Backyard Symmetry
by magnus

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

No question here about whether this fits the Symmetry challenge. It's clear that it does. Compositionally this looks almost Warhol-esque or perhaps even a fabric print. It's a very brash collection of shapes when photographed up close like that, filling the frame. That boldness could have been used more to your advantage, I think, by playing with the colours more and perhaps making them equally brash. It is, I think, the colours that let this image down a little. You've taken an everyday household object and photographed it in a way that we wouldn't normally see. You've managed to disassociate your image quite strongly from the original scene very successfully and I'd have liked to have seen you sever the link entirely by not attempting to keep the original colours. The bricks have come out a little purple-looking and the light is very flat. That really brings down this otherwise in your face image.

Technically your image is just fine. The focus seems OK if bordering a little on the soft side - I dont think that's a problem. The exposure is OK but the whole scene could have used a lot more light. I've already covered composition and that's your strongest element here.

I think your concept was good - you went out with an idea in mind and you captured it well. I just think you needed to develop that idea a little more to turn it into something that really stands out.

Red Daisy
by Enzo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

This is in many ways the perfect symmetry. Those seeds in the middle are rotationally symmetrical using the golden ratio If I remember my physics correctly. So there's no problem meeting the challenge here!

Normally I'd be critical of a very central subject placement in a photograph but in this case I think it works rather well. It's something to do with the very close zoom into the centre of this flower - I like the way the petals fill the frame. It's a shame the flower is less than perfect. I see curled up petals and a smudge of pollen across the middle. These are only small niggles but they spoil the "perfect flower" image.

The other technical aspects have variable success in this shot. The focus is good though not quite pin sharp and the exposure is just fine. But somehow you've lost a lot of detail in those petals. I'm not sure if you've pushed the saturation and/or contrast in order to make the picture so very red or whether your camera simply failed to catch that detail but either way it makes the petals a little too flat. Perhaps the culprit is your lighting which is very even and directionless. It looks like your light is directly behind the camera and that's good for a nice even lighting level but a couple of lightsources off to the sides might have helped define the shape of the petals better and perhaps bring out the detail.

Overall this is a VERY effective shot. You obviously had a very clear idea of what you wanted to achieve and you did a great job producing it. Your colours are excellent - the red and yellow stand out beautifully and your composition is good despite breaking the much repeated rule of thirds - or perhaps because you break it.

Duo
by lionelm

Comment:
Lovely simple composition. I think I'd have cropped it square but still beautiful. 8 - floyd

Sister Locks
by lauraedw

Comment:
Excellent subject. Excellent poses. One for the wall. 9 - floyd

Camouflage
by Havok

Comment:
I think I'd have liked to have seen this little guy off centre. Regardless it's a great shot - well done. 7 - floyd

Refracted Smilies
by Jacko

Comment:
A good idea and well shot. 8 - floyd

Red or Orange?
by Pep Ventosa

Comment:
Golden surely? Great idea for the challenge though. :-) 7 - floyd

Chromaticity
by Alecia

Comment:
Very creative use of the colour challenge and an interesting, well shot picture. Well done! 9 - floyd

Calla Lily
by jodiecoston

Comment:
Absolutely Beautiful. Beautiful light, colour and focus. GREAT shot. 10/10 - floyd

Girl's Bestfriends
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
Nice idea - almost modern arty. Love the colour too. 8 - floyd