As it is, I was trying to capture the thrill of kite riding(even though it isn't in shown). I thought the strings and grips were enough to convey that.
After challenge:
For those who wanted other takes of this:
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The technicals: The strongest points of this picture are the composition (excellent) and the focus (nicely sharp). See more below on the composition. The weakest point on this shot, and the one that easily kept you from a higher score is the bleached out grass dominating the shot. It is likely a product of shooting midday and perhaps there's nothing you can do about that (ummm, excuse me, can you come back 90 minutes before sunset?). Lowering the midtones may have helped or even converting to B&W where the tone may have actually worked to your advantage. The flag is somewhat distracting. I may have ditched it, but I would have been nervous about doing so...(who knows where that line is these days).
The feel: As mentioned, the composition is strong. There is a distinct feeling of action and this is accentuated by the diagonal lines.
The game: Not much to add. A reasonable selection for a Free Study. Has some unusualness to it. I think it was the grass that almost exclusively kept you from a better score.
Focus and depth of field are good. Color, saturation and hue are done well. Brightness is a bit overdone, highlights on the helmet are burned out and shirt is getting close.
I think the two biggest problems here are shutter speed, action is completely stopped; and no kite. A bit of motion blur would have emphasized the action. As is, the picture comes across a bit static, and frozen. Like other commmenters I would have liked to have seen the kite. If you are familiar with the sport, you understand what is going on in this picture. If not, then you are left out of the story. This would be a good picture as a part of an illustrative series, as in a magazine article. However, as a stand alone shot I feel that it doesn't tell enough of the story.
I like the idea here but as a spectator it leaves me to wonder, what in the world is he hanging on to (Yes, I know what he is hanging on to)? I would have maybe liked to have seen this photo taken at a wider angle possibly displaying the entire get-up. I'm assuming the kite or chute would have had some nice colors in it.(?) Good luck with the Challenge!!!
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