Skeletor
by LalliSig

Comment:
Fantastic work with not only contrasts and colours but detail and lighting. Simply superb work.
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Message edited by author 2008-06-09 02:10:06.

Gerbera Duet
by banmorn

Comment:
Beauty in the creative simplicity of the side the sun don't hit.
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The last moment
by Zigomar

Comment:
Unbelievable strength and courage of image.
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Study of Self
by Citadel

Comment:
At for notice this is an extremely solid image. The tones are nice and even and the clarity is good. Since this is a nice strong piece, I do not have much to say on 'fixing' anything. So I will talk about what I would do differently to make it pop a bit more.

One aspect to really make the portrait stand out from the rest would be to use a rear light at 45 degrees to form a nice highlight line. This line should catch the side of the head down the jaw just a little and follow through the shoulder and arm. This is just a thin line of light that allows the subject to really break out away from the background and add a touch of depth.

A hair light on the dark side high above the models head and narrowed to just highlight the hair on that side I believe would also pop the subject forward.

I am guessing the basement window is what 'aided' the dark side of your face from going completely dark? I nice bounce would work there as well. I think if you used something to bounce, foam core or reflector it would create another shadow line that would add more depth and character to the model.

Last item is the watch seems to have caught a bit of light and the glare really draws the viewers eye down. A slight more angle or even removal of the watch may help.

Even though my ideas are not 'classic' portrait lighting technicals I think they may be fun even just to try out and see what happens. Just do not forget to baffle the rear light from spill and camera flare.

Overall this is a strong classical portrait. There does not seem to be a lot of 'wow' or 'pop' but most classic portraits don't. Very nice work with the single light.

Andrew

Death
by meyers

Comment:
Death has to be one of my all time favorite characters. So much so I drew a version of her and had her tattooed on my arm. Neil Gaiman is a literary Genius L()L. Did you know he is the only author to win an Literary award for writing a comic? Sandman no less.

First notice though from the look of the image is out of your control? The circle should be more in the outside corner of the eye than where it is. Second, Should have had the top had on in this one L()L with the ankh visible. One other observation is that her skin should be a bit more pale.

However, I do notice a bit of hot spotting on her nose and shoulder/arm. I think it would have been great to find a balance where it was not blown into stark white but showed a nice paleness to her skin.

Yet, I wonder what if you turned this into a b/w. To bad this is basic editing, I am thinking a selective colour to enhance the blacks and even out the whites to not blow her highlights. Also to mask the b/w selection limited to her cloths/hair/skin minus lips and background. Possible lighten the eyes a touch as well.

Overall my opinion of this image is that it was taken at an outdoor event, comic convention or the like. Very few I think know this character, as evident with the comments. I personally would have enjoyed viewing more of the character, the ankh, top hat, and tank top really help personify this character more clearly to those whom know. Also, I would have enjoyed an image without the bright white behind because of the blown shoulder. The version you have with the green foliage behind her in my opinion looks a bit cleaner in the background area and bleed between the two.

It's Death, whats not to like? Very nice work and fantastic scoring.

Shadows in the Sun
by jdannels

Comment:
What I notice first is the incredible amount of black 'whitespace' in the image. However one aspect I can say I enjoy about it is the way the shadows of the railing nearly line up perfectly with the railing itself.

The black sky and railings I like, however what I believe to be the downfall of the image is the complete lack of hints/detail within the bottom area. I can see the table umbrella, however it could also easily be a man/woman in an over coat. It could also be a rocket ship or a jacket on a coat rack or even a cowboy wearing a duster.

The ball on the 'banister end for lack of a better term' seems to be out of place or just abstractly there.

Now with the very small amounts of highlights here and there it makes for this area of the image to be very confusing and very unappealing. To me, I would much rather have a 'hint' of detail than complete lack of with only specks to show something may or maynot be there.

I do enjoy the high contrast nature of the walls/railing against the black sky/shadow. However the dark edge of the building and the mystery specks just don't do it for me. Now I sound like I am repeating myself L()L.

I keep wanting to look deeper and figure out what everything is. From what I can see the specked area is obviously a tree, though it seems to have lights or glitter on it. The line between the tree and umbrella is an indoor florescent tube. The far right is foliage that got in the image with light on it. The white square to me seems like it was an opening or hole in the wall where light went through and hit the other wall.

Over all I really enjoy the concept and contrast, just wish there was a bit more underneath.

Andrew

2001: A Space Odyssey
by ikopanas

Comment:
At first glance the viewer is tricked into thinking this is astro photography. The shell can easily pass for the moon to anyone not looking deep into the image. Though perspective wise it appears a touch far away from the planet, and the trail behind it seems out of place.

