otherside of the traintracks..
by surfwakeskate

Comment:
Greetings from the Me! ;)

I'm a member of the Critique Club and noticed you didn't get the critique you requested so for what it's worth, here's my thoughts on this picture.

First, the idea is not a bad one, catching a skater in the air is always a good shot if you can catch it. The problem here is you caught so much more. If there was any way you could be closer to the skater, take out the railroad tracks and a lot of the brush this would have had a lot more impact as a picture all together, negative exposure or otherwise. As it is there are so many things fighting for my attention it's really hard to focus on any one thing. I see from the title what you're going for and usually when one hears about "the other side of the tracks" it means a bad influence of some sort but I don't get that feeling here either.

Maybe if you focused in on just one subject, either the skater, the tracks, taking a shot of them leading away, something of that sort this might have done better.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Message edited by author 2006-08-01 14:25:25.

Memories
by Brin

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Okay, no offense but I seem to keep pulling the ribbon shots, LOL There is nothing wrong with this shot, LOL

Okay, I'll be serious now.

I love this shot, it's calm, peaceful and you would, without a doubt find it on a beach. The exposure time on this is perfect and looking at your outtakes, you choose well.

I really can't find anything wrong with this shot, it's beautiful. I'm sorry, I wish I could offer more!

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Can U Spot the BARRACUDA ? ?
by dmadden

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Why yes, I can see the Barracuda! ;) Very nice.

This is a good shot and with a little work could be a fantastic shot. I like the composition and the idea behind the shot. Nice eye catching the image in the driftwood.

But two things caught my eye almost immediately, first the feel of the shot, working in the direct sun can be a nightmare and this is one of those instances. Looking up your camera I see you can adjust the aperture settings and when working with bright light like this you might want to close your aperture just another notch or two. Make it a little darker and work with it later in Photoshop if you need. Or even try a couple of different settings to see how they come out. The hardest thing to learn with a camera is lighting. I'm still fighting with mine most of the time.

Next was the horizon, even though you did a great job with your DOF, you kept my attention on the wood and still had enough detail to the ocean to make it a viable part of the picture, the horizon is very crooked. A problem in that it throws the whole shot off but how would the driftwood look if you tilted it to correct the ocean? Well, using my magic envelopes, I took off the bottom of the picture and the peice of wood right behind the Barracuda so all I could see was the ocean and the part of the driftwood that is the Barracuda. What a difference this made in the shot. I didn't have all this other stuff fighting for my attention and the wood really stands out against the ocean, making one think the barracuda was jumping from the ocean. Maybe if you were a little lower and reframed your shot? And watch your horizon.

One last thing, the title. BARRACUDA!! would have been plenty. If you can use less words, do ;)

Well, looking at your profile, this is your 4th challenge, let me say Welcome to DPChallenge and keep it up, I really like your ship shot.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Uncooked
by Pano

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Okay, first may I say I have no business "critiquing" anything you shoot, LOL but you asked for this :)

I like this shot very much, the concept, the composition, the overall feel of the shot. I would have bet that was water around the egg and not the egg white. How on earth did you get it so clear? Amazing and the clarity and color of the shot is wonderful.

If I were to get really nit picky I would have to say that one bubble or whatever it is about the yolk is a bit distracting and the white part right by the yolk is also a bit distracting. Looking at your score and the votes 5 and below would probably be the DNMC votes, but I think this meets it just fine and I'm not even a fan of abstract but I like the way the lines are blurred in the white of the egg and the solid lines around it. Very well done.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Late Harvest (Tribute - Finbarr O'Reilly)
by Tej

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

WOW! I love this shot! Makes me wish I had voted on this challenge but since I'm not a big fan of abstract I avoided it. But this is a lovely picture, I would be proud to put this up on my wall.

The desaturation and clarity and DOF are all just truly wonderful to me so I'm not the one to try to critique this. I'm betting the only reason you did not win this challenge with this shot is because you got a fair amount of DNMC votes and looking at the spread of votes I was right, this does not in any way deserve a 3, 4 or 5 vote but what can you do?

Wonderful picture, welcome back to the challenges! Can't wait to see your name on the front page again!

