Keep your eye on the ball
by tech

Comment by sfalice:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Oh, galant try! You nearly got that ball in focus. You sure did a good job on getting detail on the kid. Good placement in the frame and great expression on the boy.

It's a bit 'hot' so you might try a little adjusting with "levels" and "curves" in Photoshop Elements or whatever editing program you prefer. Because this image can pop with just a little tinkering.

As a candid, it's okay to have all that background, and hey, you got the shot, but it's a good idea to position yourself so that the good shots come with a nice tidy background. (Just a thought) Another thought: think about blurring that background out a little, now that your image is out of competition. Because it's a keeper.

Meanwhile, I see you are new to DPC; this is your fourth Challenge. Welcome, and I hope to see lots more of your images.

Hot Toddy
by tech

Comment by dsterner:
I think you could have done better without all the other peripheral elements. Nice concept though.

Hot Toddy
by tech

Comment by tstout:
Interesting idea, but the composition doesn't work as well as it could. Just lining things up like that leaves the image dimensionless. I would've moved the pie & pie-caddy off to one side and rotated the handle about 45-degrees, the taller items (especially the Southern Comfort bottle) should be moved to the back of the line-up -- or, even, to a less "obvious" spot like on the rear counter for the viewer to "discover". Finally, what it the purpose of the napkins or dish-towels (under the lemon and the pie)???? Perhaps they could be removed altogether. I do like the lighting, although because it is incandescent, it is a bit "yellow"