I really enjoy the concept of using salt for stars and the shell/s. However the earth looks completely out of place, almost too perfect in aspect of smoothness. Also the bright spot in the center of the planet does not match the lighting exactly to the shell. Don't get me wrong it is extremely close but just a bit off.

However, because of the angle of the light/shadow on the planet and the position of the shell/moon the shell would actually be cast in shadow. From a size/placement perspective.

Overall also The planet appears to be a bit darker than one would imagine with the clouds being a bit more yellow than I would imagine as well. Now I am not running to look up reference images from satellites and shuttles, but from memory it just feels a bit off to be the earth.

It is a very clever image and fits the title, yet just does not push the bounds enough for me. I think one thing that throws me off is (having read your comments) that the planet is a picture? Granted I know this could not be captured like this. yet, I wonder if a replica could have been used instead of a picture, that way the lighting scheme could have a better flow.

There are marks for creativity and unique use of props.

Andrew

LETHAL WEAPON
by fldave

Comment:
First thing I notice is the the fishing line. I know it is difficult in basic. I do enjoy this concept, however the overall image is a bit flat in tone.

Looking at the image, you do have very nice separation between subject and background although if that is poster board I can see the texture/fiber of the board and not sure that works well here. However there is no shadow so that is a huge plus.

One thing that bothers me is the smoking nub, now I like the smoke idea, maybe wish there was a bit more or it was a bit thicker, what distracts me is the green piece sticking out the end. I understand it had to stick out to be able to easily retrieve it, however I wonder if you tried with a bit more of an angle on the weapon to hide that bit.

Looking at the edges of your subject they do seem slightly blurred, it could be for motion of dangling and the slower shutter speeds. Personally I believe a nice crisp edge around the weapon would really make it stronger.

It also appears your lighting is artificial, perhaps a lamp or such. To me it feels a bit yellow, maybe the white balance is off just a bit. However I am curious how this would have looked as a b/w with a higher contrast?

I enjoy how you lit the subject although I wish the 'highlight' light was a bit stronger. Overall its a good concept and with a couple minor tweaks can be a really solid image.

Andrew

Deep End of the Ocean
by Sugarpie

Comment:
Two things I see straight off the bat is that I don't think this is water but a sky, and the blacks. At first glance it does appear you are laying on your back with your feet in the air. Could be partially because of the rolled up pants appear down from gravity and the perspective of your feet being small.

As I look for longer than a couple seconds I do notice it is not sky but water. This is most evident with the small splash in the upper right corner as I am looking at it. Now personally I would have enjoyed a greater splash or something to show this is water and not sky. maybe someone swimming under your feet with a shark mask/fin on.

I really enjoy your use of the dark blues of the water and how they lighten up on your pants and how well the black frames the image and works into the shadows on your pants and into the shoes. Now most purest will say they hate the frame, though I really enjoy it. For me it really drawls me in and than straight to your feet.

Now, no offense but your feet are the weakest part of this image. The skin tone seems really flat and lifeless. I am not exactly sure how to add more life to them, with basic rules. Normally I would take selective colours and push the yellow/reds a touch to add some colour and if it changed the rest of the colours to much make it a mask. A mask not being legal in basic, and I am iffy on selective colours.

I am trying to locate your main focal area. Even though I see the lines in your jeans which I like, there does not seem to be a clear focal point. No area really stands out sharper than the rest, everything seems to have soft curves/edges.

Overall it is a very nice image, though I don't recognize the movie title, the blues are nice there just seems to be a missing element which could be sharpness/focal point.

Andrew

I am a Camera
by xianart

Comment:
When I see this image it appears to be more of a self portrait of the photographer than a portrait of the camera. Though the noise and high-contrast b/w is fun, one thing to remember is that dark against dark is a tricky subject.

For me here the camera gets lost and the photographer takes center stage because the hands and face are pushed forward with all of the dark around, hat, hair, shirt, camera.

I am wondering what if you rotated the camera in landscape position, cropped in closer with the hands more encircling the camera just under the face/chin. Create this as a wider image cropping part of the head off as well, and really focusing on making the camera the star of the image. You should experiment with different crops and see what you like better. You can always crop off just under the eyes, nose, or wherever to create a whole another feel to better push the camera forward.

This style is easy to use to 'cheat' certain technical aspects as well, as for one being focus. With the extra noise the image automatically because softer and any focus that was soft looks part of the overall design. However, there does appear to be a bit of motion blur in the camera itself. This could be because of the awkward position of the trigger being clicked by thumb.

As an image in itself I enjoy it, though for the challenge it needed to be stronger to make the camera the main subject. Though one last thought, the white parts of the eyes I believe needed to be touched just a bit to be lighter than the colour on the cheeks. This will allow your eyes to pop out a bit more.

Andrew