posted by andylaiphoto

I like grain and I like the shot, only thing is the back of his head gets lost.

exactly what i was going to post.

[CypressPhotog]

I don't like the white shirt. It's way too bright and it becomes the focal point of the image. His head just fades into the bg.