Cows
by dali_lama_2k

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
a shot of some cows in some beautiful country side

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
someone mentioned that the sky was overexposed - I myself don't see it as overexposed but it's hard to get the lighting just right when you mix shadows and bright light the way you have here; this could have been corrected by setting the shot up from a different angle so that the light and shadows aren't competeing for attention

Challenge:
Your shot meets the challenge alright

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly this shot leaves me wanting more. I understand what your going for....a nice landscape which included the cows. I have problems capturing those shots too as mine always end up just looking like a snapshot. I think that may be the problem here.
Emotionaly, again here this shot leaves me wanting more

Summary:
A shot that meets the challenge but for a shot with more interest it may have benefited from being shot at a different angle....one in which the photo isn't cut in half by the shadows and the sunlight....or one that concentrates more on the cows; maybe getting a closer of one and having the other slightly blurred in the background. You say this was shot from the road. Maybe next time the car could be parked and you could walk up to the fence? More often than not (if your very still) cows will walk up close to the fence so if you move slowly this could offer you an interesting facial shot. And as someone else mentioned there is that (distracting) fence post....just a step or two (or three) over could have corrected that.

Enoc Seldeen
by posthumous

Comment:

Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
A pine cone in some pine needles.

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
very centered composition; nice color and focus

Challenge:
you've meet the challenge very well
the pine cone itself seems to glow as a negative

Artistic/Emotion:
Only a somewhat artistic photo. I don't get the feeling that much thought went into this.
And on an emotionaly scale it's hits almost 0 for me. I do see in your comments that someone used the word "festive" as an adjetive. So you've hit a cord with some folks.

Summary:
You've got some nice colors here and you hit the mark as far as the challenge goes. A somewhat off-centered subject might have made this more interesting to view.

Mother & child
by tinkie2010

Comment:

Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
Pretty nice image - cool blue

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
I can see you've got a good dof on this; focus looks nice and sharp; as mentioned below it seems as if these zebras need their legs. Sometimes you can get by with cutting off legs, but this is a case where they need them; perhaps because of where you cut them off....right at their bodies.

Challenge:
Yep!yep! no DNMC here; you got it!

Artistic/Emotion:
This is a nice straight forward piece of work. The blue in this adds to the artistic feel.
Emotionally there's not much there.

Summary:
Great focus, beautiful dof, nice choice for a negative image. The thing that I see that would most improve this shot the most? Show a little leg ;-)

Fall in the Foothills
by Citadel

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
There is no way to tell you what my first impression was when I saw this photo. It is just awesome! All I could do was stare.

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
Don't you hate it when you miss lighting? Especially lighting you KNOW is gonna make the perfect shot. But WOW you ended up with this! The sky doesn't look drab at all. I'm gonna have to check into some filters ;-)

Challenge:
Beautiful country side image; I'd say you met the challenge.

Artistic/Emotion:
Very artistic photo. You captured perfect fall colors. Of course you had to leave the fence post in the shot! The fence is a wonderful leading line. Heck the colors of the foloiage even lead you into the picture. I love the way the fall colors play against that blue sky.
This photo just has all that is fall - makes me want to saddle up and go for a ride. And that looks like the perfect place for a ride.

Summary:
How do I summarize this? It's just a beautiful image. Simply perfect! :-)

Creating the Internet
by marvin

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
WOW WHAT A COOL PHOTO!!!!! Yes, that really was my first impression!!!

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
I love the composition on this. The bokeh is extremly nice. The colors are great! This was perfect for a negative image

Challenge:
definitely met the challenge

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly this is great! I especially love how you captured this spider between the two poles. It's as though we are spying on it!
Emotionally? Well, it's the perfect time of year for spider pictures ;-) what with Halloween just around the corner. Even if your not a Halloween fan, this picture would still speak to people either because they don't like spiders and it's such a cool shot - or because they just think it's a cool shot!

Summary:
I'm really disappointed that this didn't score better than it did. It's a perfect negative shot. I wish I could give a better critique of it. Kinda hard when I myself gave it a 10. I mean shouldn't I be finding something to pick on? For me it's there just like it is. It's a wonderful, fun, kinda spooky, perfect negative image!

Lovin' Windmill Livin'
by amsterdamman

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
My first impression was this is by someone who isn't from around here!

