Stills

Photographer aware with eye contact; the tilt of the head from the main child is significant, you've been seen.

So the second child; I think she knows you are there but cannot be a***d to move! So the partly obscured face but with eye contact is, I think, telling me something.
 

Not that it really matters, but the second child is the girl's little brother. They were quite friendly and not particularly camera shy.
 

LoL. I think I hope I can be forgiven for getting the gender wrong. I didn't think they were camera shy.
 

very dramatic clouds, not sure I would want to be on a boat at this time.

LOL! Evacuate the Western Isles - the boats have to stop running :-)

Ahem

I find this a fascinating photo because the setting, the lighting, and child number one make this look like something staged, but then child number two whips away all that possibility of pretence. No advertising shot would include that child in that position.

I note that even off theme like this photo might be considered to be, you've managed to arrange the colours to be right. Child number two has to be dressed in red and lo! the child is dressed in red.
 

in Sydney clouds like that means a possible storm, maybe they look more dramatic in the picture than they were.
Sorry about the boy/girl mistake, I can see it is a boy now.
 

I agree that the directness of the girl's active gesture and connection with the camera juxtaposed against the boy's partially hidden face as well as reclining position, playing against that rather dramatic (to me) sky and the strong white lines threatening to cross out the characters, creates an air of suspense. There's some sort of mystery afoot, still the rather cheerful colors make me thing nothing really terrible will happen.
 

Thunderstorms are very common in this part of Florida during the summer, and we actually enjoyed having clouds and a bit of cooling breeze this day. I also enjoyed having them as a background. And the heavy rain held off until nearly the end of the trip.

Colin -- this image made me think again of your "tatty little web jpeg" comment (no need to regret). Some of the details that attracted me lose their appeal at this size -- like the bottom of the boy's shoes and his "laughing eyes". It was good of him to wear red, wasn't it? ;-)
 

The strength of this lies in the use of the boat's superstructure in the composition and the colour white against the clouds: even the chairs play into the colour scheme. The colour of the children's clothes is fortuitous in fitting in well against the backdrop.

Rex's mythical judge would moan about the face of the second child being covered. Until you talked about them, I envisaged that the two could represent different personalities and thus the boy might be more reticent. But, as Colin says, the puncturing of any idea of staging probably allows for the hidden face - the eyes are just visible in any case.
 

Christina - I've recently come across a newspaper (I think it was the Boston Globe, but I'd have to go back and check) which has decided to run pictures on its website at 990 pixels wide. They've calculated that that is the biggest that they can run without violating their contracts with AP, Reuters etc. 990 leaves no room for sidebars and makes verticals really difficult, but it begins to make a difference to whether one looks at the picture or just notices the picture.
 

Each time I come back to this one (which has been many) the bisected face of the sitting subject becomes less of an issue as the expression on the standing subject is strong enough to carry this off on its own. I'm also liking the curves of the structure in this more and more - it adds some sub conscious motion to the shot which, when combined with those storm clouds compounds the motion. Finally the grasp on the top railing holds it all level but it doesn't seem strong enough to be that secure. This all comes together rather well which based upon my initial look is something I was not expecting.
 

'the bisected face of the sitting subject becomes less of an issue

The bisected face is what has been holding my interest; what is he thinking?
 

Back and forth, back and forth. I have been looking at this photograph trying to decide about the kid in the seat. No problem with the young lady, I like the direct gaze, stance and hand on the rail. Sorry, this is not working for me...