Submitter's name:	Brian Swale
Title:	The Knave, from Alice in Wonderland
Gear used:	OM-4Ti + 35~105 f/3.5 - 4.5 @ 105mm + lens hood.
Diaphragm:	f/8
Shutter speed:	1/125, hand-held
Film used:	Fuji Superia Reala 100 ASA.
Technical information:	Nice overcast day. My all-in-one wandering about lens.
Subject information:	In the grounds of Larnach Castle, dating from about 1871 at the earliest.
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Comment left by: Olaf Greve (no e-mail specified)

Good choice of subject. Minor point of improvement: I think the composition in this shot would have been a bit better if the statue was centered (and leveled). The age of the subject is nicely shown though.

Comment left by: Steve Goss (no e-mail specified)

Olaf- I thought knaves were always off center and out of kilter. In that case, the composition would be correct...

Comment left by: C.H.Ling (chling@accura.com.hk)

To me, making it a bit level will work. But my preference will be putting the subject on the right side. On the other hand the contrast seem a bit low, moving the black level a bit in Photoshop will help.

Comment left by: Photographer (n/a)

Well, it was one knave photographing another, so who would be surprised if things are a little crooked. Actually, it is alrady straightened significantly, to straighten any more would have sacrificed too much of the essential image. I took just *one* hand-held shot, and liked it so much despite the problems - well here you have it. Don't like it being to one side? Poetic licence here I'm afraid. It was me behind the camera and I have a phobia about images with the subject plumb in the middle of my photos. Other people can do that if they want, but I almost never do it. And I have a distinct preference for the left side, for some reason I can't fathom. Yours faithfully, Zuikoholic.

Comment left by: Alasdair Mackintosh (Alasdair.Mackintosh@ntlworld.com)

I'm normally a bit of a stickler for things being vertical and, if not central, then at least not cropped. However, I think that the slightly off-kilter composition works very well with the ever-so-slightly sinister subject matter. This isn't how I would have done it myself, but my own version would probably have been worse...

Comment left by: Jan Steinman (Jan@Bytesmiths.com)

I like the off-center composition! (Although I might have faced it into negative space, rather than away from it.) Having negative space gives it a "what next" feeling.

Comment left by: Brian (bj@caverock.net.nz)

Yes, I agree with C.H., and Jan that it would have been better if the face was "looking" into the photo. I don't remember if I thought of that at the time, or if there was no alternative position to take the shot from in order to obtain that result.

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