When the Boat Comes in
by Tajhad

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Terry,

This is a difficult one to critique. I think much of what I want to say has already been conveyed in the comments you have already received. Nonetheless I will go over the ground to summarise:
- the shot is technically sound - nothing to really say here.
- I like you use of the natural light, to display the woody, and the shadows in the foreground.
- the woody doesn't really stand-out as your primary subject. There are three main reasons for this. The first is the similarity in colour to the rope tie-down, the second is the dominance of the ship in the general composition, and the third is the relatively small size of the woody.
- the post-processing look good. I like the foreground contract on the pier and wood (although the slight blow-out of the wood is a bit distracting). The rope tie-down also looks a bit artificial, although this may just be down to the colour is it painted.

So, what could you do to improve this shot? It all comes down to the composition. I would want to see a diffirent pose from your new wooden friend with a different point of view. Mainly I want more woody! I think a composition with woody on the end of the tie-down with his shadow clear on the pier, with a lower POV showign the ship in the background would have been great.

It is my hope that these insights are helpful and constructive. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique. And please remember to mark it "Helpful" if you found it so. Good luck with future challenges.

Cheers
Paul

So Good- You Can't Have Just One...
by Jade

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Brandon,

Its been said already - that is a striking pose. In this sense the shot really works. It grabs the viewers attention, 'Hold on, am I seeing right? Lets have a closer look.'.

The closer look however did not really deliver, for two main reasons. The first is that the subject is 'soft' - not in sharp focus, and here at DPC the voters usually like the bright,c risp stuff. I think this is due to subject blur. The second is due to not completely meeting the challenge. Yes, you've captured some liquid in glasses, but it isn't exactly enticing the viewer to drink the stuff.

Lets take a look at the technical stuff. Others have commented that these are difficult conditions to shoot in - a moving performer in a dimly lit environment where you can't influence the lighting. Your challenge as a photographer is to get enough light for your exposure as quickly as possible. I'm guessing that F3.5 is as fast as your camera can go so the only way left for you to speed up your exposure is to crank up the ISO. You should be able to use 400 or 800 without introducing too much noise to your image. In theory this would give you a faster shutter-speed and a crisper image. Thats the theory at any rate. You could always use Neat Image or Noise Ninja to tighten up that noise anyway.

The composition of the shot is actually pretty cool. The model is striking a, um, striking pose. The balance of light and shadow on the subject is engaging. The models face is nicely lit clearly displaying the concentration and creating a bit of angst in the image - all very nice.

It is my hope that these insights are helpful and constructive. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique. And please remember to mark it "Helpful" if you found it so. Good luck with future challenges.

Cheers
Paul

Dock Blues
by aaronwave

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Aaron,

This is a technically sound shot, that really doesn't move me. I do like your choice of textured, warper wood to convey the high-contrast; and think that you have done an excellent job on the editting here. The deck however makes up less than half of your image. You have a good idea here that needs to be taken further to produce a really engaging image. A lower point-of-view (POV) may have given a more interesting perspective, or perhaps the application of some standard photographic guidelines, such as the rule of thirds and leading lines.

I have always found the following articles on composition very useful: //ronbigelow.com/articles/adv_comp/adv_comp.htm . I do not have 'the artistic eye' so I do my best to apply these concepts in the hoep that understanding of why the work will coem to me.

It is my hope that these insights are helpful and constructive. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique. And please remember to mark it "Helpful" if you found it so. Good luck with future challenges.

Cheers
Paul

Shaken, not Stirred
by talikf

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Tali,

Great to draw you as I've been admiring your work recently. That said this is a difficult one to critique.

I'll start with the obvious - it is overtly sexual, which seems to have divided the voters. Your vote distribution curve being a clear indication that you have not been judged on art alone. That said the divide is not as stark as I would expect. You core composition is fantastic - it draws the eyes in and keeps them there, trying to work out exactly what is being seen. The direction of the edges of both the arms and the thighs seem to help this, and the slightest tint of light on the Martini glass provide just enough detail to keep it interesting. Well done.

Now for what I don't like. The vast majority of the image really lacks depth. Yes I know its a silhouette, but with the silhouette flat (as it needs to be) and the background flat the combination makes it seem as it the image is just a piece of cut-out cardboard. I am also not a fan of the relatively mundane foreground tablecloth and lens flare to the right. Both of which don't add anythign to the image so would best be left out.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

Pulling Down The Sky
by hsolakidis

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Charalampos,

Congratulations on your best score to date. Hope you break that 6 barrier next time.

