Marbles and Blue
by Krisby

Comment:
TECHNIQUE
Colors are generally vibrant and bright, but there is a yellowish caste to the whole image that makes it look a little dingy. This may be the result of a mismatch between the white balance your camera was expecting, and the actual light available at the scene. Also, the glare on the front of the jar is distracting. If the scene was lit with natural light, try to find a way to diffuse the light a little (curtains, drape a sheet across the window, etc.). If you're shooting with flash, don't. Find a way to light the scene more indirectly. If there's not enough light to do this, use a tripod and a longer exposure. Avoid the built-in flash of your camera at all costs. Makes for ugly reflections. Those blown glare lines can make an otherwise excellent picture stumble. The focus appears to be a little off also. The marbles are a little fuzzy looking, as is the top edge of the jar. If there's one thing that DPC tends to find unforgivable, it's a failure to focus "sharply." Your picture gave no technical details, but perhaps you used a very small "f number" (e.g., f2.8) which means your pictures will have a very narrow range where the image is in focus, with foreground or background objects being out of focus. This is desirable for some shots but perhaps not this one?

COMPOSITION
You tilted perspective adds interest and and element of unbalance to the photo that I like. What feels a little awkward is the way you've chopped off the top of the jar, left another background object partially visible at the upper right, and have the different color backdrops (shelf, counter??). If you're going to leave an object "in place" to shoot it for this, take great care to make the background as much a part of the composition as the subject.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
In general, this picture lacks punch or what many DPCers refer to as the "wow factor." It doesn't make you stop and stare. It doesn't drop the jaw. As you said in your photographer's comment, it's just your marble collection. When shooting a picture of a common or otherwise uninteresting object, find a way to make it pop. Experiment with unusual lighting, such as backlighting, which can be interesting when your subject is made of glass. Or try for an unusual perspective (up real close) or put the marbles in a place were you normally wouldn't expect to see them (a wine glass??). Etc. Find a way to make your picture stand out from the pack. Make sure you nail the technical details, pay attention to composition. And keep shooting!

Shades of Youth
by naomik

Comment:
This guy looks familiar. An outstanding portrait. The backdrop is wrinkled in such a way as to evoke rays of light streaming in. Lighting is excellent. All around great shot. Bumping up.

Entrancing
by arpita

Comment:
An absolutely priceless shot. Perfect crop, outstanding job converting to BW. There is a timeless look of innocence in her eyes. Regardless of the position finish, this photo is forever.

A Walk on a Sunny Day
by HRoxas

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

TECHNIQUE
Technically excellent though I think the colors may be a bit too saturated. They certainly do pop but because of the range of primary colors, it's all a bit overwhelming! Good job handling the exposure with the combination of bright sunlight, blue sky, and vibrant paints.

COMPOSITION
This is where this pic loses some points - for me. The perspective is a little awkward. The angles made by the street/sidewalk lines on the bottom and the building/sky at the top both lead awkwardly and sort of aimlessly to the right side of the photo, not really leading anywhere. I think you may have fallen prey to the temptation to cram too much into one photo. The people walking are competing with the colorful elements of the building itself. What is the intended subject? It probably should be the people. In that case, my advice is to get closer. Get as close as you can, and then move in, as the saying goes. In a perfect world, what would I have done differently? I guess I would have squared up the perspective and isolated a part of the painted mural, maybe the big smiley face at upper left, and then attempted to catch the passersby right as they passed underneath. Or something to that end. Whatever, I think less would have been more in this case.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
It certainly is colorful, and technically well done, as I said above. However, it seems to lack emotional punch. I think giving the people more of a central role in the photo would have helped in this regard immensely.



Well, people didn't have that much to say during the challenge, but those who commented certainly seemed to appreciate it. Your final score of 5.89 is above average, but I still think this could have been a killer shot if more careful thought and attention had been given to composition. It's certainly a respectable shot and one I hope you're happy with. I certainly enjoyed the chance to study it closely.

Observe The Flashers
by jrjr

Comment:
Very, very nice. Very nice. Very, very, very, very nice. And funny. Good job.

:-)

M42, Prime Focus on LX200.jpg
by kirbic

Comment:
Kirbic, in retrospect, it's apparent to me that the problem with this image was the scope operating at f10. That's just too long of a focal ratio to get a decently exposed shot. Bring your focal reducer next time (or borrow one of YRS') and compare the same shot, same parameters at f6.3. I guarantee a better result!

I wish I was driving... on a highway... beneath this graveyard western sky
by fstopopen

Comment:
An absolutely amazing picture. The composition is perfect and the post processing makes it explode off my monitor. Very well done in every way.

He smiles for the camera
by frumoaznicul

Comment:
Some of the best entries to this challenge are people and your photo stands out from the pack. This guy has one heckuva lot of character and personality and you've captured it with this shot. Wonderful crop too. Chopping his hat and forehead really draws my eyes back again and again to this delightfully thick and scratched glasses. There's just enough eye visible to assure me that his smile is genuine and pleased. A wonderful find!

Radial Sunset — December, 2005
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Absolutely amazing capture. One of those pics that you hate to bump down to 640 pix. Perfect crop.

Moon on a Stick
by srdanz

Comment:
Very nicely done!