Rubber Ducky
by Lydia

Comment:
10 because it's a ducky - never mind what I really think of the shot :)

Boys Meet Girls
by Gatorguy

Comment:
Stunning, worthy of a 10

Aging (from the Sunset Series)
by wheeledd

Comment:
OMG, a Mangina!

Lakeshore
by scooter88

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the lovely smoothness of the reflections in the water.

Technically I think this is good. The sky is exposed well. Composition is good given what you were trying to do.

Artistically the appeal of the colours and patterns is lost on us a little as we have it twice (sky and water). Other than the colours and patterns there isn't much to this shot to comment on.

In summary a good shot that with some cropping would make a good sunrise shot. I do feel that the framing element was lost to many on this though.

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

Hawaiian Sunset
by Citadel

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the nicely burred water.

Technically this has been exposed well. There is a good range of tones, we do lose some detail in the foreground rocks though as they are a bit dark. Composition feels a little off to me, maybe because the horizon feels slanted?

Artistically it's ok. I feel a little tired of these long exposure seascapes on DPC, maybe that's something other voters feel too? This shot also has the issue of competing for our attention between the sunset and the sea on the rocks.

In summary a nice shot. Congrats on the 1st at the camera club - every audience is different!

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

Beach Dancer
by LonnieD

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that the shooting into the sun has left you between a silhouette and a detail shot.

Technically this is close to being good. The shutter speed may have been a little long as the waves show. I'm not sure if you were trying for a silhouette or to have detail in the girl but this shot is in between the two. I think this would have been better as a portrait or sqare crop leaving some of the space at the right out of the frame. A little more contrast/levels wouldn't have gone astray either.

Artistically this is great. The girls pose mid dance is nice, the colours are good.

In summary this has great potential, keep shooting and submitting!

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

Ati-atihan Dance in Saudi Arabia (an interpretation)
by jborromeo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that the woman is nicely isolated in a sea of movement.

Technically this shot is not bad. Composition follows the rule of thirds nicely. Exposure seems good although it could do with a touch more brightness (either exposed a tad more or in editing). Your DOF is good to isolate the subject and the shutter speed has captured the movement of dance well while leaving the main subject in focus.

Artistically is where we find the image lacking a little. It's a good shot of the dancers but there are a couple of things that might make us vote it low rather than high. Firstly we are quite close on the subject. This means we lose a little of the context of the dance. We can see the dancer but it's not obvious to us that she actually dancing. She could be standing waiting and moving her stick thing for all we know. The lack of context doesn't let us connect with the challenge topic that well. Secondly, and this is not something you may have been able to change, the POV is a very "normal" one. This is where the "tourist shot" comments have come from. By shooting from a standing position at the same level as the dancers the shot looks like one a tourist would take while watching a dance. We want to see the dance in a unique or interesting way. Think about changing your position to achieve this when shooting.

In summary a nice shot that meets challenge. Keep shooting and your scores will improve :)

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

Coastal garden... (~30 ft from the front door)
by Cboydrun

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of a general softness in the shot.

Technically I think there are a couple of areas to improve on in this shot. First it feels soft, a little more sharpening would help but of course you need to be careful not to over sharpen as that can ruin a shot. Second, as has been noted already, this is slightly over exposed. Leaving these issues aside, composition is good.

Artistically I like the pose of the bird, it feels interesting and not a bland "bird on a rock" shot. For more interest perhaps experiment with crops that do not include the whole bird - for example, a square crop of the right hand part of the frame.

In summary a good shot that was let down a little by the technicals and also from some voters mistrust that this is anywhere near a garden :)

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

Spring Fern
by Ja-9

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the nice intense greens.

Technically this is good. Great DOF. Composition allows the eye to flow through the frame well. Exposure seems good. Processing looks natural.

Artistically this is not bad, the shape of the plant forms a pleasing shape but we do get taken to the OOF bit at the end, I'd prefer that to be in focus. There are some dark lines in the background that it would have been good to eliminate if you could (place some plant material over them perhaps?)

In summary a nice shot that was executed well. I do wonder if a few voters knocked you down for the subject being a plant (an extension of a flower)?

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

Purple Tiger
by enesoz

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the vivid colours.

Technically this is ok, good detail, composition works and the subject is nicely balanced.

Artistically this is good but it just boils down to a close up of a flower. It's hard to be artistic with close ups like this though.

In summary a good shot that would have done well had the challenge not said "no flowers".

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