Color Casting BW Photo Critique

[Hippo]

This is a portrait I had taken originally in black and white, it sat in my hardrive for about 4 months until today after watching the colts go down I decided to do some editing.

Photo:
http://www.wheresmyhippo.com/pixelpost/index.php?showimage=36

The sweatshirt/hoodie was originally red, but i thought the green had a stronger presence. Still feels like its missing something, or maybe everything. Let me know what ya think. Feedback and Critique greatly appreciated.

THANKS

[lopp]

i think it's rare for an image to look good when using this technique to color-in certain sections. it's never worked for me. i think it looks too contrived, and reminiscent of images found at poster shops in malls.

i think including the graffiti in the composition isn't necessary (its sentiment is quite embarrassing, and the lettering is bad, not that it's supposed to be proper graffiti, but it doesn't look good).

i find the pose rigid and forced, i don't care to entertain the thought of what he might be looking at, which i guess is the idea when he's been posed like this? there seems to be a narrative attached to the image, which i think could be used to better effect, i'd like to see fear in his face.

[Hippo]

Thanks yea much for the critique, I didnt intend for the part of the graffiti that was colored in to be taken as a bad sentiment, but I do see how it could be perceived as so. Made me laugh when I realized it. I even showed it to the guy in the photo and he didnt mention a word about it. This shot wasnt really planned, I was trying to test out a self timer and I needed a person to stand in for me so I could get good readings and a sharp foucs. Thanks again for the crit.

_kevin

[jkn]

Very surreal... his hands look so much like manniquin hands... I don't care for the coloring, but that's a creative/artistic thing. I think some people like it and others won't. His hands really kind of bother me though due to looking so plastic-y - my eye keeps getting drawn to them...

Graffiti doesn't bother me - though the amanda could have been left bw.

[Hippo]

Alright, I went ahead and took out the color in the graffiti, i think it looks a little better. Thanks for critiques