CRW_5965-sepia
by Nusbaum

Comment:
David,
I like the elements you mentioned in this one, too. What do you think about maybe cropping it even tighter. Since you've already gotten into her hands and head what about bringing the left & right sides in a little more and pulling the bottom up a little to try and maintain a roughly square shape. Her look and left eye are strong on this shot. I love the clarity you got especially with the shadows and strands of hair.

Pete
by KiwiChris

Comment:
I like the gradual slide in tones across the background but this has a few little things that aren't bad but just some things you could consider. The subject stands out from his direct background just fine. Great job on that part. I see a vertical line of light farther to the image right, just beside the seam of the backdrop. This seems just a little contentious and I think you could easily burn that or heal it out of the shot along with the seam and just see how much of a difference it makes. On the subject's face, I love the definition you captured here. The mustache and hairline really create some character that looks fun to work with. Under the subject's eyes, however, I see darkness with strong edges. I think I'd at least try a version of this where those dark edges were healed with a soft-medium edged healing brush. It wouldn't totally remove the dark areas (which I feel add some character) but it might keep them from being so prominent. I think this is added to since the catchlights are relatively small in the subject's eyes (and I'm sure that's a function of you trying to keep the glare out of the glasses). The one thing I notice that you can't go back in processing to work on is the hand. Its fine that he has one hand up and (I presume) the other hand down. It does invite the viewer to consider whether he lost his hand and how. Neat if what you wanted was to intrigue your viewers. If, on the other hand (please pardon the pun), what you wanted was a good representation of the subject for family or professional work then I would think that keeping the viewer drawn up to that face with al its texture and lines and hairy hair hair, you might just have wanted a little of the subject's right hand to appear so that the viewer "felt" the symmetry without having to look down and wonder about the hand. Not a major issue; you've covered the major point of the subject by capturing his face well; maybe its just something to consider next time you look through the lens for a shot like this.

Oh yeah. I like your compositional idea here to move him off to the side. Were it me, I might have cropped the image a little taller to get his face closer to teh intersection of the top and left thirds lines but I'm afraid that such a cropping would lose the impact of having that face so prominently displayed. That's the trade off you have to try and then decide what you like. All-in-all, I like how you composed/cropped this shot, though.

Nice job on this one, too.

Kev

smimg_2904.jpg
by KiwiChris

Comment:
I like this image. Not too hot anywhere, crisp clarity in the face and the eyes. You might try burning the top where the light gray color is bright just so it doesn't compete with the face as much but a very good job as it sits right now. This has depth and tones; composition and execution. Very nice work.

Kev

Phoenix_0016
by cbeller

Comment:
I like the warm tones given by the orange here. It keeps her skin warm and "soft".

Juggling a Healthy Diet
by Coley

Comment:
Great composition. I'm not sure whether I like the square crop on this or not. Perhaps a portrait crop would have lent a sense of gravity to the cascade of objects. Regardless you chose a wonderful background and I love the interplay of the blue gradient sky in the background with the gray shirt of the subject. Am I seeing some moire in the shirt or is that a textured pattern? Your exposure looks like it was difficult. The shadows cast on the subject are hard and the hot spots on the subject's cheek and fingertips tend to show that you probably had some difficult lighting to work with. The exposure on the all the fruit still allows some texture and details to show through; the texture of the lighter, more reflective oranges and the contours of the duller peppers show a nice range. I wonder what camera you used and what settings allowed you to get such a good exposure with strong directional light like this.
You did a good job catching the action here. Your subject is personable, perhaps its the backwards facing cap or maybe just the fountain of fruit but I can imagine him to be a brother or uncle who is just showing off at a family get together and making the kids laugh. The shot seems playful and yet it looks technically diffcult.

Good job.

Finally doing the laundry
by siggi

Comment:
I wish the composition wasn't so tight on the subject because it looks like the water droplets all the way around the photo extend beyond the border of the shot. Then again, a woman in a t-shirt falling into a pool? Nice composition. ;)
I do like the exposure you got here. The water on the sides has details and you didn't lose the details in the darker jeans or the white shirt.

Sky High
by arnit

Comment:
Great exposure on the sky. The subject has some harsh shadows but I think it works in this composition. I like the use of the space (is it truly negative space with the clouds providing a background of interest that the viewer can peruse?). I wish the subject were just a litlte higher in the composition to put the red helmet closer to the junction of the top and righthand thirds lines; as it is he seems to be almost centered top-to-bottom.
Everytime I look away and look back I notice the rider. This is a solid composition; the subject really pops out of this shot with action. Did you enhance the contrast on the bike rider?

Concentrate
by Tranquil

Comment:
Good idea. Different from most shots in challenge. I like the angle you selected but think that widening the shot out a little to include all the racket head would have made this a slightly stronger composition. It looks like you had some fairly strong light here as the details along the arm seem blown out; the face and white shirt, however, retain some detail and those are the more important elements IMO. Nice use of DoF to direct the viewer's attention to the subject's face.

Keeyana, Candid
by joanns

Comment:
Wow!

Love this photo. It's sharp, its crisp but not overdone. You allow her skin and features to remain softly feminine without losing the spot on detail. The flowing line of the crease and the shadow lead upwards. The tones in this are spectacular for digital work. I love the way her face is lit and you have captured her lovely profile as though you'd been doing this for years and knew just when to take the shot. Great job!

If there is anything that you might consider I wonder how it would look if you selectively lightened the shadow on just above the bow. I'm not saying it'd be better but it might be worth your time to pop that shadow up just a shade or two and see the difference in the photo. One of the things that I like is the definition that the light gives to the subject so I can't say how it would affect it.

Regardless, this is a gorgeous capture and thinking that it was a candid rather than posed just adds to the appreciation.

Kev

CRW_2707
by Nusbaum

Comment:
And I think the photo is better for the work you did. Stunning shot and great post-shot work. I can only compare this with my memory of the original but if I thought that the original had much room for improvement I think you nailed it here. This photo is a strong composition and carries with it a range of elements from tack sharp eyes to well-defined hair to creamy, soft skin with a nice unobtrusive background blurred out of competition with your subject. I think either would be strong examples of a good portrait and just from your own word and my memory I have to think that this version is also a testament to your work in PhotoShop.

Thanks for sharing this,

Kev