My photo was shot in a residental area of Dallas, Texas. Needless to say, the homes along this man-made lake are extraordinarily beautiful. The lake is divided by a low bridge (almost the same level as the water) which stands about 4" deep in water, so that the ducks may waddle across to the other side, ignoring the few cars that come through the out-of-the-way area. Many times you can find them walking across the road one behind the other while you sit in your car waiting for them to cross. In spring and summer this entire area comes alive with color.
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The first thing that my eye goes to in this image is the gazebo, since it stands out so clearly - exactly what this photo tries to do, which is great. The reflection on the water and the lines of the white bridge to the left give plenty of interest to the centre of the shot too.
However, the foreground branches on both right and left sides are distracting, and dont really help frame the photo - perhaps a closer crop or more zoom would have helped, or maybe a slight change in position (a bit lower?) while shooting.
Background:
The background trees are an integral part of the landscape, which works well, and the bridge/road behind the gazebo doesn't distract. The background sky is very clear blue, but this makes the shot feel a bit flat, since there isn't a sense of depth that a few clouds would add to the shot... but you can't always get the weather you want, of course :o)
Camera Work:
The focus and DoF are good, and all the details are quite clear, but perhaps a slightly shallower DoF focused on the gazebo would have blurred out the foreground branches a bit more, making them a bit less distracting.
Post Processing:
Since you've not provided any specific details, I can only guess as to the post processing you've done, if any. One important thing to mention is that this shot is only 97Kb, out of a maximum 150Kb, therefore you may have lost quite a bit of detail by compressing the image down to that size - I always recommend that you try to get as close to the 150Kb line as possible, so that as little detail as possible is lost.
Apart from that and possibly cropping tighter, it might be worth while adjusting the colour balance and levels for this shot - the shot is quite blue, and could do with a little more contrast to make the island pop out a bit more, and not just the gazebo.
My Opinion:
I think that this photo definitely meets the 'landscape' challenge, but it doesn't really excell in any area, making it more an average shot.
If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via the PM system.
Interesting reflection, however I feel there are too many competing elements: the branch on the left, the ducks, the bridge, the building, the reflections, the branch on the lower right corner. It still has its merits because it depicts tranquility. Jacko 6
This is a very pleasant, peaceful scene, but photographically is a bit busy. The composition isn't tight enough to keep the viewer interested in any one particular thing.
Majestic looking, on a smaller scale though. The tree branch on the left is a little annoying, but I can live with it. I bet this would look much better in summer. The ducks are a great touch. - Inspzil
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