Focus On Happiness
by labuds

Comment:
Congrats to your first ribbon! You used the drop-technique extremely creative by not only showing some blurred backround sharp in them, but rather make an object (the simley) in them.
Way to go.

Jörg

Temptation
by stickylizard

Comment:
Congrats to your first and well deserved ribbon!
It's one of my favorits as you know. Pretty tight race, wasn't it?

Jörg

Nadel und Faden
by FranziskaLang

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club[/b

[b]Initial thoughts/My opinion
Great clear concept well executed. Like the shininess of the thread. The needle suffers from artifacts. Was surprised to see a German title!

Content/Composition
I do like how you arranged the few elements of your image: very clear and right on the topic. The way you set the light is just great: the reflection on the thread make the image. What amazes me is the levels curve of this image: almost only dark black and just a few bright elements. There are not many shades of gray in it. I do like that.
As mentioned by you, the needle does stand back against the rest and it suffers from jaggiest coming from the down-sizing.

Camera work -technically
You know how to handle your camera, can't see anything to need mentioning here.

Digital Processing - Technical
As already said, the needle does not come out too good due to the jaggies on it. A tighter crop might have worked here; however, the image balance would have been disturbed.

Fits the challenge
Yes, it fits very well.

Good luck for your upcoming submissions

Perspective
by jaclkal98

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Initial thoughts/My opinion
Well chosen point of view on a well fitting composition. Good choice of DOF. Don't like its blue hue much.

Content/Composition
Very good view on this straight forward composition and subject. I also do like that the screwdriver is aligned along the diagonal of the image and the screw is following the rule of third. The blurred wood with the few other screws work well too.
I do not like the blue tint on all metal parts and on the background very much though. Maybe B&W would have worked better here.
The light is set very well because it is soft. However, it's not very special and not used as a compositional element.

Camera work -technically
Well done regarding focus and DOF. Exposure is too much on the dark side: the whole dynamic range of levels is not used.

Digital Processing - Technical
I do think that the image could have been improved by setting the level and contrast a bit better. As mentioned, B&W might have been a choice to be considered.

Fits the challenge
Yes, it does so very well.
Good luck for your upcoming submissions

Bugs and Botanicals
by amsmyth

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
Hi Anne,

Got you again :)

Initial thoughts/My opinion
Nice, unusual butterfly and unusual angle of view. Great DOF. Not very special though.

Content/Composition
I do like how you composed the image: the shallow angle of view makes the butterfly look unusual and thus interesting. Also that you picked a green bug that almost blends into the green and nicely blurred background was a got choice. Speaking of background: the vertical stripes in it disturb, what are they?
I do like how the leaf under the butterfly is in focus and how it is aligned relative to the bug.
What I do not like is that the right wingtip is cut: that reduces the feeling that the bug is "flying" on the background of the image. Here I do see a major problem of the image.

Camera work -technically
Well done regarding focus and white balance. Could be a little bit brighter though. As mentioned, DOF is well chosen.

Digital Processing - Technical
Also in this image I do see too much graininess, although ISO 100 should be OK. Part might be due to the small file size: it's just 50 KB instead of the 150. One suggestion: after you submitted your image, review it on the DPC-site and by right-clicking on it save it back to your hard disk and check the file size: if it is too low, decrease the compression factor until you use up the whole allowed space.
Overall, quality-wise it is not too good, because it is not really crisp on the bug.

Fits the challenge
Yes it does, but a Woow-factor is missing. The balance between the two things that go together is too much on the butterflies side and the botanicals serve more ore les only as background.

Good luck for your upcoming submissions

Tax Time is Here
by smellyfish1002

Comment:
I do like the colours, especially how the orange of the pencil blends with the red background. I do think that a bit wider DOF, showing more of the pencil tip in focus would have worked better though.

a corking idea!
by MikeO

Comment:
Took me while to get it, but I like it: nice texture and well on the challenge topic. The crop is maybe a bit tight. Good luck.

Grape on a Knife
by drgsoell

Comment:
I do like the composition and the colours very much. Maybe the DOF is a bit too narrow: parts of the fruit are out of focus too. A little wider DOF might have been better. Good luck.

Temptation
by stickylizard

Comment:
LOL! I know that kind of look of a dog. However, I would never use a fork: it would be eaten too. Also our Kaja would not sit still for long.
Very well done regarding the composition and light. a 9 from me.

Matrioshka
by MJENNI

Comment:
A classic well composed. Only the light could be set bette, especially at the top: a bit to harsh. Still, a 8 from me.