United
by Musicman

Comment:
I like the balance and composition but the low lighting makes the image dull and soft. Also, there is some reflection in the right glass - it's very difficult to photograph well.

Prickly Prairie
by moodville

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: I like the positioning of the cactus. I think the crop might be a little close on the bottom, but it's hard to say without seeing what was further down (it may have looked worse). In general though the composition is quite good.

Technical Quality: I like the sharpness of the main subject and the blurred background, although the blur looks more like camera shake than just a natural lack of focus. The clarity of the cactus is very good and you've done well to get some contrast between the main subject and the background.

Meeting the Challenge: It definitely meets the challenge - there is nothing non-flora in the photo to distract the viewing, and your chosen subject is quite obvious thanks to the shallow depth of field.

Creativity: It's a very interesting subject, although there is nothing specifically creative about the technique you have used. That's not to say I don't like the photo though.

Border / Title: The border is alright, but just on the edge of being too large. The title is witty and interesting.

Overall: I like the image and to be honest I'm slightly surprised at the position it finished in - obviously there was some strong competition.

Bug on leaf
by e301

Comment:
Pseudo Critique Club comment (since you requested):

Composition: I like the inclusion of the background in this shot. As you said it puts the insect into context. I think the insect is perhaps a touch close to the bottom of the image - the classic "rules of thirds" would apply well to this image I think.

Technical Quality: In general the image is quite good. The lighting on the leaves is wonderful - the shadows bring out the texture. The bug is perhaps a little dark though since the light is from behind and above - I realise you would have had very little control over that though unless you could bounce some light in (using a mirror) or shot from the other side of the bug. Finally there seems to be a focus problem... The shallow depth of field is wonderful, but looking at which parts of the leaf are in focus show why the bug is slightly blurry. He is at the very front edge of the focus area, and his nearest legs are out of focus. With such a short range in focus, moving the camera one centimetre would have changed this. Having said that, the area in focus is incredibly crisp and sharp - well done.

Meeting the Challenge: Fauna - yes, and in it's natural environment (which a lot of people felt was necessary for "fauna").

Creativity: I like the inclusions of the leaves, they add so much interest to the photo, and the shallow DOF brings attention to the insect, which is very appropriate given the challenge topic.

Border / Title: The border is relatively simple (simple is good) and the title is perhaps a bit plain. I can't really think of a better title, perhaps something to put his size into context like "its such a big world when you are so small".

Overall: I think the minor focus issue detracts from this image, and the lighting makes the bug a little hard to look at. You have done well to capture a living insect in it's natural environment, so I can sympathise with the technical difficulties. Well done and good luck.

Forecast-Fine
by chickadee

Comment:
Hey - I think I know where this was taken. Choosing portrait was an interesting option, which works well for this challenge.

Golden Syrup
by Gussi

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: In general I really like the composition of this image - the inclusion of the shadow is very important. It does seem like the image is a bit too concentrated on the right side - you could have turned the camera very slightly (and had a bit more space on the right side of the jar/tin. The miniture drop coming off the spoon creates an annoying shadow, but it's quite minor until you look a lot.

Technical Quality: The focus on the spoon is very good, with the blurred shadow. The whole image has a golden glow about it - kind of appropriate for the subject. I like the light reflected in the syrup and tin, although the light in the spoon is a bit too bright (very hard to control though).

Meeting Challenge: As others have commented it's probably not close enough to be considered a macro. An example of a macro might be just the spoon head. I tend to think of macro as roughly meaning "printed larger than real life".

Creativity: I like the subject, and the shadow created from the lighting makes it quite an interesting shot.

Border / Title: No border, but this isn't a problem. The title is ok but not terribly creative. Given that english probably isn't your native language though it's fine.

Overall: It's a good shot that probably suffered (in terms of score) because it isn't really a macro. Very good otherwise though.

On Pap's Workbench
by OneSweetSin

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: The composition here is actually quite good. Lot's of interesting nails and bits and pieces, as well as some lovely detail in the timber behind them.

Technical Quality: Technically I think this image suffers most from a lack of sharpness. Given the long shutter time I hope a tripod (or some stand) was used. Otherwise, perhaps the focus wasn't quite right (or you may have even been within the minimum focal length of the camera). I like the lighting and exposure of the image. Choosing to use a sepia kind of colouring works very well for this image.

Meeting Challenge: It's definitely a macro - perhaps not as close as a macro of a single nail, but certainly close enough to qualify in my book.

Creativity: It's a nice photo that has a feeling of age about it. I'm sure it reminded lot's of others of their pap's workbenches.

Border / Title: As someone commented - the brown component of the border isn't that good. Perhaps replacing the inner half of the brown with black would have worked (see my Symmetry entry for an example). Having an inner black line helps define the photo I think. The title is very nice - like I said it triggers memories for people.

