untitled
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that fulfils the challenge brief

�The coastline of your mother�s disappointment�? What�s Don on? He�s nothing if not original, tee hee. It�s certainly a lovely piece of agate. I have to say I have rather mixed feelings about this one Janine, I wish it had a greater DOF and more sharpness but then in terms of the challenge brief you could easily argue that the softness adds to the abstract element of the challenge. Taking that as an option perhaps an even shallower DOF but critical sharpness on a foreground element with an even softer background forming the backdrop may possibly have worked better?

Snow clogs
by snaffles

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that fulfils the challenge brief

We don�t have these interesting pods over here Susan so thanks for enlightening me. I like what you�ve done with it. Your DOF and focus is good with the front portion of the pod nicely separated from the background. I like your composition, the shape is interesting and you have a nice diagonal from the twig in the background. The muted tones of the pod are nicely done but there is some spreading of this to the background, a nicer crisper more uniform snowy white would perhaps have helped it perform even better? A pleasing entry Susan, thanks for sharing.

The Sightseer
by riot

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image the fulfils the challenge brief

You have an unfair advantage Eugene with the ice queen for your model! Another lovely portrait, nicely positioned with her expression and eyes she pulls you in. As you rightly say this is a lovely lens with sufficient background detail to show that she is in an interesting location without the background becoming too distracting. I think I might have been tempted to tilt the camera down a touch to reduce the sky above her head but its not a big deal.

• WILDERNESS •
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image the fulfils the challenge brief

This is a pleasing portrait Janine, I�m surprised it didn�t do better. The boys smile is engaging and his movement towards the camera is all helping to draw the viewer in. The background is a nice natural scene and the snow has some nice whites without losing detail so the exposure is good too.

Snowmobile riders
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image the fulfils the challenge brief

Well Marcel you�ve certainly captured the action here, it must have been an impressive show. This is a purely personal gripe but I would have preferred a slower shutter speed to show some motion blur. The composition could have been improved too the rider looks as though he is going to crash into the building. Sorry, I can�t be more positive about it but nice to see your commenters are certainly happy with it.

Humans of Philadelphia
by jjstudiosphiladelphia

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image the fulfils the challenge brief

Quite a straightforward portrait, nicely off-centre and his eyes looking at the camera help to engage the viewer. I find the bright lights in the background very distracting, they are competing with the person for attention. The overall softness and tone adds appeal to the overall effect.

Jack's Room
by Gordon_1

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that contributes well to the challenge

Well first of all not being a Kate Melua fan I am unable to comment with the same insight that one of your commenters has. So, that aside the image itself was never going to be easy to get completely right, the wide angle lens used from this height has really forced the angles into a tilt. I think you would have been better to get lower down and level the camera up so that you avoided these extremes. Doing so would also have brought more emphasis on to Jack himself, whereas at the moment he is competing with all the other stuff that is dominating the room. Hope this helps Gord?

Chase me - I’ll be yours forever for a day Chase me or I’ll slip away
by Pompouspete

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that contributes well to the challenge

First of all, congratulations Peter on your first ribbon and a very successful result. It is, of course, thoroughly deserved, she is a lovely looking girl in a lovely setting photographed very competently with a lovely pose. I like your exposure having got nice bright whites without losing the detail, this in conjunction with the dark background really makes her stand out in a fitting and complimentary way. Further I would say that the subdued colours of the setting really help to pick out all the gorgeous splashes of colour, her bouquet, her red lips and most all her gorgeous hair it is all working to perfection, well done Peter.

Piece by Piece
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that contributes well to the challenge

A very creative idea Marcel, well done. The concept is good and the execution is good too but I think a little more care in the preparation of the scene would have paid dividends. My eyes having taken in the heart shaped empty space are then immediately drawn to the blank space below the point of the heart and then to the left blank spaces and then to all the others. Because you are using the blank space as the feature for the heart you really needed to ensure that there were no other blank space anywhere amongst the jigsaw pieces, had you done so I think this would have scored and placed even higher but well done anyway its a very respectable result.

Just Like Heaven
by jjstudiosphiladelphia

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that contributes well to the challenge

Well, not being a Kate Melua fan I assume that this is the title and lyrics of one of her songs? Anyway, the image is good, it is a touching pose well executed with the focus clearly on the couple in this intimate setting that conveys the excited anticipation and love the couple have for their soon to be offspring. I have this on my screen in a square format cropped just below the couple and just skimming the top of the floral arch, this crop improves it a lot. There is extraneous detail in the foreground and roof that is not contributing to the overall end result, try it for yourself, I hope you'll agree?