Golden Eye
by Phocal

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An excellent image that contributes well to the open challenge

Wow! That must have been some moment when he surfaced so close to you, I don't know how much time you had but well done for getting such a good shot quickly. Your technical settings are just right with adequate DOF, low ISO and fast enough shutter speed and your focus is spot on, all in all a great shot. The reflections are gorgeous and the greens of the water are superb. I know this is the open challenge and there must be some good stuff for this to end up at 19 but you do have a respectable score, well done Ronnie.

Brexit
by riot

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge very well.

A great action portrait, great focus and DOF from this wide open fast lens, great composition and no mistaking the fact that he is returning through a customs control somewhere over here. I like it that he is not looking at the camera but the only minor problem is the direction of his gaze, he takes you out of the frame but being the enigmatic persona that he is he engages you more than an anonymous character would have done. In terms of the challenge brief, I didn̢۪t realise that DPC was the driving force behind the result, thanks for enlightening me Eugene.

The Last Flight
by riot

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge very well.

Congratulations on your HM placing, very well deserved. This is a lovely image, very well executed and set up, the moody atmosphere is enhanced by the empty dark space around her. The lighting from the window picks out her eyes very attractively and your accurate focus enhances that too. I like the way the lighting is picking out her necklace. Personally I would love to see the rest of her face but alternatively you could say that adds to the mystery of the shot. A great entry Eugene, well done.

Hitman
by snaffles

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge very well

Scary or what?!? That must be where I̢۪m going wrong, perhaps I should get myself a chain! A great high contrast image Susan with all the malevolent atmosphere of film noir, it̢۪s a great action capture. The very high contrast hides as much as it reveals, the identity is hidden but the intent is clear, it works very well. The voters obviously liked it too, a very respectable score and placing, well done Susan, just make sure you hide the chain away from him!

Resilience
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge well

You have chosen a good high viewpoint to look down on the scene of which the church forms an important and interesting part. It is nicely composed with the church standing out in its foreground position against the busy backdrop of high rise buildings. I am intrigued by your title of ‘resilience’, for me it is more symbolic of the reduced significance of the church in modern society which is reflected in the dominance of the buildings around it. Even the crane waiting to construct the next high-rise is taller than the church even with perspective, in earlier history the tallest building in the community was the church, here it is reversed. This might not be the interpretation you intended but it still works for me, well seen Marcel.

Spectrum
by snaffles

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

If there̢۪s only one thing better than a self-portrait from you that̢۪s three of ̢۪em! A lovely triptych of a lovely subject, I do like your natural expression and the variety of mood suggested in them. I would say I favour the middle and the right mainly because we get to see more of your gorgeous hair but all three are lovely. The lighting is very effective in all three. The only minor criticism, I̢۪m sure the lower level of the middle one is deliberate but I think I would prefer them all on the same level, a crop of the bottom of the middle, I know I̢۪m old-fashioned!

Thanks for a lovely entry Susan, hope everything is continuing to blossom...

Leafy portals
by RulerZigzag

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that partially meets the challenge.

I̢۪m not sure the challenge brief includes sepia toning, strictly speaking I would say not but essentially it has its colour information removed so in that respect yes, it meets the challenge brief. As regards the composition itself, I actually quite like the silhouetted trees and their shapes though it could be argued they are barring your way into the rest of the image but they work for me. Therein is part of the problem, the view beyond the trees is not the most interesting of landscapes and the skies have significant overexposure. Thanks for your entry

Path
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well.

A very effective and appealing composition with the off-centre path leading our eyes into the rest of the image it works well. Overall I think you need a little more contrast through the use of, probably, a red filter, this is especially true given the contrast in the sky. A crop of the foreground may also help by removing the crop clump in the centre foreground the path takes us straight in from the bottom edge. Thanks for your entry Marcel

Peek a boo!
by RulerZigzag

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that contributes to the challenge

What a lovely portrait. You have captured a lovely expression of innocent happiness her eyes are smiling vibrantly, that is a significant achievement in any portrait, very well done Tony. You've got good accurate focus on those lovely eyes together with the very shallow DOF which throws the tree trunk into softness and therefore keeps our attention where it should be, on her. In terms of the challenge brief I can see your interpretation refers to the rest of her that is hidden behind the tree, to be honest, I don't think that is too effective because the portrait itself is so dominant but it is still an excellent image. Thanks for your entry.

Obscure Glass Windows
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge

Well done Marcel in finding the potential for this challenge in the building you have observed. In terms of the challenge I think your composition could have been significantly more effective, overall I find this composition has strong visual elements that compete for attention away from the challenge theme of obscurity. I would suggest a panoramic crop of the top section of the building from where the line of the windows meets the edge to include the floor of the topmost section. This would make for a much simpler and more effective composition consisting solely of obscurity which would have met the challenge theme better and may well have scored higher.

Thanks for your entry Marcel