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
I think it's just a little dark, but that's not always a bad thing and I can see where it can work for this picture. If your wanting to present a gloomy cloudy day. You have good depth and focus. The fence is good as a leading line but for some reason my eye is first drawn to the trees in the background. As I look closer maybe that is because of that circle thing which I can't really tell is attached to the fence or if it's a hay ring in the background.

Challenge:
Yep, life in the country includes chickens and you've got those babies in there. I'm glad to know (by reading your notes) that there are horses around there somewhere.

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly? It's a good photo with nice leading lines. I think color is a major aspect that is missing in this photo (as the comment just below says,...."too bad it wasn't a blue sky."). Of course we can't control the immediate condtions under which we shoot, but we can go back are re-shoot. Since color is missing maybe it would have done better as b&w or sepia?

Summary:
In my opinion there is no WOW factor here. DPC voters like WOW! Other than that it's a nice photo. :-)

I see that you've entered two challenges thus far. I hope you continue with here at DPC and I look forward to seeing more images from the Netherlands :-)

Road To Nowhere
by supanova

Comment:

Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
My first impression was nice - but this needs more contrast. I see from your comments that I'm not alone.

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
Your composition is good as the road and the power line poles lead us into the picture. I think you chose well presenting this in black & white; but again, with a little more contrast this would have been a much better photo.

Challenge:
Yes, you met the challenge head on

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly? You cropped your photo very well and did a wonderful job capturing the leading lines.
Emotionally? This photo draws out such a feeling of loneliness and from your title I believe that is what you going for. You made a good capture of the clouds and that adds to the feeling.

Summary:
Has it been mentioned that you need more contrast? ;-) That would be the biggest suggestion for making this a better image. Everything else has been done very well. I see from your profile that this is your first entry. You finished in the middle of the pack which is GREAT! And if you can do this on your first try I can only imagine what else you have in store for us and I look forward to seeing it! :-)

Cobalt Shadows
by zencow

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
To be honest? This took my breath away! I loved it from the very first time I saw it.

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
The composition, the lighting, the color, the focus - including the bokeh - it's all marvelous. And your worries over the "distractions" were for naught as what you consider distractions only add to the image.

Challenge:
You certainly met the challenge and did so beautifully. AND I'm a title girl and this title is PERFECT!

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly? Stunning! Melethia nailed it in her comment below "the blues make this rich and vibrant, and the bokeh is lovely!"
Emotionally? This is a very soothing picture and I can so totally see why you are considering hanging it. I would if it were mine.

Summary:
I'm sorry to say that I have no suggestions for making this better. I may not have been the right one to give a critique of this image but as they are randomly assigned to us I was thrilled to be able to give you my thoughts on this image. I think posthumous and katenlow said it best with just one word....gorgeous.

edited to fix the tag

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 12:36:19.

Vortex to the Sun
by Blue Moon

Comment:
Just cruising around, reading some profiles and looking at images. Got on your profile page via Alices cause she mentioned that you took her current profile photos. I read that one of your goals was to receive 2500 comments....I scrolled down and this image jumped off the page at me! so I figured I'd help you with the comment goal.
I love this; it's beautiful! Read your notes - stupid seagull lol ;-) I probably wouldn't have noticed it - but then again I was looking at the photo - didn't even know what challenge it was till I read the notes.

Good luck in school - you do beautiful work!

High Country Life
by Steveinnz

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

First Impressions:
What a beautiful photograph! That's totally it - my first impression!

Technical (Comp, lighting, color, focus):
clear sharp focus, perfect time of day for the lighting in this photo, outstanding colors, the only thing I see wrong in the composition is really just nit-picky stuff which could be quickly taken care of in the slightest of crops on the left hand (looking at image) side....as I said in an earlier comment to remove that gravel(?) on the bottom left which would also take care of the wire that someone else caught and mentioned in another comment.

Challenge:
Don't think you can get much more country than what you've captured.

Artistic/Emotion:
Artisticly this is simply stunning.
Emotionally it makes me wanna walk down the slope and get to work!

Summary:
It's in the top 10! That pretty much sums it all up! ;-)
This is indeed a wonderful entry. Thank you for sharing it with us. :-)

edited to fix the tag ;-)

Message edited by author 2010-10-08 12:28:36.