Portrait of a Self Portrait
by cresus

Comment:
I wish the painting looked more like a painting rather than a photoshopped picture that's been edited to death. Great focus, good lighting. Only issue with lighting is that the pallette is a litte too bright in my opinion, but still a very creative portrait, and deffinately not just an ordinary face shot. ~Heather~

Surf Photog
by gliphix

Comment:
I realize under the circumstances, that this might have been a difficult shot to get as is, but The focus is very soft throughout the entire photo. There are some harsh highlights on the face, and the horizon line isn't horizontal.
I do like the composition though, with the person off to the left of the photo and not in the center. That works well here. Not sure if I like the 'I held the cam in front of my face and snap' look though. Nice to meet you non the less!
~Heather~

The Wall Comes to Town
by spreadpanic

Comment:
*Critique Club*

I have to wonder how this would look with the classic 'desaturate everything but yellow' trick. I might look neat, but then again, it might just look cliche. Something worth playing with anyway.
I think that the candles add a little clutter that I feel the photo would benefit without. Not sure if crop would have helped, or maybe a different placement of the flower, but I don't feel that the flowers are adding positively to the photo.
Focus and clarity are great. Nice crispness in the flower, and the wall. I feel that the DOF works as well.
Lighting is also good. No distracting hot spots or shadows.
My eyes are drawn down the stem of the flower to the bright red of the little flag. This is where a desaturation technique might have been beneficial, as I feel the bright red placed at the bottom of the stem draws the attention away from the 'subject' to a lesser interesting part of the photo. As well, a different crop could also eliminate that.
Overall, I think that it's a very nice image with the only issues I can find to improve upon are the 'background clutter'/distracting elements.
Very nice shot. I feel it works it's way into the challenge too.
~Heather~

Unveiled
by librodo

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Good grief. I am not sure what you want me to add, that the other 80 commenters have not already said. I guess the biggest most helpful advice that I can really give is that if you feel that you have received the appropriate feedback during voting, you CAN uncheck the box requesting a critique club critique.
About the photo:
I think it looks just like all your other portraits. Scarf on the head, person off to the left of the photo, blank background. Focus is great, lighting is great, the photo contains lots of character.
There is no reason this should not be technically perfect, you've done it a zillion times.
The colors are very nice. I like the red and green. she is an old lady, and looks frail, however, the lighting on her arm makes her appear thinner than I think she really is judging by her other photo showing her arm. See the shadows on the arm? It blends in with the background making some parts of her arm seem almost invisible. That would be my only real 'complaint' of the photo.
You've proven you can do the portraits...why not try something else? This IS a learning site after all. I had to go all the way back to LAST YEAR to find a photo that did not contain people. Next challenge...Do something special for me. No people. It's time. Show us what else you got!
Very lovely portrait of an interesting character. Nothing more to add.
~Heather~

How do you think this is deceiving?
by Krisby

Comment:
Hmmm...not really sure. Looks like a candle.

That's the spot
by LKMote

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Per your request, here is your in depth critique from the critique club.
Since you didn't add any photographer's comments, my critique can only be based on personal opinion since I do not know what your intentions were for this photo.
Focus is spot on. Great clarity. The detail shown in his fur and face is amazing. Really great job with that.
The background is blurred nicely as well to prevent distracting elements in the background, but there is a horizontal line cutting straight through is poor head. Otherwise, the background works great.
I like the duotone treatment, I think it helps to enhance the detail and textures of his fur.
The level of interest for me isn't high. It's a technically well done shot, but it's not holding my interest for very long. It's lacking some type of visual appeal. Not sure what, as I said, it's technically very well done, but it's more of a personal opinion.
Lighting also appears very good, no blown out areas or distracting shadows. I think this is a great shot for a text book or documentary report.
~Heather~

Blinding light of real life
by LevT

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Per your request, here is your in depth critique from the Critique Club.
Without any photographer's comments, it's difficult to tell what your intentions were for this photo, so my critique can be based solely on peronal opinion since I do not know what your intentions were.
The first thing I noticed was the left side of the photo. Like other commenters, I find it quite distracting and 'ugly' amongst the beauty of the subject.
Since we really can't see much of the fashion that is happening in this photo, I think that it's a stretch for the fashion category for me, but doesn't totally miss the challenge, since it is representative of fashion.
Focus appears ok, lighting is dark though, so hard to tell. There really isn't much to look at. The subjects are dark, and the only really clear part is the outside, which completely lacks interest for me.
The manequins are neat, I like the look and style of them, just wish they were possibly in a different setting somehow. I know, it's not like you can ask the store owner to move them so you can take pics, but non the less, the background hurts an otherwise alright photo.
~Heather~

unplugged
by Rikki

Comment:
*Critique Club*

She bangs! She bangs!
What an awesome photo! I really do love it Rikki. The color is great and I just love the silhouetted plug. I got the connection to the challenge right away and thought it was clever and funny.
Focus is right on, color is stunning and this has great visual appeal.
There appear to be some jaggies along the cord and the outlet is a little dark...wonder what the outlet would look like with some light coming through it like a beam? Almost welcoming the plug, even though there's really no way the 2 are going to hook up.
The angle at which you chose to capture this image is good...I like how the plug is the center of attention, but not in the center. the cord leads us into the photo and keeps us there.
Only a 5.4? I really can't imagine why this didn't score higher...but it's right between where you thought you'd be.
Rikki...I wish I could offer you more advice on the shot, but honesly, can't find anything I'd like to have seen differently. ~Heather~

Nadine
by gloda

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Maybe it's just me, but between the darkness of the inside of the coat, the darkness of the shirt and the darkness of the pants, the actual clothing is almost hard to make out. I have to look really close and carefully to get any detail in the clothing itself. For this challenge, I think it would be good to have the clothing really clear in the photo. not sure if maybe a little front lighting would have helped this, or not, but maybe something to try.
I like the style, definately different, and definately fits the challenge of fashion.
Focus to me seems good. You mentioned softness, and if it is soft, it must work well, because it doesn't seem to affect the photo negatively at all.
Put me in the group that likes the angle you chose for this photo. I think it adds something to the photo and puts some personality on it.
The background is nicely blurred, but unfortunately the person in the background isn't obscured enough to not become a distraction. Wish there were some way you could have left that guy out. Otherwise though, the background is great. Nice compliment to the subject.
Overall nice for the challenge, and no major complaints.
~Heather~

Gerbera Duo
by sigrun_th

Comment:
*Critique Club*

The first thing I notice about this is that the shot seems quite busy. The dots in the center with the lines of the petals almost seem to clash. Might not have been a big deal, but with the lack of color, the attention is automatically drawn to the textures of the photo making it seem busier than it probably actualyl is.
Focus is great. Nice detail. Almost too much actually.
The tonal range is good, but maybe a bit on the flat side. It all seems to be just about in the middle. There are nice darks, but not much brights/whites visible.
I like the way you have set the flower off to the side and didn't put it dead center of the photo. This adds a visual appeal to the image as a whole and sets it apart from 'just another flower shot'.
The lighting to me is also very nice. I like the way the shadows follow the petals down. Nice depth.
There is a spot of light in the background in the lower left corner which creates a bit of a distraction. Nothing totally serious, but something noticable.
Overall, fits the challenge by creating awesome detail in the flower, but leaving it a bit busy.
~Heather~