dangerous_sm.jpg
by nlghttrain

Comment by Mal37:
I like the shot, but there are three things that kinda bug me. First, like bvy, I don't have any clue what she's holding. Second, the label/barcode thing in the lower left sticks out to me. I'm not sure it's supposed to. Finally, the noise/grain is a great addition, but it's too uniform, IMO, too "digital". That may just be a matter of personal preferance though. I love how you pulled off the trippy reflection.

dangerous_sm.jpg
by nlghttrain

Comment by h2:
indeed, quite intersting shot, as far as I can see it's a razor she's holding, leaves much room for interpretation. i find the aspect ratio a bit skinny, but that's probably due to hiding the second person (reflected). I like the grainy look as well as the tones. This image needs a bold white border if you ask me.

dangerous_sm.jpg
by nlghttrain

Comment by bvy:
Well I like it. At first glance, it's kind of disorienting, and I think viewers will be split as to whether that's a distraction or an attraction. For instance, I can't quite tell what she's holding. Also, is that her reflection? It's more intriguing if it isn't (and most intriguing if it's no one's!).

The noise, whether you added it or not, works nicely as does the black and white. I think retricting your tone pallette to the mids and lows, was also a good choice. Too much contrast, and it would have lost its subtlety. Really, really nice.

Good times Bad times
by nlghttrain

Comment by trevytrev:
I feel this seems a bit soft and could be a bit sharper. I also feel the good times girl should be on the left and bad times girl on the right.

Polly
by nlghttrain

Comment by charmayne:
beautiful subject and expression. needs a bit more depth for better focus on the face and maybe a tighter crop

Polly
by nlghttrain

Comment by MaryO:
Cutre pose; I think you needed a smidge more DOF so the eyes and entire beak would be in focus.

Good times Bad times
by nlghttrain

Comment by Moose408:
A little dark for my taste. I'm also bothered by the fact that both of them (it's one model right?) are staring off into space. It looks very unnatural.

Polly
by nlghttrain

Comment by karmat:
I like the composition. Lighting is a touch harsh, though.

Polly
by nlghttrain

Comment by SouthCoastOr3gon:
DOF is too shallow here making image a little oof

six redone
by nlghttrain

Comment by glad2badad:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impression

A bit blurry.

Looking Deeper

I think my first impression was based on the large red die up front. That's the one that grabs my attention first because of it's size and color. It's not in focus. After looking around a bit I've found the focal point on the second white 'six'. Really, because of the aperture choice, that's the only spot that's sharp. Technically that's fine (shallow DOF), but it's not where I expected it to be.

Did you consider moving the large red die to a point deeper in the composition? Arrange the smaller white ones around it some perhaps? Just a thought.

I like the choice of using a black background. Works well to isolate the dice.

Recently the trend has been toward square crops to gain the advantage of size, detail, and impact. This subject would have been perfect for that IMO. As it is, you only used 640 instead of the allowed 720?

In the end I guess the score was a reflection of subject material (hard to make static dice jump out) and the choice of focus point.

*** I just read the comments made during the challenge (prefer to make my own observations first without being influenced...) and it does seem that focus was the primary thing in holding this entry back.

Questions? Please feel free to send me a PM and let me know. Thanks!