DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 
Challenge Entries
Portfolio Images
This image is not part of a public portfolio.
Spotted Pleasure
Spotted Pleasure
bs-photos


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2007-05 (Advanced Editing V)
Camera: Kodak Z740
Location: Rickett's Glen, PA
Date: May 6, 2007
Aperture: f3.20
ISO: 80
Shutter: 1/750
Galleries: Nature, DPChallenge GTGs
Date Uploaded: May 9, 2007

Taken during the Rickett's Glen GTG.

Edit:
Levels
Curves
Color Balance
Brightness/Contrast
Unsharp Mask
Hue/Saturation (Selective Desaturation of cyans & blues)
dup. layer
Layer Mask to get rid of greens in bkgrd
Add border
Save 4 Web


Statistics
Place: 497 out of 617
Avg (all users): 5.0654
Avg (commenters): 5.5714
Avg (participants): 5.0403
Avg (non-participants): 5.1724
Views since voting: 741
Views during voting: 202
Votes: 153
Comments: 8
Favorites: 0


Please log in or register to add your comments!

AuthorThread
06/14/2007 11:42:11 PM
Greetings from the Critique Club! Thanks for the opportunity to critique your image - I find I learn as much or more from doing this than I do from reading critiques of my own image!

Now, on to your shot:

Pros:

I like the subject, and the way you've abstracted a natural form. The shallow depth of field works (with cateats we'll mention in the next section) to isolate your subject from the background. Your selective desat is technically pretty good; whether it adds to the image is debatable for me (though I don't know what the background looked like before, of course). The backlighting of the fern is clearly the strongest point in the images favor; the color and luminance is great.

Cons:

Your biggest problem in this shot is the focus; the whole leaf seems a little off. Having the tip fade into out-of-focus would be ok, but it would need to be obviously deliberate.

I think the image would be improved if the leaf were on a diagonal, rather than up and down; that's one of those compositional rules that begs to be broken, but in this case I don't know that breaking it is doing you any favors. Also losing the tip of the fern is a problem.

Obviously the border bothers some people; I don't mind it and actually think you did it pretty tastefully, but I don't know that it adds much and borders are not loved in these parts so it likely hurt you score-wise.

Challenge

Normally I'd comment on how I think it fit the challenge, but that's silly for a free study!

Overall, this is a nice subject and a pretty good treatment, but a little more emphasis on technicals would have added a lot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
06/07/2007 10:39:57 PM
there is not enough going on here.
06/03/2007 08:33:02 PM
this selective desat actually works pretty well for this - but the image itself could use a little sharper focus - the leaf/set of leaves doesn't quite seem fully in focus except for the very top of the image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/03/2007 11:31:51 AM
beautiful photo. Really do not like the border . The tip of the leafe is missing....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/03/2007 07:49:39 AM
Well spotted ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/02/2007 11:58:44 PM
I don't think I like the border here. It really takes away from the image and just adds way to much that really doesn't need to be there.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/01/2007 11:07:21 PM
Very pretty! Love the frame. 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/01/2007 07:46:44 PM
Watch your focal area when you are at this angle.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/14/2025 10:36:25 AM EDT.