Judith - I'll review this as if I were judging at a club competition. In the abstract this could be an interesting composition, where less is more, and the story is implied. That said, let's begin with your title. A title should reflect what the viewer sees in the frame. Naming images is important for several reasons, first, just as a watermark becomes a part of your image so does your title. Additionally, your title presents a window to your vision and ideas, while providing both context and information about the photograph for the viewer. So, if you had the reflection or even a partial reflection of a Salvation Army kettle or Santa's sleigh the title would fit the image far better. A valid question for a photo club judge might be, "What in the image tells me it's Christmas shopping?"

You asked about the gold reflection - I think the reflection from the wet pavement helps the image - you'll notice in movies and TV commercials the pavement in many cases is wet because it adds life to an image, so I thought you did a nice job with that.

As far as the blur - you should have shot with a smaller aperture, perhaps f5.6 if possible or a faster Tv Compositionally, the image is a bit underexposed (see my VF) I cropped down below the hands because they drew the eye from the subject's feet, which is your center of interest. I also cropped up as I felt there was too much stone that did not add to the story and I opened the shadows to get a modicum of detail in the black shoes
  Posted: 12/02/2024 15:35:59

Thanks. Appreciated. Once I hit iso 800 the quality becomes terrible, so this was the best I could get with the kit I have. Unfortunately. The bag was a Christmas design so I left that in, but if it isn't obvious then you are right about the crop.   Posted: 12/03/2024 08:33:05

I like Butch's treatment of your image. I too felt it too dark. Have you tried the Topaz photo AI for sharpness and noise reduction. It is amazing what it can do to a blurry image.   Posted: 12/13/2024 04:30:33

I appreciate the first part of the comment Butch made regarding the title of a picture.
The image is a bit too dark and Butch's treatment improves it but noise is still present on the socks and shoes. I used ON1 noise removing and sharpening tools to reprocess the image.   Posted: 12/13/2024 11:35:57

You have an interesting image with the woman in a hurry to get home. The red coat is perfect for the image and I really like the gold tones to the right and below her. By only showing the lower part of the woman, you have created a lot of mystery. I like that the woman is walking into darkness, that is why I think that she is going home -- leaving the light and stores behind. The woman looks a bit more blurred than the pavement in front of her, but then she is in a hurry. I do think that the image is a bit too dark, but Butch and Gaetan made it too light. I did make it a bit lighter and tried to make the bag some brighter with dodging.   Posted: 12/15/2024 21:59:11

Hi Judith you did well with spotting the subject and highlighting the lady on her way back. I can easily see the Christmas spirit in her dress and the red "present" that she is carrying for family or a loved one. I modified the image very slightly, cropped it a bit and sharpened the slightly out of focus shoe. I hope you like it.   Posted: 12/20/2024 09:35:56