Overall: It's a lovely subject and the title is good, however the technical qualities need some work - mainly the sharpness / focus. Great otherwise though.

Phoebe's Shoelace
by clues56

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: I really like the framing chosen for this image. The shoelace is perhaps a touch close at the very top, but it still looks ok. Having the knot of the shoelace centred gives the image a nice balance.

Technical Quality: The colour is very nice. The light is also quite good (a very small piece of over exposure at the top of the shoe - inside the loop of the lace, but nothing significant). The depth of field is quite shallow, however since nothing is deliberately blurred is looks more accidental than deliberate - thankfully most of the image is quite sharp. Exposure is wonderful - neither too light nor too dark.

Meeting Challenge: It's not an extreme macro, but its close enough for me. Also, given the shallow depth of field I suspect the camera was very close to the shoe taking this shot.

Creativity: It's a nice shot. The shape of the shoelace creates interest and the texture of the shoe itself is lovely. It kind of makes me what to know who Phoebe is.

Border / Title: The border is very subtle - it doesn't add much to the image, but it doesn't distract from it either so no problem. The title is nice - like I said, it makes me what to know who Phoebe is.

Overall: It's a very well executed photo. You obviously put some thought into the lighting and composition is wonderful. The shoe has an old quality that adds a lot of texture and interest to the shot. I might have considered trying to get the entire shoe into focus - perhaps moving the camera back and zooming in to compensate. Well done.

The Weakest Link
by rmahan

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: In general the composition is very good. I might have tried changing the cropping to have the broken link further into the top left corner, and the shadow in the bottom right corner. This would involve re-framing the chain then moving the light to compensate.

Technical Quality: The shallow depth of field works very well to help blurthe shadow, but unfortunately it also blurs the chain at the bottom. Perhaps you could reposition the chain slightly to keep all of it in focus? The lighting is good, but the bottom part of the broken link is too dark to see it properly - the top half of this link is great though. I might have considered having the chain just a little brighter so that it really grabs attention.

Meeting Challenge: You met the challenge well. I could see this image even being used as a book cover, with white text in the darker parts of the image. It's a simple image which conveys a well used phrase - well done.

Creativity: I like your concept for lighting, except as mentioned above. The shadow really helps this image a lot.

Border: No border provided - no border required... Good choice.

Overall: It's a very good image, as reflected by it's sixth place in the rankings. In terms of elements to improve (since you asked specifically for what is wrong) I would say:

* Focus on bottom half of chain
* Darkness on bottom of broken link
* Small amount of "blown highlights" on some links, but nothing major
* Chain a little too dark to grab attention

Good work on a great piece of stock photography though.

Girl's Bestfriends
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: Composition wise you have done very well. The cropping on all sides is nicely balanced and the photo has a pleasing aspect ratio. I like the way that the background fades darker as well. Locking the clips together shows the symmetry well.

Technical Quality: The focus and depth of field is very good. The shadows are well done (overhead lighting worked very well). The blown out highlights at the top edges are a shame, but also remind the viewer that the clips are glossy and reflective - overall they are probably better included than removed. The background is very well done.

Meeting the Challenge: You have met the symmetry challenge whilst still providing an interesting image. They have symmetry, without being "absolutely" symmetrical - which is nice.

Creativity: I like the difference in colour between the clips, despite their similarity. Locking them together was very good.

Border: The simple black border is nice. Simple is almost always nice when it comes to borders.

Overall: I like this photo - you've done well to make a basic object look appealing. I'm surprised this image didn't rate slightly higher actually. Well done.

Night at the Opera
by crabappl3

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition: In general I like the composition. I think it's perhaps cropped too tightly on the sides. I certainly like the angle of the glasses. I would have liked to see a little more of the rope/chain. The colour of the background is very plush and appropriate to the subject, plus it complements the glasses very well.

Technical Quality: The focus and depth of field are very good in this photo. The lighting works very well (I'm a big fan of "ghetto" lighting if you check out my "The Hunter" photo). I find the reflection in the lenses slightly distracting.

Meeting the Challenge: I think this qualifies as a macro nicely. Initially I thought they were old binoculars, but since they are opera glasses then you are certainly zoomed in.

Creativity: Your choice of background was very wise, and the title is lovely. Overall, it's an elegant photo that is fitting of a "Night at the Opera"

Border: The subtle gold line and black outer work well to frame the image without distracting the viewer. The black obviously sits well with the blackness of the glasses body.

Overall: A very well executed photo. Not the most extreme macro in the world, but close enough for me. Technically you have done very well and all elements of the photo compliment each other (title, colour, border, composition). If you have the width available on the original try cropping it slightly wider at the sides.