After a stormy night
by Rino63

Comment:
Ciao Gennaro from the Critique Club!

Wow, that 8mm fisheye is really effective!

Composition
I would have liked that the blue ship was in the middle, it would make a very nice focal point.
Still, you got enough of the sky as to make a balanced picture.

Processing
Probably a bit too much contrast, and the Topaz has left you a lot of noise in the sky, along with some deep halos around the clouds.
I think it would be interesting to have this shot with a colour tweak, just to enhance a few colours and tone down others, it could be fun.
Still, a 7.7 score from commentators is awesome, and a 6+ score overall, is a good score for a free study. Next shot try to clean up some contrast and noise, to make a smoother, more defined (I know it seems opposite) photo.

Best regards,
Joao

Beach Volleyball
by Abstract

Comment:
Hi Abstract, greetings from the Critique Club!

I scored your photo a lot higher, because I saw this as a great sunset picture, with added silhouette bonus :)
Regarding the technicals:

Composition
If your looking at the player as the main subject (as most voters would have) then it makes sense to have him on the left of the frame. Still, you can still see it as a part of the big picture.
Nice square crop, great take on the sand below his feet. And the seagulls are just perfect.

Lighting / Technique
I think you could have a faster shutter speed, since you were at f/14, and that would probably freeze the ball a bit more (it's still a bit blurry).
Also, I would have gone lower to get that shot, as to have the whole player in the sky, and still get the sand and sunset.

Processing
Warm tones, good sharpening and control on the sun, it's very easy to blow out in these shots.
As burning was allowed, I would probably have burned the man on the beach behind, as to make him less visible.
I could also selective sharpen the ball a bit more.

Overall
A 6.34 score is very good in this challenge, and the photo is very interesting, I hope that next time you can have more chances to get one of this (it's hard since at that point the sun sets very quickly!).

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Lake Simcoe at Dusk
by mBastin

Comment:
Hi Mike, greetings from the Critique Club!

Don't be discouraged from your placing at FS, there's always room for improvement.
Regarding your photo above:

Composition
It does in fact lack a bit of a focal point, somewhere for the viewer to focus his attention and where to lead the image.
Since the ground was not so interesting as the sky, you could've use your 10-20mm and get a lower almost fisheye perspective of the sky, and have the horizon a bit distorted.

Lighting / Technique
In my screen the shot seems a bit underexposed. You could have tried a longer exposure, since you had the tripod, and if then you saw that you'd lose definition in the clouds you could have instead increased the ISO.
Like this, it's a so so sky, but a very dark foreground.

Processing
Some fill light could have worked as to brighten the photo, and some sharpening and contrasting the clouds would really bring out the details and colours.
Also, if you're familiar with selective colouring adjustments, you could have just tweaked the reds and magentas.

Overall
A very average shot in a challenge that had tons of good pictures, and yet you remained above 5, so no shame here. You'll get that 6+ in no time :)

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Flight Thinsulate
by snaffles

Comment:
Hi again Susan :)
We continually meet (at least virtually)

Composition
Great crop, albeit a bit tight. It's amazing though, how could you get so close with just a 10-20mm? You had to be right below him, so of course no snow appears.
Yet, you still managed to capture the cold feeling required for this challenge.

Technique
Great stop-motion photo, perfect timing, and just superbly captured.

Processing
As you didn't have any snow or distinctive features to add to the photo, the skier look a bit lonely. I see that there are hints of clouds in the sky, so I would probably would darken just the blue channel / tones, as to try and get a few clouds to appear in the sky. I think it would boost the overall image.

Overall
I gave it an 8 at voting, because it was one of the best in the challenge.
An 8 average vote from commentators is also a very good score, and you managed a 6+ score in total. A job well done :)

Take care,
Joao

Hotter Than Hell
by De Sousa

Comment:
Aww come on Jorge, when you go for a picture you must think "Hum, what challenge can I win next?".

Brilliant work, my favourite in the whole bunch. I admire your consistency :)

Um abraço!

Hand Warmer.
by chazoe

Comment:
Hi Kris, greetings from the Critique Club!

Welcome to DPC, I'm sure you will have loads of fun and improve at each challenge :)

Regarding your photo:

Concept
You had a very imaginative idea here, the overhead perspective really adds some angle to the photo, and make it different from most others.

Composition
I'm not sure, but I probably would like to have the subject centred, because you can still use the arms as lines in the photo, all leading to the centre of the picture.
I liked that you didn't have the arms straight, but coming a bit from above.

Lighting / Technique
The best part of the photo. The focused lighting on just the cup, the vignetting around the main part, and the softness of the light is very soothing, and does the trick very well.
The slow shutter speed also allowed the liquid inside the cup to swirl ever so slightly.

Processing
Probably here it was just a bit too soft. The lighting is very good, but the hands, fingers, and table top are a bit soft, could use with a little more sharpness and a little more texture. Some contrasting and levels could boost these things so you could have a more defined photo.

Overall
A very good start, and a 5.8 score is a very good number for this challenge, it's definitely above average.

Congrats on your entry, and hope you keep them coming!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Pears and a Chair
by npasel

Comment:
Unfortunately you risk a DQ here, because of the border.
Still, a very classy and Victorian look photo, just a bit tilted.

Flamingo
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hello Janine, greetings from the Critique Club!

Well, what to say to such a beautiful photo?
On a personal matter, I liked the photo very much, scored it a 7 because of the closeup abstract feel to it, very smooth.

Composition
Very good usage of leading lines, the transition from pink feathers to fluffy white ones is very appealing, and gives a finishing touch to the whole photo.

Lighting
Incredibly smooth, very balanced and with those small hints of shadows, it creates a very textured work.

Processing
This I can say is the only point where it lost points, I imagine it a top 5 if the feathers were just a tad sharper.
I think the border is ok, and it's very tasteful, and it adds to the picture (some of course can disagree, but it's also a matter of personal taste for me).

Again, congratulations on such a great photo and great score!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Haight Ashbury - Water Meters
by SAScambos

Comment:
Hi Stephanie, greetings from the Critique Club!

First of all, welcome to our insane family of DPC :)
You will have a lot of fun here, for sure!

Regarding your photo:

Composition / subject
The subject you chose is really appealing and vibrant, you can feel the colours jump at you on the screen. However, the fact that you took the picture sideways takes much of the potential impact of it. The water meters add a new subject and point of interest, but they would be better if they were straight on.

Processing
Nicely done, minimal and effective, you really brought out the details in it.

Overall
A 36th place is a very good result, more being your second challenge.
Keep them coming!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Sundown
by snaffles

Comment:
Hey Susan, this is becoming a habit :-)

I hope the new lens is doing well, I'm just so jealous, I wish I had a 10-20mm :P

Well, to your Critique:

Composition
The great focal point of this photo is indeed the sky, so it's well balanced in that sense.
The horizon is a bit tilted, but probably it helped the shot, since a flat out straight horizon could have made it dull.

Technique
Unfortunately, the shot suffered a bit from the f/22, the lens is way soft at that aperture. Probably you could get a faster shutter speed and bigger aperture, so it would be sharper.
I also think you had a bit of vignetting, probably could have cropped it out.

Processing
Having said that the clouds and sky are your biggest focal point in the photo, maybe a different processing could be done. Some harsher contrasting, some heavy dodging and burning, something that made a viewer look at the clouds and saw a difference, because as is the clouds seem a bit washed out.

But you said it, a last minute shot and still a 5.5 in a FS, it says a lot.
Next time, don't be afraid to process it a wee bit some more :)

Regards,
Joao