Abandoned
by timmi

Comment:
I like the concept of this image. It's a shame you couldn't capture light streaming through those windows. Would have made a good image great.

The Town Steeple
by TommyMoe21

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

This is an image that creates a dark, moody, mysterious atmosphere. It conjures up memories of watching late night horror films as a child, where the victims always ended up in the graveyard at night, and you hid behind the sofa.

The dark threatening sky warns us that something unpleasant may be about to happen. In this picture the steeple and cross are in the light, highlighted against a dark sky, which gives the impression of a soon to come battle between good/light and evil/dark. The battle begins as soon as night falls. This symbology is echoed by the bottom left diagonal being lighter than the top right.

That said, the viewer̢۪s eye is drawn to the top of the steeple, but the trees on the right are distracting: The focus of the picture is the steeple, but it is in competition with those trees and therefore the image loses its impact. Cropping the image, or reframing it at the time, to focus solely on the steeple would have created a more powerful image.

The sky is dark , moody and dramatic and is the essential ingredient in creating the striking atmosphere of the picture. However, the dodging around the steeple is a little over done and a little harsh on the eye. But even so, even done like this, it has an unreal quality to it that perhaps works. The leaning steeple perhaps adds to this unreal feeling.

The building itself has too much detail for a true silhouette. Had you exposed correctly for the silhouette, the image would have been more powerful.

This image does evoke a sense of foreboding and appeals to our primal fears.

Nautilus Descent
by Maverick

Comment:
great composition, love the curves and the contrast between the smooth steps and the rough bricks. I would have loved for more to be made of the light coming from the window and falling on the steps

Clouds and Light
by admart01

Comment:
I like the graphic quality of this image. 7

Barn near Fernridge
by bcoble

Comment:
Yea, surreal, that house really blends into its surroundings - it's almost camoflaged:))

Surreal Curves
by tristalisk

Comment:
Wow! I love the way the rock behind the giraffe almost mirrors his back!
Love the sky.

For Your Eyes Only
by shutterphunk

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

This image is about the viewer intruding during an simple, intimate moment between two people; you want to look but feel you shouldn̢۪t. There is something voyeuristic about looking at such a loving, private embrace, but the emotions the moment evoke override that sense of guilt. As photographers we are all aware of the thin line between capturing an image and invading someone̢۪s privacy and this image reflects that issue perfectly, even though it is posed.

The eye is drawn to the man̢۪s eye and then to that kiss and is then held. The fact that the eye is held there gives the illusion of a long, passionate but tender kiss that lasts till the viewer moves his gaze. This in turn creates a sense of peace or calm within the viewer as though time is slowing down somehow.

The lovely muted colour in the picture gives a sense of warmth echoing the intimacy and feeling of the image. This is enhanced by the lighting, which has a lovely and appropriate soft quality creating just the right atmosphere. The lighting combined with the correct exposure has ensured there is just enough light on the couple to give enough detail to hold the viewer̢۪s interest longer and to make them look more closely: Any darker and the detail would be lost and the feeling changed. Any lighter and the feeling of intimacy would be lost.

The light in the image gets darker as we move from left to right, which almost creates the optical illusion or impression that the woman is slowly steering her partner backwards into a darker, more private room.

The blind offers great texture and creates a necessary barrier between the viewer and the couple. Its horizontal and vertical lines give the image a dynamism that turns a good picture into a great one. The horizontal lines in particular give a sense of movement and keep the eye moving from left to right.

There is a great balance between the positive and negative space.

This is an excellent image that fulfils the challenge perfectly. It captures a moment of intimacy in a subtle and evocative way.

Can I come in?
by LadeeM

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

The image shows an inquisitive child who wants to be part of what’s going on inside. I want to know what’s going on inside! Her hands suggest an ‘ I shouldn’t be looking in’ and at the same time a pleading to be let in. It evokes in me memories of when I wanted to be with my father when he was busy with his friends.

