stuck in the middle
by philup

Comment by SJCarter:
Wow, what a vibrant shot! Very crisp too - almost looks 3D. Sorry I missed voting this challenge.

Old Boots
by philup

Comment by SJCarter:
Really wish the image was larger - "it coulda been a contendah" ;-) Great shot and terrific use of B/W. Image shows a lot of character.

Green Room
by philup

Comment by SJCarter:
*Greetings from Critique Club*

First, let me say that I think the image is very appealing visually and has a lot to offer the viewer from an abstract perspective. Second, I think your score probably suffered quite a bit because people couldn't distinguish exactly what it was and therefore couldn't necessarily tie it into the transparency challenge theme. (Just my opinion and supposition.)

Composition
I really like the lines and fluidity of the image. The surfaces also seem to lend themselves to the abstract nature well. There do appear to be some issues with the left sides of the curved objects (PP remnants?) that are a little distracting, but not that noticeable. Very interesting and appealing...

Focus
I think that the focus, while good, could have been a tad sharper. To pull off this high-tech/industrial/sharp/clean artistic shot, I think the focus has gotta be dead on. There appears to be a little static noise in the image, still it's good.

Lighting
I think you're lighting is great. Obviously, lighting is a key element of your subject matter here and I think you pulled it off nicely. You've got great reflections, tonal ranges, and no real hot or overly blown out areas. I like the green coloration too.

Overall
I like it and think it is a much better shot than the score it received. Good stuff and I continue to look forward to more of your work. (You've got some great shots in your portfolio!)

Just my 2 cents...

Eyes
by philup

Comment by RiderGal:
*Critique Club*

First of all - does it meet the challenge? Well... I know you prolly lost some points from those who wanted a solid white background... to me it isn't a big deal, but to those who take it literally you might not have met the challenge.

On to the details of the image.

I like your composition here a lot. I think it's a good choice not to include that second ear... I think it keeps you in the photo, and I love the way that the mouth and nose are right on that rule of thirds. Also the eyes are just a tad off center which I really like.

In terms of the eyes - I love that they are tack sharp and fairly well lit! No huge pupils, and no red eye, overall nice use of DOF it isn't so shallow that you only have the eyes in focus and the rest of the face isn't. You did a very good job with eing the entire face in focus along with the whiskers etc.

The major thing that bothers me here, is something that was mentioned in a lot of your comments... the neck of the kitty is definitely blown out... and not having any detail there, really kind of ruins the photo for me. If it wasn't for that you would have a really great photo, but especially because the challenge specifically mentioned watch out for blow out... it's something that you should have looked at carefully. Also that light grey (shadow?) just above and to the right of the cat's head is a little bothersome.

I would suggest reshooting, and specifically working on getting detail in the white of the fur, it's not easy, but the excercise could be beneficial to your skills as a photographer.

-Talya

Drugs, Alcohol.......Dead End...!!
by philup

Comment by dewed:
Bad outline. over processed IMO

Green Room
by philup

Comment by graphicfunk:
Returning for comments:
Looks like somrthing from a high tech meditaion room. the colors are intriguing and the shapes plays like magic.

Bathroom Nightlight
by philup

Comment by bucket:
nice... simple and effective...

Rainy Day
by philup

Comment by RiderGal:
*Critique Club*

First of all... does it meet the challenge? Yes... you have grain... I feel that maybe there is a bit too much here... but I actually kind of like it (which is unusual for me). Good choice to put this in black and white, or it wouldn't have worked with the grain.

On to specifics...

Great composition... my eyes go right to where they are supposed to and nice use of empty space as well, The darkness of the duck really draws you to that right corner, which is a good thing. And that mallard, leads you to the other duck, who by having his head turned and not looking off the frame manages to keep you in the image.

I agree with metatate I feel there is something funny about to happen... in a sort of Charlie Chaplin way. The pond is just too calm... and that mallard looks ready to end the duck's peaceful sleep :-D.

I like the fact that you didn't go for extreme contrast here... it's all slightly greyish and I think it works... I think this is really a picture that at first looks a bit dull, but as you look at it, it draws you in more, which is a good thing. Did you get more frames? Did anything funny happen next?

Nicely done.

-Talya

Green Room
by philup

Comment by Rook3000:
creepy and surreal . . .I love it!

Green Room
by philup

Comment by KiwiShotz:
This is a great image. It has an abstract mystery that can hang as an artwork.