The Classical Toy
by gsal

Comment:
I'm surprised of those who commented, no one really got the same reaction as me. The feeling of distrust is extremely intense in this photo for me, because of the eyes. Most are shifted, one is half closed, one has a scowl, and the front gentleman, who is clinging to his, most likely, only cherished possession, has a 'what you talkin' bout Wilis' look, but not in the cute, fuzzy way. That paired with the horrific poverty and the slap in the face of the consumerism, that is my world, with the gap logo, makes for an incredibly painful shot...almost like a car crash. Thing is, I can't figure out for sure if that was or wasn't your intention. I suppose I need to look through more of your work. Thanks.

Message edited by author 2010-03-21 22:54:47.

Street Basketball
by Judi

Comment:
Hey Judi...just looking back through some old comments and found this. Probably thought when I first saw this that it wasn't street enough...then I saw:
//www.in-public.com/GeorgeKelly/image/2615
Sure, George Kelly's is deadpan and yours is quite whimsical, but that shouldn't make it any less street photography. take care.

Sailing off into the Sunset
by Anthony_D_Archer

Comment:
welcome to the wonderful world of art dis appreciation on dpc.

Waiting for Lestat
by JaimeVinas

Comment:
Looks like you put a lot of effort into this shot...I think it could be improved with just a bit more care. The lighting/processing is quite nice. Her hand seems to be the center of the light source and it feels a bit uneven from the rest of the scene. If you wanted to focus attention on an area with extra light, personally I would have liked to have seen the emphasis on the doll's face instead of her hand. I like the wood framing...it would have been nice to see a bit more as I like it's complimentary texture and I want a bit more clue as to the environment she's apart of. Probably would have hurt your score though as dpc likes close ups. Oddly, perhaps because it is a posed shot, it bothers me that her foot seems to be recklessly positioned behind that leg. That and of course your title adds to the rushed feeling due to the misspelling of that vampire dudes name. Hope my critique is helpful.

Quixotica
by pixelpig

Comment:
This has to be the most thought provoking submission for me so far, perhaps that makes it the most artful. I'm left wondering if there were enough clues provided and I'm a bit slow or if the details were intentionally left vague enough to make formulating a rational solution impossible. So I'm left wondering the true intent of the photographer. Perhaps the thought of nature overcoming man or that we could possibly overcome our destructive selves is an absurdity.

Summer Cottages
by LeakyTiki

Comment:
This reminds me of Edward Hopper, which I like a lot. I wonder if the impact would have been greater for me if the tone wasn't so yellow but closer to white.

2229
by jdannels

Comment:
It would appear that your world is getting a little crazier too ;) Don't step on a crack or you'll break Yo Mama's back :)

How to screw in a lightbulb
by DustDevil

Comment:
How do the fish get fed now? :(

little boy lost
by skewsme

Comment:
I almost spit out my drink reading your comment..afterward the whole thing made me feel icky...i hope that means I'm still only penciled in for hell.

Under The Sea
by TheStick

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

You are my 3rd detailed critique ever... so please put that into perspective.

My initial thoughts on your image... That is the most laid back fish I have ever seen. I see him/her him having just left a party with the squids and accidentally swimming by a patrol fish on his way back to his rock formation. It does feel like he is a bit confined to a space so maybe that is adding to his demeanor. Either way, the lighting is nice and i like the composition trailing out to his tail with his back half being slightly more abstract. Focus is pretty soft overall but maybe that adds to the mood for me.

Technically... as I mentioned above, I like your lighting. Doesn't feel like harsh flash, so I assume you used the aquarium or tank light quite well. Other than that you aren't going to win any ribbons with your technicals on this image. If interested perhaps you'll take a look at some other submissions with your lens here: //www.dpchallenge.com/lens.php?LENS_ID=1251. All of the top ones are on still life. I imagine that kind of lens would be brutal to focus on a moving object with a wide aperture. I have a 50mm 1.8 I like to use at night and if the subject is moving towards me...it's almost impossible to get a good focus. Best bet might have been to aim for the eye...or use a more forgiving lens with a wider focus...of course the low light probably lent itself more to the one you did. Though it wasn't terribly dark to take that at 125...so what do i know. The composition is nice, perhaps it might be a bit stronger if the fish was centered top to bottom. As a few have mentioned the attention is drawn a bit to the mouth... though that might not be such a bad thing as he seems to be pouting.

Creatively...You've really captured the mood of the fish...that makes the photo for me.

How to improve your dpc standing... work on your technicals...a little more saturation boost in your post processing might not hurt.

Hope I could be of some use...If you want to discuss my critique any further please feel free to PM me at your leisure.

Enjoy photography!

-MT