Rivulets of Light
by mocabela

Comment:
Great shot. Don't care for the rips though :/ Solid 8 regardless

A Drop of Sue
by mrorange002

Comment:
Perfect 10. I'd vote 11 if I could.

Data Storage
by menardmam

Comment:
I'm super impressed with the binary reflection. A solid 10.

Eight Glasses A Day
by davidx76

Comment:
LOL! I saw the guiness glass, and I was like 'Yes! eight glasses a day!' then I realized it was water. ;)

Respirator Recommended
by VisiBlanco

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition:
This is a pretty standard 'centered' shot. It is kind of interesting, but no "wow" to it. Nothing to keep you looking at it after the first glance. As for this challenge, you probably would've been better off with more of the words visible. Right now they are mostly unreadable.

Lighting:
Lighting is fine. Exposure is correct, possibly a tad on the over-exposed side. (see the white areas on the roof, they look blown out.)

Technical:
Your photo is technically sound. I don't see any errors save possibly the exposure, but that is really minor, and mostly unnoticed.

Post-processing:
It doesn't look like you did any editing at all. Not that this would've helped much, but perhaps it could've made the colors a little bolder.

Overall:
It's not a bad shot. But it's not a great shot either. There's nothing to keep the viewer interested. The best advice I can give, is to try to take photos of things you'd be proud to hang on your wall. This will force you to try to improve and take photos that you like to look at, not just 'meeting the challenge'.

Look forward to future submissions.

Freedom in Play
by melismatica

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition:
I like this photo quite a bit. It is very grainy, the quality is very poor, and yet I like it. It's rather comforting, I can't explain it.

Lighting:
The lighting is harsh, the sun is very bright washing out the entire sky. The back of the dog's neck is washed out. All the same it has this surreal feel to it. The grass doesn't even look like grass. THe dog is about the only thing that "grounds" the photo, the only thing looking real. But the colors are warm, and I really like that.

Technical:
I'm going to blame most of the technical shortcomings on the camera. The graininess, the poor quality of the image etc. I think for what you were working with, it's not bad.

Post-processing:
Not sure what you did to it, but it could use some noise removal.

Overall:
Despite the very poor photo quality I actually _like_ the photo. There is something very familiar about it, something extremely comforting. I think you realize you weren't going to win any ribbons with this shot, but I still think it's a good submission. Keep up the good work.

Purple Fantasy
by Loki

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition:
This is an interesting photo, there is a lot going on. It looks like a very comfortable bedroom. However, there is no main subject, I think that would've helped your shot. I guess the mask could be considered the main subject, but it's definately not clearly defined.

Lighting:
The window light you used is very soft. I like it. Only exception is the glare on the artwork. The reflection is kind of distracting. A polarizer would fix that even though it's indoors.

Technical:
Not much to say here, it's technically sound.

Post-processing:
While lots of things are purple due to your editing, I don't think that's what the challenge was going for. The challenges are challenges because they are challenging ;) They make you go out and photograph something you wouldn't normally shoot. While the photo looks good, it's not naturally purple. I think if you had gone out and photographed something that was genuinely purple, your score would've been better. This is just my opinion however.

Overall:
Not a bad submission, but not ribbon material either. I'd like to see you going out and really trying to photograph something that genuinely captures the theme. I think you'll enjoy the challenges more, as well as taking better photo's.

His Master's Voice Became Extraordinary!
by NicNic101

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition:
This is a very centered shot, and as is not very interesting. There is nothing in the photo to make you want to keep looking at it. The background pink is also very distracting taking away from your subject. Either zooming in further, or getting the sign with some context would've been better for this shot. It also seems a reach for the challenge theme.

Lighting:
The lighting on this shot looks like mid-day sunlight. It's very flat, giving it some contrast would help.

Technical:
Your photo is a little soft. Either getting it's focus better, or perhaps running unsharp mask filter would've helped quite a bit.

Post-Processing:
Your photo is very small (48k), submissions are allowed up to 150k, taking advantage of that extra size will allow for a lot more detail in your shot. Right now I can see some artifacting from your jpeg's compression ratio. Again some contrast would've helped a ton.

Overall:
Your shot isn't exactly "Extraordinary", more like "Ordinary". And was voted on as such. While the subject of the sign is "Extraordinary", the photo just doesn't portray that. I agree that it feels like a last minute entry when you were running out of ideas.

I think your photography would improve if you look at the photos as art and not just snapshots. Try to take pictures you'd want hanging on the walls of your house. When you see something you'd like to take a picture of, don't just stand there and click the shutter. Look around, see if there is better spot to shoot from that would make it more interesting. Take a few photos, moving around, adjusting your camera's settings as needed. Find a spot to shoot from that you wouldn't normally think of. That's where you'll usually get the best photos.

You have the potential, now you just need to learn to fine-tune your art.

Jewel of the County
by OneSweetSin

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition:
I like your framing. The building is framed in by the streets, it's an excellent angle. I think the shot could've been improved by less clutter on the streets, but it still works how it is. With the people, and the vehicles, it's a different photo, but not necessarily better or worse. Although, since the challenge was for "Extraordinary" and you shot the "Jewel of the County", it propably would've helped to single out the building.

Lighting:
Your sky is over-exposed, but I"m sure you knew that. It would've been nice to get the very peak details in the shot, right now they are enveloped by the bright sky. I do like the detail in the rest of the building though.

Technical:
Besides the over-exposure, your photo is technically sound. I don't know if you ran unsharp mask or not, but the vehicles look a little soft, (perhaps out of the dof, if so no worries). The building itself is still crisp so maybe it's fine.

Post-processing:
You didn't list what you did to the photo, but it's obviously been desaturated. I think the B+W works just fine for this shot, really brings out the detail of the architechture, rather than being distracted by extra colors. You might want to add more contrast to the shot however, it is rather flat right now, and the shadows aren't as dark as they could/should be.

Overall:
I like it. It's not ribbon worthy of course, but it's still a good photo. I think you would've scored higher without the vehicles in the shot, and definately getting proper exposure on the sky. Adding a bit of contrast will help your shot also.

Nice submission, look forward to more.

Happily Ever After
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
Greetings from the Critque Club!

Composition:
Your framing is spectacular. The couple is rule of thirds, the flag poles are all ragged and leading down to your subjects. The colors you captured are gorgeous.

Lighting:
Perfect. The people are perfect silohets, the texture on the ground is a nice touch. (someone said they'd have preferred no detail in the foreground, while that is usually good, I really think it works well for your photo.)

Technical:
Your technique is flawless.

Post-processing:
I'm sure you messed around with levels etc or something similar. You did nicely, not only are the results gorgeous, but it doesn't have that overly-processed look. Whatever you did, it definately looks good in this photo.

Overall:
I wouldn't change a thing. Excellent capture, excellent submission. This challenge had some stiff competition, so your 82% percentile finish is well earned.

Look forward to future submissions.