Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by TooCool:
From the Critique Club

Great choice of titles for the Book Title challenge! After all, where would we be without our friends!

Good points: The focus here is very nice. As is the DOF. In this image a shallower DOF might have helped but isn't all that important because of the limited depth of the shot. The colors look nice if a little dull. The composition is good. I like that the circle is not totally even (giving a feeling of spontinaety) and the choice of a square crop is good for this image!

Bad points: The lighting is a little harsh. I'm assuming that you used the flash on the camera. I don't know if it was possible in this instance, but some light reflected up from the center of the circle, a little longer exposure and no on board flash would GREATLY improve this shot. It would get rid of the harsh shadows and help to make the colors more vibrant! My biggest complaint about this shot though has to do with the background or in this case the ceiling. An outdoor shot would have worked much better here. Moving the group to another spot in the building where there is not all the distractions of the light and electrical conduit would have been another good choice!

I notice that this is your first entry into a challenge! This is a pretty good score for a first entry. Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to seeing more!
TC

Message edited by author 2003-11-23 13:10:40.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by e301:
Horriblly unflattering flash-lighting.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by irenes:
I think this is a really good idea, carried off nicely ... but perhaps a more artistic interpretation could have been more striking? For instance, I feel that the ceiling and the light detract from the picture. If this could have been taken someplace with a uniform background, I would probably be even more impressed. I'm envisioning it maybe a solid black with only the faces illuminated? (just an example). As it is, it comes across kind of "snapshot"-y.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by ScantyNebula:
What's throwing me off is the ceiling...I can totally picture a complete black or white background behind them.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by Rooster:
cute shot, nice angle

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by micklepickle:
good idea :)

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by Neil:
Very nice idea, well executed. Except next time, perhaps shoot outside on a blue sky day or avoid the ceiling light, or use shallow DOF to make sure it's not detailed.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by monkeyplay:
Love this photo of you all. The light in the ceiling can be distracting.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by amsmyth:
two small criticisms - one face so out of thye circle and the triangle of light
interesting faces and nice color, crisp

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
by xocutebabexo10

Comment by hughletheren:
Great idea, pity about the shadows cast by the flash. Might have been better taken outdoors.