Framed by Ice and Snow
by JEFFJSB

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression:
Eye keeps looking for a focus point. Eyes drawn to the frame of ice not the water.

Composition:
You may have cropped too tight. Majority of your picture is blurred

Subject:
Good eyes to see the interesting subject mater.

Technical:
Find there is a tab too much blue. DOF captures the ice well, and your shutter speed adds a nice blur to the water

Suggestions:
More depth of field to include some of the rocks may have made the picture more interesting. (ie your �Beauty in Motion�)

Summary:
Ice adds a very effective frame, but I think you need to modify the balance between �blur� and �in focus�

The Flag of Lovers
by Pedxer

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression:
Interesting lines, eyes drawn to the bottom and then back to the door knob. Question, how does this fit with romance�.aw ya�.now I get it�.

Composition:
Interesting angle but you suffer some perspective distortion. I like the brass colour as a contrast.

Subject:
Don�t know how many people would get this. Does not fall within the �typical� romance theme. I�m sure those who did get it smiled.

Technical:
With no comments to go by, I can�t tell what you did or what you were trying to do. Door & frame are splotchy. Can�t tell if it�s the door or your lens.
Find the focus a little soft. Some USM may have helped. (Hand held @ 1/13?)
Also find the grey scale very narrow. Don�t know what post processing you have available, but a little more contrast would also help.

Summary:
Nice perspective, and cropping. A �clever subject� may have cost you �traditional votes�

green web (reflection of 2 green hair combs)
by AzCKelly

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression:
Busy, interesting patterns, nothing in focus, white is bright

Composition:
Bright white distracting from the green. Some colour would have helped. Nothing really drew my attention. Busy, lots of geometric shapes.

Subject:
Don�t think the description in the title helped. I know when I voted on this picture, the title description threw me. You directed me to look for �the comb�, and not enjoy the �abstraction.�

Technical:
Given the post processing detail you provided, and your comment, you achieved the effect you were looking for. I wasn�t keen on the soft focus and lack of any sharp edges.
The white appeared blown. Some colour could have complemented the green and made the image more interesting.

Summary:
I liked your concept. Abstract is very subjective, what works for one may not for another. For me, I think your post processing may have gone for the wrong effect.

Wave
by gurlwithapen

Comment:
This may have worked better for me if the added curl was in focus.

bassist
by arsenal

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression:
Nice B&W. Interesting motion blur. What are those lines on the fingers?

Composition:
Found the pic too dark. Too much negative space. (After reviewing your site, I see this is your style) Interesting capture with the bottom right corner of the guitar in motion, but the top left was steady. Don�t know if it would have looked better if only the strings and the fingers were in blur.
It wasn�t until after I took a good second look, that I realized what the lines were on the fingers. Neat capture!

Subject:
I think the picture would appeal to a limited audience. The darkness and blur would also limit the appeal.
I think you captured what you wanted to! I like the detail in the steady fingers. I like the detail in the non-motion area. It works well with the blurred areas.

Technical:
Can�t say a lot technically. The lighting & DOF work for you. I also don�t think you have a lot of options with the camera you used.

Suggestions:
More of the neck, to the right may have reduced the negative space. (Not sure of the proper name)

Summary:
Interesting picture, technically ok, but not a subject or a capture to evoke a WOW from the majority of the voters in this �Best of 2005� challenge.

Cannery Row
by kmbr2001

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression:
My eyes went to the black trees, the white sky, then the road area and the sign. The dark trees and white sky kept drawing my eyes away from the road. Very distracting.

Composition:
Very central oriented. May have been more interesting if you reduced the sky and included more of the road. Either move back or point down. I like the way the road leads my eyes down to the end.

Subject:
Met the challenge, but you may have focused more on the sign than the road.

Technical:
Since you didn�t include any details or text on what you were trying to achieve, I can only comment on what I see. Picture has a lot of contrast with very little detail. You lost a lot of detail in the shadows. The road perspective was effective so cropping the trees and sky may have helped.

Summary:
Picture has potential with some additional post processing steps. The road component is working, but the trees and sky compete for attention.

just kisses
by AzCKelly

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression: Nice color, lots of color�too much color. Eyes are drawn to the green ring and then orange, red and blue.

Composition: Given the vivid colors, the image is a little busy. Two rings with a center may have been more effective. In this case less may have been better.

Subject: Think you met the challenge, definitely a burst of color!

Technical: Very good colors, very vivid. Nice lighting. Excellent focus. Sharp detail. Material kisses are sitting on has some distracting colors. Outside the blue ring, there is a blue tone. As you go inside the blue ring it goes much whiter, and material texture is more prominent. Texture is due to DOF, not sure why there was a color shift.

Suggestions: As this was a �studio shot� Try with fewer rings. See if there is more impact, or take a wider shot. Don�t crop so close

Summary: Nice picture, lots of color with sharp detail.

Rebirth
by nidici

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First Impression: Eye drawn to the bright green leaves, then moves over to the right corner, down and then back to the leaves.

Composition: Good placement of the green leaves, and an effective background. Nice contrast. After looking at it a little longer, my eye keeps getting drawn to the dark spot just right of the plant. Looks like an �eye.� My mind is trying to see a head in the bark!

Subject: Think you met the challenge well.

Technical: Picture lacks sharpness. As if the focus is off. The leaves need to be more crisp. They look flat. Color is there, but not the plant detail. DOF looks good. This could be as a result of the ISO:400, or the file size you submitted. Reviewing your file size, I see you didn�t take advantage of the 640 max dimension, and your file size was well below the 150k allowed. (624 X 437, 115k)

Summary: Nice picture! Good eye and kudos for having your camera handy! I think you captured the theme well. Good burst of color on a grey/black background! Better detail on the green leaves would have helped.

Shack in Wyoming
by SCI 009

Comment:
First reaction, I liked the shot, then I noticed a funny horizen line. Looks like you cloned something out on the left side of the barn

Old post circles.
by abroken1

Comment:
Hi! Here�s a comment from the Critique Club.

First impression: Lines and rings draw you into the center, then out and around following the radial cracks. Very center focused.

Find the picture very busy. Lots & lots of minor shapes making bigger shapes, but no dominant, clear or central shape. Picture has very strong �texture�

B/W works well for this shot and I like your lighting. The lighting exemplifies the texture comment. Could be a little sharper.

Feel you met the challenge, but you may have had too many �shapes� :-)