Robert:
For me this picture does not work. Several problems: first, you've titled this "The Joker" but the "Asian Food Market" sign and the "23rd Psalm" sign dominate the picture but are not interesting visually— indeed I am lead to believe that she's looking at The Joker Sign only because of your title; otherwise I would assume that she's reading the 23rd Psalm. Second, the woman is a tiny figure in the lower left corner: she's so small and so unimportant visually that without your titled I wouldn't at all try to figure out at what she's looking. This picture is a good example of an attempt to construct a photograph on the basis of a concept — the idea that you want us to think about where she's looking, but it's only this concept that drives the picture, while the design of the picture, it's visual configuration or what is called it's "form" does not support the conceptual intent or content. For a photograph to be effective it must first of all have a compelling visual composition, a compelling form. Here there is only the concept that you have without the form to anchor it. This is a common problem when taking pictures of signs.
—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
