Ushanka
by Senay

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this is an ok portrait.

Technically this has a few minor issues. Most of these have been identified already by yourself so I won't go into these here.

Artistically this is ok but that's it. The pose is a bit awkward - mostly due to him squinting and not looking at us. I'm sure you could have cloned out the cord of the hat without any problems - also the design on the shirt.

In summary an ok shot with some flaws but it seems you knew about them all before you entered it.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Nature's Headdress
by laposto

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are her stare ... right at me ... very unnerving!

Technically there is not much I can say. This is a great shot and the HM proves it.

Artistically this is great but there are a few things that bother me. First, the catchlight in her eye is quite distracting I find. Second, I find three is too much of her hand in the frame, maybe crop in a bit or have her other eye exposed but obscured by the leaves? I also find the abundance of foreground blur to be a little too much.

In summary a great shot, a great score, what more can I say.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

L I V E S T R O N G
by bspurgeon

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the dramatic feel to this shot.

Technically this shot is done well. The lighting is dramatic, the B&W conversion is good.

Artistically I feel this has a strong message but the hat spoils it. Yes I know the Lance Armstrong thing but I still thing the hat appears foreign to the scene - it's not natural. There are some shadows (from other headstones perhaps) that intrude on the scene - I wonder if include the base of them in the background would have added context to the shadows and not left us wondering?

In summary this is a good shot but it's lack of strong relevance to the topic held it back.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Huntress at home
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the reddish colour cast.

Technically the colour cast bothers me. I can see it in the top corners a bit but it has made the skin tones look unnatural. Other than this the shot is technically sound.

Artistically I'm not sure what look you were going for. I get the headgear but the shirt half on/half off look seems to be out of place. I think we may have connected with the shot some more if the model was looking at the camera rather than off to the side.

In summary an ok shot but the issue with the tones is what pushed this down into the sub-5's IMO.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Play of lights
by keyz

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this is a stunning shot!

Technically this is a very good example of light trails. the exposure is spot on. Composition is good, but I do find the lack of interest in the upper half of the shot makes me wonder if cropping a bit of the top away wouldn't have been a good idea.

Artistically I like the border but don't see a need for it with this shot. It makes it a square crop with a "movie style" border - that doesn't seem to fit right. The choice of location is good with the curved roads.

In summary a great shot but it suffered a bit from many shots like this in recent challenges.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Memories
by chazoe

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that the picture in the background is a little too prominent.

Technically this is ok. Composition is good although the camera does feel a tad cramped in the frame. It also feels like it is on a lean. There is good separation of the subject from the background but I feel the dark of the mans jacket in the picture is quite an attention grabber. The low contrast is good as it seems to add to the "old time" feel.

Artistically This is again ok but it lacks any "wow". It is a good study of the camera and the picture in the background adds both context and interest to the overall scene.

In summary this is a nice shot and it scored what nice shots do - around a 6.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

An Auckland Chimp ;)
by talj

Comment:
I'm proud to say "I chimp".

Don't Ask...
by talj

Comment:
At exactly what is Andi aiming his camera?

Plane of perspective
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this is an impressive shot that makes the plane look like it is upside down!?

Technically this is good. Composed well. Exposed well - you haven't killed it with post processing. I do find the skin of the plane to look a little glossy - maybe we don't clean our planes in NZ as much as you guys ;) There seems to be some noise visible in the engines - is this from some shadow/hilight processing perhaps or a topaz filter? The crop works well for the shot. The green circle is a bit of a shame but it seems you are off to address that :)

Artistically this has a "wow" factor that DPC likes but you know this because you won the blue with it. The sky is a bit full of clouds for my liking but that's a minor nitpick.

In summary a good shot for the challenge as the voters have already told you. The funny thing is that in a Free Study I'm not sure this would score much above a 6, it's just that it fits the challenge well so in context it rocks.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Message edited by author 2010-02-17 00:48:18.

Secrets . .
by Jedusi

Comment:
Fantastic detail, I'd love to compare it to the original