The Headstones
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: Hmm, have looked at this for a while now and the jury is still out on whether I like it or not.

Composition: I like the composition and the foreground stone leaning helps give impact to the image. I'm wondering if an even lower perspective would help chop the trees from the top of the foreground stone?

Subject: I did wonder if this had been an idea for the death challenge and it might even have score better in it. I've never heard of the band (am an old man now) but am sure its out there ;)

Technical:I think this is the area that confused me when first viewing the image. The 'issue' here is the image appears to have been oversharpened - probably to allow us to read more of the gravestone however, it messed with the treetops, the edge of the gravestone and also the grass bottom right. I like the lighting on the foreground gravestone but it looks false on the background stone.

Final thoughts: I didn't vote in this challenge but would probably have left a 5. Now, if you had taken the image on a moonlit night with some moody clouds then a 6 would have been my starting point. BTW, you should try a lensbaby, they are made for images like this!

The Maltese Falcon
by dryn

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: The background is what upsets me in this shot and makes me think it was more of a 'grab' shot than a well thought out composition for the challenge?

Composition: Other than the background I like your composition and (for me) the best part by far is the oof head. I'm guessing many of your voters just perceived this as a poorly taken image but since I am able to see your comment that it was intentional then I'm more impressed. Here at dpc sharp and shiny most often prevails and if the basic 'rules' get broken (intentionally or not) you tend to get hit with low votes.

Subject: I've already mentioned the background bothering me but overall its a compentent take on the challenge (even if its not from Malta lol). I'm guessing for your oof head to have had more impact the entire wing being in sharp focus would have helped.

Technical: Back to the bg again, the t-shirt is quite blown as is the birds neck and the overall image is a little flat.

Final thoughts: I admire your effort for trying to add another dimension to your image, something that is not often appreciated by the masses at dpc though you may find a few lovers of breaking the rules for 'arts' sake.

Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle
by brianlh

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: Yup, I think your comments say it well, "not the best shot aesthetically". For me this is little more than a snapshot somebody might take of the monument rather than trying to convey the story behind the book.

Composition: Whilst your main subject (the guy on the bench) is well placed in the frame I do think the background takes away much of the impact of the shot and (for me) this would have worked better as a much tighter crop on the monument

Subject: I think and dnmc voters would be pretty mean to think any image doesn't match the book title so yes, this meets the challenge for me but the image wouldn't make me pick up the book to read.

Technical: Your sole commenter mentioned the harsh light and is quite right, The guy on the bench appears almost in shadow on my monitor and I'd have liked to have seen more of him. Focus is ok and I can read most of the writing on the monument.

Final thoughts: This probably scored about right in the challenge but with a little more care and time am sure this could have been much better (though understand your reasons for not hanging around lol).

Fields of Gold
by thomasjessen

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club. First off congratulations on a new PB Thomas, that first 6 is just around the corner!

First Impression: Very close to being an excellent image, for me the colours, hue/saturation and shadows are a little too harsh when they should have been softer.

Composition: Not quite a central horizon but think a lower viewpoint and less sky would have helped the overall feel of the image. Placing the main bale in the bottom left of the image might have added as well.

Subject: I think the image might have suffered a little when you attempted to get the colours to be gold (and thus fit the title)

Technical: For me what lets the image down is the lack of detail in the front of the main bale and its screaming for fill in flash to complete the image. The only area in sharp focus on my monitor it the bale on the horizon and cloud to the right of it and for me the main subject should be sharp. I love the sky, nice rich blue with the whisper of cloud.

Final thoughts: A nice image, looks like late afternoon/early evening with the long shadows and hint of pink in the sky top left. The lack of detail and too central horizon (for me) lets the image down a little though the voters liked the image, its your pb (at the time of critique) and thats what counts so congratulations!

The Pelican Brief - John Grisham
by Citadel

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: My first thought when I saw this challenge was that its a free study with provided shoehorn (book title). This is a nice bright capture of the pelican taken at just the right moment. I like the small blown out areas of the water and their 'sparkle' though others might think it was oversharpened?

Composition: A strong composition with the Pelican landing into the image from top right with the right amount of foreground space for him to end up in.

Subject: Unless anybody made up a book title this was really a free study so yes, met the challenge well, obviuosly the title meant you had to use a Pelican but they are birds I've only ever seen at the zoo so thanks for showing it :)

Technical: For me this ended up at around the right sort of score, what stopped it from scoring a 6+ average was the detail in the bird, the black seem to lack detail and whilst there is detail in the white areas its a little blown in places. Was his beak that colour or should it have been more like his legs? I'm thinking this was taken in strong sunlight.

