Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by Dirt_Diver:
I think it needs a bit more light to really make this image pop out. Other than that it's a very good image.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by sfalice:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Now there's a man who likes his vodka martinis!

Very nice light to dark shades in this black & white image. And I very much like the way you used the black paper to curve around the background. It looks seamless and professional.

If it was mine, I'd probably try to control the ambient lighting a bit more. As some of your commentors said, the room is well represented in the bottle. Another way around the ambient light problem might be to frost the bottle as you have the glass. Might be messy, but might be interesting.

As far as composition goes, while I like the off-center position of the bottle and glass (the glass is VERY well done, by the way) I'm not sure why the items are offset. I think the left side of this very nice image could use a bit more punch. For example, if the gentle streak of light caused by the curve in the black paper were brighter, it might lead the viewer to the main attraction.

Okay, that's your 2¢ from this Critique Club member. And I do wish you much success in DPC.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by Ann:
Glass is so hard to shoot! You've done a pretty nice job of capturing a difficult subject with minimal equipment. Next time, you might try hanging a sheet up in front of the glass, so that the whole room doesn't show up reflected in the bottle. But it is a good job getting the bottle to stand out from the background. That's hard to do.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by danthesquidkid:
use a polarizer. there's way to much reflection

As Life Goes By
by Liehsc

Comment by bucket:
everything you could want in a shot is in his eyes...a beautiful pause in my day, perfectly gentle...

As Life Goes By
by Liehsc

Comment by mia67:
Excellent!

As Life Goes By
by Liehsc

Comment by agenkin:
First reaction: one of those "wise child" shots. The title only adds to that impression "As Life Goes By" - give me a break, children think nothing of the sort, he's probably killing his time looking at the water drops outside, or at the way the wind bends the trees, or some such. Grown-ups like to attribute wisdom to their kids, and I greatly dislike this tendency.

But it's not all bad. The reflection, obviously, is the photographic spice in this shot, so why is there so little of it, and why is it in the lower-left corner, which is the weakest place in the frame? The eyes are dead on the line going through the middle of the shot. If I imagine myself seeing this through the viewfinder, I instinctively move the camera left and down, to leave a lot less of the face, and a lot more of the reflection.

It looks like this is a candid shot, which is a big plus in my books.

Technically, the shot does not show excessive PS manipulations, another plus. A tad more contrast would be good, probably.

Overall, a shot with potential, but one that didn't happen. Definitely not your family album type of a child shot, which is already a good thing, though.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by adeldegan:
The strong reflections are distracting.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by Jutilda:
Nice stock photo. Great lighting and focus. Maybe not enough WOW for a Free Study, but a good solid image.

Just What I Need
by Liehsc

Comment by neophyte:
Nicely done. Well composed and lit.