Thanks everyone for the great comments (especially paulbtlw for truly understanding and the wonderful award).
Many people suggested I should have cropped out the distractions of the wall and foreground. I agree and had seriously thought about doing this. However, this would have resulted in just the pianist and for me would be missing some of the story and effect of his surroundings. He is providing the sound effects in an old theatre from a pit to the side and below the stage. Even though this would not be obvious from the shot I was hoping to show that more was happening than just someone playing a piano. Hence the foreground stage and fancy wall.
He was rehearsing when I walked passed this area and I hastily took the shot (one of the slowest shutter speeds I’ve attempted hand-held with this old Rebel. I felt like I captured a moment which is why I felt compelled to enter for the FS despite taking many shots along one of the touristiest and photographed roads in Australia (the Great Ocean Road) during this month. Thanks again everyone.
Statistics
Place: 120 out of 264 Avg (all users): 5.7411 Avg (commenters): 8.0000 Avg (participants): 5.6622 Avg (non-participants): 5.8947 Views since voting: 1992 Views during voting: 194 Votes: 112 Comments: 9 Favorites: 1 (view)
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.
Positives: A most lovely portrait benefitting from highly effective lighting. The crisp focus on the hands and the paintingish softness of the rest of the image conspires with the coloration and lighting to produce something quite special.
Critical stuff: I have mixed feelings about the surface at the bottom of the image and the wall moulding on the right - they seem to intrude and detract a little but if I mask them out with my hands the image seems diminished. On balance I think their presence gives context and life to the image.
Overall: An image that gets better and better the more you look at it. So much so that by the time I've got to the end of my looking and writing I feel a need to fav it.
Lovely mood! I like the dark and then the subject in the light. I wish that had carried through by either cropping the sparkly stuff on the right out... or burning/darkening it. (not voting)
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