My eyes are drawn directly to the child̢۪s eyes and refuse to move. So it is fitting that her eyes lie at the near centre of the image. The image is all about those eyes and the pleading in them. Along with this pleading is that faraway look that children often get; when they seem to be in a world of their own, burdened by thoughts that they are too young to have, reminding of us our own childhood hopes and fears.

The diagonal line is good composition and the eyes being centred does work for me.

The top, light, diagonal is well balanced by the darker, bottom, diagonal, and symbolically the girl is looking at something that is in the dark and out of reach.

Again symbolically, the girl is in the diagonal with young, fresh green grass. She looks into a darker area that has peeling paint, representing something old, tired and worn.

Perhaps a tilt of the camera to make the diagonal go from corner to corner would have created even more impact? The band of condensation (?) across the bottom of the glass has created a visible line and softened the eyes unnecessarily, but I guess that was invisible until the image was on screen?

Still, a lovely image that evokes many feelings.

Message edited by author 2005-05-22 20:41:44.

The Harbour
by justinbrook

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

The idea behind this image is obviously about looking at the harbour from the outside; a traveller is coming home or paying a visit. As a traveller myself I can identify with the emotion behind the image.

However, in trying to get so much into the image the whole picture suffers from a lack of focus , detail and depth.

The eye is lead into the image by the harbour wall, which I love and which is good composition ( I really love the sinuous line of the wall as it flows into the harbour, I can see why you chose it) , but the eye can go no further as everything else is too far away or too out of focus. The viewer literally hit̢۪s a brick wall. A greater depth of field, using a much smaller aperture may have helped, as would waiting till you were closer - but then you would have lost that lovely wall!

Your exposure, unfortunately, has resulted in a flat, washed out image which could have perhaps been improved in post production.

The right side of the image is over exposed due to the combination of the sun and your wide open aperture.

Much as I love that protruding wall perhaps you could have focused on the right hand side of the harbour, especially the boats and that opening in the wall, but perhaps you didn̢۪t have that opportunity.

Bloody tourists
by Gauti

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

This is one of those images that requires more than a quick glance. First impression? It’s a ‘nice’ picture of a waterfall with some people who are only there to fulfil the challenge of ‘five’. However, on closer inspection there’s much more here.

I love the humour behind this image - a beautiful scene ruined by humans who are so busy talking they̢۪re not even noticing the fantastic rainbow.

The rainbow leads the eye into the image then the viewer becomes almost cross-eyed as one eye is drawn to the waterfall and the other is drawn to the people! As much as you fight it the eye keeps being drawn to the tourists; they compete with the natural scene for attention . This creates a tension for the viewer, leaving you a little irritated, which is the point of the image. A moment like this, with a rainbow and perfect sky, is usually momentary and time won’t stand still and wait for the people to move. So this picture ‘speaks’ to photographers!

I don̢۪t even mind the tourist̢۪s feet being cut off, as some others have commented. As the viewers we want the people to move, but without the image of their feet they are effectively and symbolically rooted to the ground like trees - as far as this image is concerned they will never move! This reinforces the meaning of and the tension in the image.

The image is well balanced: The lovely dark blue of the sky and its shape is balanced by the shape and lightness of the grass. The blue of the sky is also echoed by the blue jeans of the tourists; the orange of the woman̢۪s jacket is picked up in the rainbow; and even the white of the waterfall is echoed in the stripes of the boy̢۪s trousers - all creating a subtle sense of balance in the image. The darker top-right side of the picture is well balanced by the lighter bottom-left.

Excellent depth of field. I particularly like the way the waterfall is frozen in time, as if its waiting for the people to stop talking before it continues to flow!

Focus is sharp - not easy considering all the elements involved.

Exposure is spot on: There is plenty of detail in the dark cliff on the right-hand side of the image, showing lots of texture.

This well taken image works on many levels: It̢۪s humorous, but it̢۪s also a story about the frustrations of photography. It also says something about how humans interact with the world and people around us. It creates a tension in the viewer that means the image is doing what the photographer intended.