Congratulations on your assignment. It looks like you've captured a poignant moment in this couple's dating life and the image conveys a sense of their bond. It is not too rigid and posed and appears spontaneous, as if you have caught them in the act of being together. I guess one question I would have is: What is the message you are trying to convey (or that the article is trying to convey) with regard to this particular issue? Is there specific cultural taboo or hardship that this dating brings upon those couples? Or is this image meant to show that, despite some perceived taboo or lack of acceptance for example, inter-ethnic couples are just like every other couple and share intimate moments like that one you have captured.
That being said, what do you hope to convey with your image? Is it essentially a glimpse into the lives of this couple, or are there specific visual contrasts that you want to emphasize to convey the cross-cultural differences of the couple (the "south asianess" of the woman and the "whiteness" of the man) and how those visual differences, which may suggest an incongruity in their being together, are contrasted by the intimate and affectionate moment that they convey.
There are probably a few different ways to go with this image in terms of dressing it up for final production, but it could probably use a little contrast/saturation and maybe some increased DoF blur for the receding railing and background. This should be fairly easy in post, as you have achieved good focus on the subjects and the DoF blur that is present in the image sets off the profile of the man's head nicely against the slightly blurred background
Hopefully you might find this crit useful - if you turn on "Image Editing Okay" I can take a whack at demonstrating visually what my rambling is meant to convey.
Good luck on your assignment!
Kirk