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Ketchup Nipple on a Banana Base
by JacquiD

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Wow, what can I say? Well, let me start off with that I love the shallow DOF you accomplished here. The detail on the banana and in the ketchup is wonderful. Very nice indeed, I can almost feel the texture of both of them.

But beyond that there really isn't a lot that appeals to me with this shot. As far as abstract, I'll be the first to admit it's not my strong suit but if I am to understand it correctly you are trying to convey a message in an unconventional way. This just looks like ketchup on a banana, nothing to really search for or look for in the meaning.

The title is also a bit long, sometimes they work for you but most of the time they don't. I have found if you have to explain your picture with the title you will lose points for that.

Second the light flare on the ketchup is very distracting. I like the lighting on the banana and the background is well chosen but the ketchup really seems over brightened in the one area, not sure if that's a window or flash flare. Maybe next time, skip the ketchup and go straight to the banana. With you camera and the right lense you could get really close to the texture of the banana itself and that could be an interesting shot.

Again, not a bad effort, can improve with practice and looking at your portfolio you seem to have an eye for some of this so keep trying!

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Brassica oleracea
by DigiFotoBuddy

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

OH NO! :) Just kidding!

I found this after the challenge was over and I really liked the idea. And I think I understand where you were going with the post processing, if I'm wrong, shot me ;)

First of all it does feel abstract to me which means a lot because I don't normally understand or get abstract pictures but this feels like it has a pattern yet you have to really study it to find it. And I personally like the muted colors, gives more the feel of some of the great abstract artists and pictures I've seen (don't ask me to name names, I was told there were abstract) and makes it feel and look a bit older than it really is.

But as you well know the DPC Voter doesn't always understand art or what we are trying to convey with our picture and you paid for that with this shot. If you and brightened the colored just a touch, brought up the contrast and sharpened it just a bit more this probably would have easily been over a 6.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Balanced Meal
by epix05

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This photo is making me hungry! LOL :) This is a late night snack? I'm coming to visit at your house! :)

A nice shot but that's it, a nice shot. As you can see from some of the other shots the idea was to offer a more abstract feel or setting to the shot. This, with the proper PS treatment would make a wonderful ad for a turkey (is it turkey) sandwich.

THe light is a bit harsh on the top and the shadows to the right are very distracting. Maybe the use of a reflector of fill light to balance it out?

This could have been more abstract to me, (but trust me when I say I'm the last person to ask about abstract art) is if you had arranged the celery and cherrie and did a more macro shot of them. Maybe with the bread in part of it?

I really like your shell shot in your profile, you've got a good eye overall.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Cabbage green matter
by jerryc12

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

What an interesting shot. I'm not a big fan of abstract, okay, scratch that, the truth is that I usually just don't get it but I like this. I like the patterns, the lines, the way light on the subject, natural is always the way to go, heh?

What bothered me about it and I would have subtracted a point is the noise or patterns that show up in the green areas. I guess it all goes with the abstract idea but like I said, I never did get abstract, probably why I didn't vote on it, LOL

The only other thing I noticed was the upper left corner, that black area is a bit distracting. Other than that it's a wonderful shot and you did a great job!

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda

Dusk Departure
by dannylee

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Wow! I love this shot! It takes me back to when I used to fly with my dad in his Eurocoup! That was so much fun! And to capture it as it was taking off. The motion blur is wonderful on the houses while the plane is so clear. Well done.

The first thing I noticed though was the pinkish/orange tint on the wings of the plane. Now reading the title that explains to me why they are like that but for some reason it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the shot. Maybe if you were behind the plane and one could see the sunset in the background but then you lose the motion blur on the houses. Sadly a lot of people put points towards the title as well and that might be part of what happened.

Secondly, I'm sure you got a few DNMC votes as well. If you were taking the shot from inside the plane or even from behind it again, giving one more the idea of taking off and the vision ahead.

I wonder how much you brightened this if you did because again, the glow of the sunset just doesn't seem to mesh with the light in the background, I can't quite explain why but it doesn't. Being a basic challenge you could take the hue/saturation and desat the yellow and red just a bit to tone down the color on the wings and then bump the contrast just a touch, a tiny touch. Maybe then it will seem more natural.

But I do like it, it does remind of one of the few good memories I do have with my dad, thank you for that.

I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!

Deannda