Therrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Great
by deme314

Comment:
It looks suspiciously zoo-like, but it's still a good pose. It also looks a little too sharp. Did you sharpen the image in an editor?

Contemplating the Branch
by missinseattle

Comment:
It's a shame its a little blurry. Good shot otherwise.

G
by Art Roflmao

Comment:
If this was truly taken in the wild then you deserve bonus points for bravery - it's a great action shot and still well composed.

A Nice Red Shouldered Hawk
by jorr

Comment:
The composition is really good, but the image looks soft - perhaps a bit of camera shake from a slow shutter speed.

The Kaka. New Zealand's native Parrot. (a real show off)
by kiwinick

Comment:
Nice shot, but I would have used just a little less flash to make it look more natural. Other than that it's very good

Holiday Fun
by kari1

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Technical Qualities
The shallow depth of field works well, and the main subjects are suitably sharp. This combines to separate them from the background nicely. The colour looks a little off - a bit too red looking at the eyes and teeth (good indicators) and the girls singlet, but it's only minor.

As someone already suggested, the eyes are a little dark - a more prominent catchlight from the camera flash would have put a little life into them and gave them a sparkle, but it would have to be subtle to not flatten the lighting of the shot.

Composition / Subject
Personally (after reading your existing comments) I kind of like the composition of this shot - it has a holiday photo kind of feel. The green background frames the children nicely and gives an idea of the location they are in - somewhere nice and lush.

The children make a great subject - the shot obviously would not work the same with adults - and they both look like they are really enjoying themselves. I like the fairly agressive cropping - it's so easy to always include plenty of background but cropping in close really involves the viewer in the photo.

Border and Title
I'm glad you didn't use a border - for this composition (objects and colours) I can't really imagine a border that would add any value to the shot. I like the title - it explains the shot (or at least the intention of the shot, based on your description), whilst being concise and simple.

Emotional and Challenge
In a nutshell - It's a "happy" shot, and I really like that. Reading the description of the challenge I guess you deviated from the subject slightly... Rather than use a burst of colour you used several bursts of colour, and in fact separated them from an already colourful background. Having said that, some of the highest scoring photos in this challenge also included lots of colours in a similar style. To me, the colours in your shot all sit well together - a similar saturation I guess.

Summary
I think this is a great shot, and it's high score reflects that. It's colourful and enjoyable and I'm sure their mother loves it. I would try removing a touch of red from the shot to see if that looks a little more natural, but it's difficult to say without actually trying it.

Conception
by o2bskating

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Technical elements
Fireworks are obviously a difficult subject. I think you'd managed the exposure and shutter speed well, although it looks a little blurry. I would guess that the shutter speed was a bit slow given the focal length used.

Composition
The new fireworks rising, and the big bold firework centred within the darker one are really good - they convey the fireworks rising and exploding well. They are a bit isolated though - I would have liked to see some ground / buildings / people included to put the fireworks into context, although for this particular challenge it wouldn't have added anything valuable.

Border / Title
The title is brilliant - I can understand why some people feel you were using the title to fit the image into the challenge, and to a degree I agree, but it's also witty and simple. The image works well without a border, and doesn't really need one.

Personal / Emotional qualities
The image doesn't stir a lot of emotion in me - which is possibly why it didn't rate very well in the challenge. There isn't anything that holds your attention for a long time or makes you think.

Summary
Whilst there is nothing wrong with the image, it just doesn't have any real wow factor. Good luck with future challenges though - I really liked your City Life image and gave it a 7.

Welcome - Don't Park Here!
by sfalice

Comment:
It looks like you rotated the photo clockwise slightly but then didn't re-crop. Was this a conscious decision? It makes the photo feel crooked, even if it is now straight (hard to say).

a long night
by dig-it

Comment:
I'm not sure what the focal point of this shot is, and I'm not sure what message it's trying to convey.

Heart Of The City
by ramil

Comment:
It's not a bad shot, but there is no particular focal point (maybe the bright orange road) and it looks a touch blurred. Also, the horizon appears slightly crooked.