Buddy
by Catherine_B

Comment by Lydia:
Hey, Buddy! Your pet composed you well in the frame when he/she took your photograph. I like the muted colors and both your eyes and nose being in focus.

Buddy
by Catherine_B

Comment by Luciemac:
A little too cool and dark for me, but otherwise, I LOVE this face! Which is probably why it needs some warmth....:-)

Day Dreaming
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

I get the chance to comment again! Your comments add another dimension completely you must all be very thankful for her successful recovery. So, following on from my previous comments, I don't know what lens you were using but if it had a wider aperture it would have been better to use it and soften the background down. The focus is a little on the soft side too, sometimes autofocus doesn't nail it as well as manual providing you have good eyesight, so it might be worth tweaking it sometimes during the shoot.

I think it might have been nice to try portrait orientation to reduce the background elements and get the reflection of her face and lovely eyes in the table. Talking of reflections I think the exposure is a little on the bright side there are some blown highlights amongst the reflections so a little -EC would be wise.

Thanks for your lovely entry and apologies for the delay, Sid

Pebble Beach Sunset
by Catherine_B

Comment by clickodak:
Very nice sunset. give 8

Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord....
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A record shot that meets the challenge.

This is a straightforward documentary style image that records the existence of the building and little else really. Although the light on the end wall is nice you haven't made the best of the opportunity with the bulk of the image in fairly dull shade. I think moving your position a little further left to include all of the end wall and shadows without any cropping of the wall and cropping the right of the image to the downpipe and excluding it would have made for a better composition overall. This would have placed the 'tower' further to the right and improved the composition whilst making a feature of the end wall.

Like one of your commenters I am perplexed by the texture of the brickwork it just doesn't look natural at all, it can't be down to noise reduction given your low ISO perhaps that is the way it is. If that is so then it is even more reason to reduce its share of the image and concentrate on the end wall which is far more appealing with those lovely windows too. I have to say that the rest of the building by comparison is really quite boring.

Thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid

End of Life
by Catherine_B

Comment by LoVi:
Cuisino....I found you....you are dead...Cousino..... Oooo

Playing with Light
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that meets the challenge.

What lovely vibrant colours this glass lamp, most unusual and very appealing. It looks as though you have used on camera flash? I can't help but feeling how those lovely colours would have looked with backlighting, I would love to have seen how that looked, I suspect it could have been quite stunning. As it is, the lighting has caused hotspots on the surface here which have blown out amongst the surrounding colours which is a shame because for me it mars the end result.

I would also have liked to have seen the shape of the lamp if it is as beautiful as the glass it could have been good to have taken this as an abstract with the light coming through it and parts of it in soft focus, ooh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

I scored your image a 7 during the challenge but on this closer look I would probably have deducted a point for the flash blowouts. Anyway, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid

Creamy Rose
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing flower study that is assumed to meet the challenge.

A natural looking capture of a colourful rose with, as you say, perfect symmetry of a bountiful profusion of petals that makes for a frame filling flower. I do like your off-centre crop enabling you to show off that symmetry in the lovely rounded shape that occupies the whole of the left of the frame. I also like the inclusion of the leaf at the top of the frame I think it breaks it up nicely and naturally. And again, I like the fact that t doesn't have the seemingly obligatory water drops that seem to accompany the vast majority of flower images nowadays!

Your chosen aperture is ideal for the image it defines the heart and front of the flower well while enabling it to stand out from that perfectly formed background of symmetrical petals. Yours colours appear natural and not oversaturated as again, is often the case here. There is a possibility here of presenting this in landscape format probably with the heart at the base?

I'm sorry you didn't receive any comments during the challenge, I hope this makes up for it, Sid

Living Dangerously
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A lovely landscape that has made a significant contribution to this open challenge.

I'm the lucky one who gets to comment again on your lovely image! As I said before this image is all about the quality of light which is the most important element of good photography. I like the composition with the foreground wave caught in the sunlight and the rear pier defining the edges of our foreground interest. Against all that we have the lovely misty hilly backdrop, very appealing indeed.

The one element that really completes the image is the person walking it gives it all a sense of scale that wouldn't be so readily recognisable without him. I still find your image as appealing as it was during the challenge and I would still score it the 8 that I did then. I often find it a mystery here those images such as this that I full expect to at least end up on the front page and they just don't get the recognition they deserve, I'm sorry this didn't happen for you. I wish you good luck with your future entries.

Nicely done, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid

Happiness is... being the center of Mom's attention!
by Catherine_B

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*
A very competent animal portrait that partially meets the challenge.

You have isolated the cat nicely from the background with, presumably maximum aperture for the focal length giving a pleasing result. Whether this is enough to fulfil the challenge brief in full is a separate issue, personally I wouldn't say I see happy or feel happier as a result. No doubt he is a lot happier than he was as a result of your loving care but I have the benefit of your comments to determine that, the voters would not.

Your focus is good and sharp on the eyes and the lighting is good with good detail throughout. I do find the material on which he is sat very competitive for my attention it keeps drawing me away from the cat which is obviously not what you want. Overall its a very good portrait.

Apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, better late than never, Sid