The Road Not Taken
by cowboy221977

Comment by doremi:
Saw your post-re. looking for comments. I'll try my best :)
I gave you a 5 for this image. For me, a 5 is a good quality image ie., focus, exposure, fits the challenge... but lacks any 'punch'. I like the setting that you chose, very pretty road. I think this would have been more interesting with a subject on the road, something/someone that would tell a bit of a story / convey some emotion. Adding an emotional level to the image would have made me pause & have more of a look. Check out the 10th 9th place image by vawendy - she has a similar perspective to yours, but there's the emotion that I'm referring to.
Another way to evoke more emotion is through lighting. If you took this road at sunset, or on a foggy morning... you might have set more of a mood.
Hope this helps!

Message edited by author 2012-04-18 09:11:39.

The Road Not Taken
by cowboy221977

Comment by james_so:
I've been looking at this for several minutes trying to find something to say about it that would be helpful, so I hope you won't be offended by any of this.

While it is a nice peaceful scene, the shot is quite uninspiring, perhaps stronger PP might have made it pop a bit more? It looks a bit dull even though the sun is shining which leaves the colours looking a bit drab for me. Additionally the title doesn't immediately seem to support the challenge topic (which for some voters is important, too much to think about ;) ). I do like that you have used the road to lead my eye into the picture, (compositionally that is good), but it is lead to nothing which unfortunately leaves me feeling at a bit of a loss. Had I voted in this challenge it would have got a 5 from me (possibly a 6 if I was feeling generous), which is firmly middle of the road territory.

The Road Not Taken
by cowboy221977

Comment by PennyStreet:
Nice wide view and shadows!

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by spiritualspatula:
Hello from the Critique Club!

Well, obviously, it was received decently well by the voter base, but here's my take.

General Impression: I like the composition- the wall creates a nice leading line that pulls us through the image, down the adspace, and into the tree, which forms a good end to the movement. The tree is lit by sunlight, but not blown, which can be hard to do in a scene like this with shade and sunlight. Personally, I like the presence of the pole, and I think that if you had cropped it off, the left side would've felt too closely cropped or a bit more boring. As it is, the pole has a nice shadow behind it, and functions as a nice natural border on the left.
I do enjoy the processing, myself. It's got a bit of an aged look to it, but not so much as to simply be a instagram type shot that's all the rage these days. It's got a bit of a different take, and is more subtle, which is appreciated. Overall, nothing terribly critical. The bottom right (sidewalk, grass) looks a bit like you had to push the exposure, which increased grain, but it's a minor part of the image. Still, this may have easily been dealt with by selectively applying noise reduction.

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by mrbig65:
Congratulations cowboy,,,,,,,on the new PB!
great pic,,,,,

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by SandyP:
Oh man... I was expecting to see this one in the very top few! I love it. You certainly did your first topaz edit proud :)

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by Enlightened:
Congrats on the new PB!

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by mrchhas:
Congratulations on the 6 and a nice new PB!!!!

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
New PB and your first 6+, WTG Adam!!!

The Old Classics Never Die
by cowboy221977

Comment by daisydavid:
nice product placement, always a winner ;)