1
by suemack

Comment:
Sweet expression! I like the way the textures create a subtle intrest in the negative space. Only left wondering what the grey object on the left is...someone's knees?

day 1. overlays. shades of the firetrail
by roz

Comment:
What an interesting image! The elements all seem to work together but retain their individuality. Seamless!

IMG_6508
by whiteroom

Comment:
...like it was torn from an old album!
=)

day 1. overlays. help !!
by roz

Comment:
What a gritty feeling this has! It could have been plucked from an old album cover from a 70's band. There's something about that shade of blue combined with the red that makes it retro. I don't care much for the harsh shadow of the dog's ear against the wall...perhaps it could be lightened to reveal more of the second image?

1_CwithT_9947.jpg
by dsterner

Comment:
I like the juxtaposition of water and fire. I get the feeling I'm outside looking in as if peering through a rainy window.

Bee Bokeh
by Quigley

Comment:
Whoops! There it is. Lens information! Sorry for the oversight.

This is a difficult subject to work to throw the background into a soft blur. You couldn't have opened the aperture on this lens more than f/8--even if you could you'd be fighting to keep important elements in the blossom sharp because of the depth of the flower. So, with the equipment at hand it seems the background needed adjusting. More separation between flower and background--a different bloom, a different angle toward a portion of the foliage farther away? Or, as mentioned before, a more dimly lit background--perhaps having your "beautiful assistant" shade it.

Of course, if this challenge weren't under "basic" rules you could just dodge and blur the background in Photo Shop... ;-)

Bee Bokeh
by Quigley

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

The flower and lighting are lovely! The bee was caught at a nice moment though I wish the wings were better defined. With a shutter speed of 1/800 it's surprising that the wing action isn't better stopped.

There are two main issues I see with this image. First, the center of interest is in the center. This leads the viewer to the bull's eye and there the exploration mostly stops. Second, The detail of the background competes for attention with the texture of the petals and the main interest. It becomes a subject in itself.

For this challenge, "Bokeh," the out of focus background was important. I feel it just has too much going on. With so many interesting lines, light and distinguishable shapes the bokeh does not enhance the subject. You don't say what lens you used, but I find a long lens (around 200 mm) taken from further away with similar settings to yours can help throw the background out a bit more. Another way is to choose a background that is not as well lit as the subject.

Overall, a pleasing subject with great color and lighting that suffers a bit because of composition and background distractions.

Looking into the falls
by JaimeVinas

Comment:
Wow, 60 views and no input on this as you had requested!

I like that there is a fairly rich range of tones in this image. However, the exposure was long enough to lose detail in the highlight areas. I think, perhaps, a shorter exposure would have helped. In another way, too, lessening the exposure would change the jagged shape of the white water in the lower pool.

The composition is not pleasing to me. I think the boulder on the right acts more as a block to the rest of the image than a leading line and I would be tempted to crop it severely. The main feature is very centered making a dynamic subject static. Because of that, I don't think merely cropping would really help in this case...a different angle upon taking the shot probably would.

This also doesn't strike me as a good candidate for horizontal arrangement. The subject and motion are vertical so, in this frame, the water begins from nowhere and flows into the bottom of the frame. The flow is also broken by the rock at the base of the first "landing"...Follow the water down, then stop, look left, continue...see? Broken.

So, overall, there are pleasing tones but some areas seem improperly exposed, the subject has potential but the composition stands in the way of realizing it.

Now that I've offered a harsh critique perhaps some other folks will come along and tell us why I'm wrong. :)

edit: while i was writing there were 14 more views and 2 comments :)

Message edited by author 2007-09-14 17:03:21.

Monet's Water Lilies
by DrAchoo

Comment:
I would have placed this low, not because of its fitness for the challenge but because I have a strong dislike for images that make me dizzy. Most images using zoom effect have this effect on me as well. Besides, there's someone at my local camera club that over-uses a similar technique...we've all got our pet peeves. :)

Frau bei der Toilette
by Moatz

Comment:
Like Gauguin but warmer. Beautiful study in form!