in the wind
by flaherma

Comment:
It's just a random mess of feathers. Yet the lines and motion and colors come together in a cohesive composition. Wonderful work.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a spider
by Nordlys

Comment:
I don't know what this is or why I'm so engaged by it. Each time I look, I like it more.

plumes
by Neat

Comment:
Beautiful. Stately plumes, crossed behind, as if hands behind the back. Very nice.

The Pier
by Ecce_Signum

Comment:
This is among my top picks for the challenge. I tend to be drawn to this kind of abstract in any case, but here the initial impact of the colors and the implied movement is great. Hope it does well. Here's some bling in appreciation:

Outgoing Tide
by yakatme

Comment:
The colors are so powerful in this, I wouldn't normally consider them pastel, but the longer I look, the more the softer shades stand out. This is lovely, well-balanced. Delicate intensity. Here's some bling in appreciation.

Mad Tea Party
by smurfguy

Comment:
I'm enjoying being part of the DPL "First 10" side challenge. Yours is photo #6 in my random voting stream for the Pastels III Challenge.

Yep. This one is terrific. I'm only at #6 in viewing this challenge set, but I suspect this will hold up well as I work through the rest. My top pick for now. I'll be back later.

My Dog and I.....
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hi Janine,

Me again, as a Critique Club commenter... The color palette is lovely and the sense of horizontal layering of subject and color change works well together. I think it's really hard to nail a sunset that doesn't get a sort of "meh" reaction here, though. We see so many that they tend to lose impact. I know that's true for me. I become hyper critical of them because they're so common. Most tend to be highly saturated with exaggerated colors. Perhaps this is in lieu of dramatic subject interest. Your photo has several layers of interest including the dog and walker, yet they are small and lack real impact. It might be improved somewhat by lightening the bottom (dark sand) layer to reveal a bit more detail in the shadows. For me the best thing here is the violet shading at the top and the gradient changes moving down through the golden yellows of the wet sand.

delicate
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hey Janine,

Coming to you as a Critique Club member. The current challenge queue is empty and we're taking up some of the backlog. What's fascinating to me is the score data. It's unusual to see the commenters be lower than the non-commenters. And I don't remember seeing such a big difference in participant and non-participant scores. But I digress. I was a participant in this challenge and I voted with a 6. I liked the simplicity of form and color here. The background is complementary to the subject and creates a strong separation, even while maintaining the overall green palette. I"m torn about the last empty space on the right. It gives the subject breathing room and allows the background color to darken on a left to right gradient. Without it, the overall effect would have been a brighter image. Finally, I agree with backdoorhippie's comment about the tips of the leaving not being in focus - just a tad more DOF would have done wonders. So in the end it was a six. I liked it, didn't love it.The primary down side being such a simple subject... beautiful lines and colors, but not a totally compelling subject.

painted on
by posthumous

Comment:
This is in response to a recent thread pleading for re-engaging the Critique Club. By the time I got here, the current queue was empty and this image came up as one that didn't get done in earlier challenges. It seems odd to be critiquing my DPL team captain, but here goes...

I'm a big fan of slow shutter motion blur and this is no exception. The painterly effect (as noted in your title) is strong and evocative. The white balance "mistake" presents a very cohesive color palette and the graceful arc of the wind motion implies an almost wave like motion across the frame. Lots to like, but for my two cents, the color coherence and graceful motion carries the day.

Naturally Soft
by giantmike

Comment:
Beautiful. Soft and subtle.