I would like this image to receive a helping hand. The reason that I chose this image is because it's some where that I can go but to and have got pretty much and endless array of positioning posablities.

I have done NOTHING to this image, I did a straigh conversion from RAW to JPEG.

Any thoughts, bare i mind the weather isn't always this perfect in London

From Wikipedia:
Constructive criticism (often shortened to 'CC' or 'concrit') is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one. In collaborative work, this kind of criticism is often a valuable tool in raising and maintaining performance standards.

There is not much to critique.  

It is a well captured image technically, but not very interesting.  Why capture it when the crowds are there, except that you happened to be at the spot.  You are master of your camera and this kind of image presents no particular difficulty .  Unless there is something interesting and different that you are trying to show us that I am missing .
 
Explore different angles if you will - they will be of interest to those who are not familiar with this scene, or cannot see it except in a photograph. However they will only be postcards to friends or acquaintances type images. 

I see three possibilities to carry this forward which I will put here - perhaps others will have different opinions or be able to add more. Something to show that you can make your own and exercise your own style in capture. 

One is that you explore this scene in time - you search for the special moments that happen in or around this place. The unfamiliar, the funny,, the happy,  the sad, the romantic  and try to capture those.

Two you explore this scene in how it reacts to its environment in different light and conditions:  at night, in fog, at dawn, at dusk, in the rain, in the snow, in ice, a panorama, and capture those.

Three you concentrate on the little details : close ups, the dropped bus ticket, the can of drink, the way it is made, details that a person standing next to it will see and not the scene as you approach from across the road. 

hth

Yep many of your London images have been good enough to be used as postcards this one is as Richard says  is pretty boring ... Was the lay of  the land sloped that way?  I would think that there were a few of those characters in the front say with the red and yellow shirts  would have made a good close up

Did you use a wide or ultra wide angle lens?  The slope in the foreground looks familiar.  Sky is excellent as is the technical side of the capture but it doesn't have "grab" my attention the way many of your gallery images have.  

I think a pore extreme POV using the monument as the main focus of your compositin would be very interesting.

Lens: EF-S 18 - 55mm, shot at the short end (18mm).

I was going for the crowds in waiting, looking for the bikers and basically ignoring a beautiful backdrop.

Honestly I'm not sure why there is so most distortion. The monument looks straight to me, I could be wrong. The statues around are in a circle, could that affect the outcome?

Thanx for all of those ideas Rich, I will def be going there tomorrow morning, there is supposed to be fog and I nevr really thought of it, but then again will 8.30am been too late would the just dawning sun be better.

Thanks Dan and Mark, the image didn't realy grab my attention either when I looked at it on screen, it was a whole different story while there thou, the sky and light were wonderfu with the su behind me.

I think the lack of 'instant gratification'/'wow' factor is the biggest reason that I needed help.

I will shot in the days to come and def post a least one different and more improved shot.

Thanx for the feed back and I how others come into the dicussion too.

I find a ppl underexposed and missing a "colo punch" They wearing yellow, red, white shirt, should pop out. You sad you were concentrate on a crowd, they too far I can not see their expression, they waiting for a cyclers, they must be nerveous excited at a same time. I missing these. 

seeya  Tunde

Quote Peewee: ***"I was going for the crowds in waiting, looking for the bikers and basically ignoring a beautiful backdrop"

 ***Was there a some kind of RACE or BIKING event going on?  If so, (IMO) this image doesn't capture that at all.   I get a very tourist....  taking vacation pics kinda feel from it. 

The photo seems too "tight"... a wider angle shot definitely would  have been a better choice here (in my minds eye).  As is its unbalanced and there is no real focus.

I agree with the others comments....exploring the space; get to know the surroundings and how different times of day affect the lighting.  Get in the habit of shooting from a variety of vantage points (if possible) both close and from afar....instead of just taking a picture.....TELL A STORY!!!

I can relate believe me....been there done this many times, where I took a photo that I thought a the time was eye catching and interesting only to find out that wasn't the case (after viewing on the computer!)

Thanks for "stepping up"  and giving us the opportunity to critique your work and learn some things in the process.

Joe

PeeWee, I prety much agree with what has been said thusfar.  In your shot, I see two different sorts of images unfortunately combined into one.  I would have most likely done as you did and shoot for the moment.  Then again, I might lie on my back on the ground an get a up shot or the crowd and leave the wonderful sky and monument out...concentrating on excitement of the moment of anticipation of the racers.  That is one image. The other is the monument and the very neat sky shot, a beauty without the crowd! See what I mean? Two shots of essentially different content in one shot and it does not work well combined.  Either alone would be fine.

I supect you being a strong and likely determined person will do this again and perhaps get the same sort of wonderful cloud and sky. If so, that as a shot will be fine in your skilled hands.  As for the race, that is over and likely will not be presented soon again..perhaps it will and you can try for the crowd and that alone.  Thanks for submitting this image.  I am not always so candid with my own shots and perhaps should be.       TomDart.

If I may be bold to give my amateur 5 cents.

With the barricade, and only some of the people are looking to the right of the photo waiting for something, it tries to give a sense of expectation, but can't deliver because not all of them are looking in anticipation. Alot of them look like they are bored to me. With nothing there, and no real subject to focus on in the crowd, it becomes a trickle of humans drifting from one side of the photo to the other with nothing to grab me. If everyone head was avidly looking to the right, or left. I think this photo would work.

If you were going after the crowd, a much tighter shot perhaps,or focus on one particular feature of them, with alot less sky.

Not really sure, sort of addlibbing here, the photo doesn't really do alot 4 me, not 100% sure why.

Thanx for all the help guys as well as the amatur POV.

Your 'amatur' POV is really imprtant as you haven't yet been tainted by our evil ways so you're honest and that is refreshing, Thank you.

I went back to the monument to see the changing of the guards which was really great as I got a few crowd shots as to how you guys had suggested and specifically looked out for all of the things you had mentioned.

Tx again.