What really works for me in this shot is the sense of movement and effort conveyed by your model. This sense of emotion is what helps the viewer connect with the image and holds the eye there. I like your general composition and setting.

I need hardly say it, but the sun flare seriously detracts from the over all impact of the shot. This is an area I am struggling with in my own photoggraphy so I can't offer too many guidelines just yet. I have found that centering the light source seems to decrease the effect.

I am reviewing this shot from work so my monitor is not calibrated. I've played around with the brightness and contrast settings to attempt to get your separation of the lower half of the body from the grass. I think you probably lost a few points to voters who just saw the top half of your silhouette. Perhaps a lower POV could have let you show more of your model silhouetted against the sky.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

The Bridges of Madison County
by Caitlyn

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Catherine,

It's a long time since I watched The Bridges of Madison County. If my memory stirs correctly I was too young at the time to properly appreciate it.

There is nothing technically wrong with your shot so I think it would be useful to focus on what is holding it back. There are two major areas that might help: composition and light quality. Regarding composition - the lines of the main subject to not draw my attention in nor hold my eye, instead the stretch horizintal across image. Regarding the light quality - I think this was taken sometime in the middle of the day as the light seems flat and as a result the image lacks depth. I recommend the following articles on the Ron Bigelow website for each of these issues:
//ronbigelow.com/articles/adv_comp/adv_comp.htm
//ronbigelow.com/articles/magic/magic.htm

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

Silhouette at Sunset
by LoveSpuds

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Darren,

Welcome back to DPC.

I love the feeling this shots conveys. For me at least it is a very effective shot. I personally really like both the sky and the sun peaking out of the boys pocket. I'm guessing you were at the wide end of your lens - very nice.

This would have got a 7 or 8 from me. Why not a 10? I'm not a huge fan of the central subject and the large swath of negative space below the kids. So a different composition would have won me over. Would that have increased your overall vote? Hard to say - take a look at your comments peopel are divided on whether or not they like your placing of the sun.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

Top Gun
by alpharich

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Richard,

Looking through your comments it seems a few too many voters know their aircraft better than you or I. I don't think you were too badly marked down for it as the score seems adequate. Still, it couldn't have been nice getting so many 'negative' comments through the voting.

I'm going to go with the comment from Cheerz below. This is a difficult attempt, and not one I would have tried. There are far too many simply awesome professional pictures of fighter aircraft, usually taken from another plane; so the standard is high.

On the whole, given that you were at sea-level and not able to influence your subject with regard to the light, I think this shot has turned out well. There is enough light on the plane to show the detail. A bit of USM could have brought this out some more and given it a bit of depth.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

Hail Prometheus - Giver Of Fire
by w4jzz

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Hi Mike,

That is some flame. Looking at your submisison to the Stupid challenge I get enough perspective to know it was really huge.

The existing comments give you the main feedback I think you need to consider - colour. This is a great big roaring blaze so viewers expect it to be very strong on the 'warm' colour tones - red, yellow and orange. As it stands the relatively soft, gentle colour that you have just doens't look hot. There are two ways you could have rectified this: in camera or post-processing.
- The in-camera solution would have been to reduce your exposure so the flames don't blow-out. It may be a night shot, but I would have suggested an ISO of 100 because you were directly shooting a huge light source. You could potentially sped up the shutter-speed too. In such an environment I recommend you play around with the exposure - checking the histogram and image to confirm you have it right.
- In post-processing it would have been possible to play around with levels, saturation and contract to bring out the reds and oranges that are there. The purest in me would prefer to see such things taken care of when capturing the shot though.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Cheers
Paul

Cobalt Reach
by hotpasta

Comment:
Hi Enzo,

I drew this for Critique Club but the site closed it down when they did the results refresh. I figure I owe you the Critique (anyway I had started thinking about it) so I've come back.

Congraulations on the great score - it's always nice to bring in what you set out for. This shot provides a magnificent sense of perspective - you have managed to get your angles just right to convey the sheer towering magnificence.Good going. The crispness and colours you have managed to achieve on the building are superb - good editing.

Personally I am not a fan of the extreme blue of the sky. I would have marked you down a bit for it. Clearly many other have a different take and love it. I'm guessing the change of hue to blue won you more votes than it lose you. Still I would have preferred a more natural colour.

Cheers
Paul