Scorpion munching on a Centipede
by Chris_Ang

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
I lived in Arizona for a few years where we often looked for scorpions with black lights. The blue of the UV light here is much prettier (than the yellow-green we had) and I agree that the scorpion is quite "striking". I'm really impressed with the clarity given the one second exposure requirement.

I'm torn about the composition. I love the upper third but feel like the lower third is mostly negative (uninteresting) space. I would struggle to crop off the centipede's body too, so that is where I am torn. The exposure is great. You can see the legs of the prey against the background with nice detail. The branch and leaves are also well light without illuminating the darkness behind that creates such a beautiful contrast with the UV blue of the scorpion.

Congrats on a top 10 finish!

Covfefe Inside
by hsteg

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I love the spontaneous creativity behind this click. At some level the challenge borders on being a free study and I like the use of business men in your definition. Especially such a random act like peering into a construction window. Seems covert and strange. Fun!

The minimal contrast between the black suits and the dark green background reinforces the secretive feel of the shot. Nice work ensuring the exposure lets us see the details on the darker suits. (Maybe a touch of extra shadow between the two but it lends itself to the scene.) The flash reflection to the left of the men is a bit distracting, as it pulls attention to a blank space. Overall the grungy details of the setting works well with the "covfefe" theme. The gentlemen are definitely enthralled by whatever insanity is inside. Now you just need the one gentlemen to cuff his briefcase to his arm. :)

A View from a Room
by MAK

Comment:
Add a rainbow to this and I'd know for sure I was dreaming. This is gorgeous!! So many wonderful shades of green and things to explore all across the composition. I love how you timed it for the light to really make the grass glow.

Before the Rain
by knightyo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I think the idea was solid but the way this played out you can definitely tell its a broken window, which (at least for me) is counter to the idea of abstract. You've got the literal interpretation of "dirty" down though! (Although when it does rain this will be the least of your worries! I hope that you have the duct tape and tarp Art suggested handy.) The challenge also called for no distinct lines or patterns. In this image you have a little of both in the background with the fence and the ... um, well I'm not sure what it is ... a giant-sized ramekin?

I do like the drama added by going black and white. The broken lines definitely lead the eye. I wish there was something more at the intersection to hold interest, as it is my eye wanders around looking for something to ground me. All in all I like the picture, and the score tells me that others did too, but for the dirty abstract challenge it doesn't feel quite right.

Dirty abstract reflexion
by clickodak

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

In terms of the challenge ... I agree that abstract can be tough. I think your picture struggled in this challenge because the lines and colors are a bit too uniform/clean. While some of the colors are "dirty" (i.e. browns, etc.) there's a structure and flow to the comp that goes against the "not not rely on clean lines and distinct patterns".

That being said ... the colors are great! I love how the muddy, murky, earthiness of the greens and browns balance with little bits of the blue. The portrait layout is nice as well since it gives height to the pattern in the colors (but the pattern probably cost you in this challenge). I agree with Cutout ... definitely some "dizzy" going on. :)

Oculus Visitors
by pgirish007

Comment:
Picture is gorgeous but not sure it fits the "crowd" theme.

Umbrella of color
by clickodak

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
I love that you went to a home improvement store to help you with this challenge. I definitely wouldn't have thought of that one. The umbrella is definitely a colorful subject and the range of shades represented is terrific. Clearly a fit for this challenge. The off center composition is wonderful; and the supports create nice leading lines to highlight each segment. Two things that detract at least for me ... 1) the out of focus know in the bottom right clutters up the clarity of the lines and segments; and 2) the vibrancy of the colors feels a bit off. I like the shine and textures of the color segments but there's just a touch of "oompf" (horrible technical term - but I don't know how to describe it) that would kick it up a notch. That being said, this is nicely executed. I may have to visit a hardware store.

Menacing!!!
by coovt2001

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
Congrats on the honorable mention and the new photo in your top 5 list. Nice work leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that this is all about the teeth.

Love the details and sharpness you've captured here. I can almost feel the texture of the fur through the picture. You even captured a bug in front of his/her face! (Although I doubt teeth are needed for that tiny creature. ;) ) I'm not usually fond of black and white for animals ... their colors are just too beautiful to pass up ... but here it adds realism and depth. It also prevents the color from detracting from those beautiful teeth. I can't offer an constructive feedback here ... this is amazing, especially for the challenge.

Please keep the entries coming! Congrats again!

Empty office space
by clickodak

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
Can't argue with the emptiness of this room! I can almost hear the echo of footsteps as they cross this empty room. I agree with Gordon_1, the effective use of negative space really makes this composition come together. Good choice on the black and white approach. The tones are wonderful without color to detract from the drama of the scene. The repetitive geometric shapes (tiles and lights, etc) create leading lines that are both interesting and pull you in to the window. Nice find!

Out of bound
by kaiyang

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
First Impression: Gorgeous, even with the barbed wire. ;) Love the pastels and the ability to see down into the lake as well as the reflection on the smooth surface.

Challenge: At first I questioned the entry for this challenge ... to me a jetty is a barrier used for water flow control. But I googled it and the second definition indicates that boats can also dock at a jetty. So in that regard, definitely empty! But this picture seems so full of interesting things to look at and beautiful colors it's still hard for me to equate it with emptiness. Based on the updated definition though ... I'm game.

Composition, Details, Etc: I love how the empty jetty (see I'm learning!) leads the eye off into the distance to encounter those wonderful trees on the distant shore. The shore in turn pulls the eye to the warm sun-touched clouds. I LOVE that I can see the rocks under the water. This picture is so clear I even found myself looking for a fish down there photo-bombing the serenity of the scene.