Final thoughts: A nice shot, met the challenge well with good stopped motion and interesting water. Sadly let down in the main by the harsh lighting imho.

D i v i d e
by VivaLaAlexander

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: This type of shot is a dpc classic, something I've not personally tried but imagine its more difficult to get that than most imagine? I think you (in your comments) and the commenters all hit the nail on the head - excellent idea but poorly executed (sounds like many of my challenge submissions lol).

Composition: If your going for a central subject then make sure its central, the vase and background split isn't central and the image isn't straight. A pair of scissors to get the flowers the same height would have helped the symmetry here.

Subject: At first glance I didn't get the dead flower/live flower intention and whilst yes, this meets the challenge maybe an older flowerhead would have worked better and even a couple of petals on the base?

Technical: You mentioned the creases on the left side of the background and overexposed flower so your thinking of how to do this better (thats good). For this to have worked better you need a white background, focus is a little soft and the left half of the image is a little noisy.

Final thoughts: A good idea for the challenge and I'll leave you with a personal challenge, please try and reshoot this image with a stark black and white background, central and straight with the flowers at the same height ;)

The magnificent Lagoon nebula in Sagittarius
by Pascal

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: An image I'm pretty sure I'll never take in my lifetime so kudos to you for capturing this. Whilst I'm pretty sure this would be well received by astronomers its not something that WOW's me

Composition: The compososition is fine and there is something to look at throughout the image.

Subject: As I mentioned astronamy is not high on my list (in fact I'm waiting for somebody to pick up an old telescope I used once, several years ago). That said I'm sure this appealed to lots of voters as it is certainly a different shot for us.

Technical: Hard to comment on the technicals and I'm sure this is an impressive shot within its field so again, well done.

Final thoughts: The more I look at this image the more I'm drawn to it and the more I'm seeing. First impressions can often be wrong and I'm warming to this so thanks for showing it to us all.

Portrait of a Young Man in a Cave
by zackdezon

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: I hate the title with a passion and truly don't understand why people title images like this? Why, oh why didn't you use something like 'Cave Man'? that said this is a stonking portrait and as a few commenters pointed out its more of a portrait shot than a cave shot.

Composition: Spot on, the subject is nicely composed on the right of the frame and you view past his right shoulder into the depths of the cave.

Subject: The challenge topic is caves/tunnels but this is more of a portrait of somebody in a cave and the cave is secondary to the subject in this shot. Of course it meets the challenge but not as well as many submissions.

Technical: Absolutely brilliant imho, as a portrait this is stunning, the lighting is spot on and I love just having half of his face in good light. The placement of your model and level of focus are also just right - a good job.

Final thoughts: I gave this a 6 during voting and tbh thought you would have finished a couple of tenths over 6 but am guessing I, like many felt the cave was secondary to the overall image? I need to be careful here (being a bloke) but going back to my thought of titling this Cave Man I think he should have taken his shirt off (it would have saved him getting mud over his t-shirt as well).

"Trust me! They won't see any smoke."
by CEJ

Comment:
Must be Art :)

Eye of the Tunnel
by posthumous

Comment:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club.

This is much easier to comment on post challenge than it would have been whilst voting was ongoing, why? because if this image was created intentionally then it could be deemed 'Art' but if it was taken as a 'serious' attempt at getting a sharp image and submitted for a laugh or an attempt at the brown then it fails to impress. That little statement could open up an entire debate as to when/how people see 'Art' and I'm sure everybody would be right as 'Art' is subjective, its just that I would prefer to know that what I'm looking at is a serious image (or am I falling for The Emperor's New Clothes ruse lol)

First Impression: I saw the eye in the thumbnail and was pleasantly suprised when I opened up the full size image. Its quite compelling when viewed for more than a moment and can imagine 'real' Critics extolling their wisdom whilst explaining the meaning behind this.

Composition: My initial thought was this would hold up well as a central image however you are probably drawn into the centre of the eye with this composition, all those converging lines are great.

Subject: Yup, its a tunnel so fits the challenge well, its also an eye so you can add 'tunnel vision'. Sadly DPC are not quite ready or willing to accept this sort of photography so I commend you for keeping up the good work.

Technical: Not an image to be technically critiqued as this has nothing to do with 'how' you shot it but the 'why' and 'what', its something to view without thinking about light, sharpness, grain, focus or other elements that tend to make up a more acceptable image.

Final thoughts: I'm so glad I drew another of your images for critique as they really are worth viewing for longer than the 2-5 seconds I'm sure most people spend on the average submission. You need to flip the image horizontally cos skewsme is driving on the wrong side of the road! Keep them coming Don and give yourself a posthumous ribbon for this.