Autumn camouflage
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A straightforward image that fails to meet the challenge.

I think I can understand your thinking behind the concept for this image but a successful entry needs to convey its meaning much more readily through the image itself and the title. Your entry requires the voter to get inside your head and given that they don't have your comments for guidance this is a big ask.

As regards the image itself, the lighting is a little harsh with some blown highlights on the backlit leaves. The black debris at the base of the trunk does not help in conveying a natural scene but it is not a major element. I think this would have more impact if you had adopted a ground level view that emphasised the leaves and their colour with the base of the trunk in distant soft focus. I'm sorry to say, it is just not an interesting enough image to keep the viewer's attention.

Anyway, thanks for your entry Marcel and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid.

Jaguar, Death from Above!
by JayneRyan

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations on your ribbon for an amazing nature study that meets the challenge brief fully.

Poor old Caiman! It brings out the brutality of nature but what an amazing capture. You must have been very stealthy in your tracking of the jaguar for it to continue to hunt undaunted and for you to be there at this precise moment is a very rare occurrence that very few of us would ever come anywhere near experiencing. Given your lens you were really quite close too, wow!

The image itself is very well captured we can see all of the jaguar and its victim clearly, even the foreground branches add to the wild nature of the scene. I see from a look at your profile nature is your speciality and very good you are too, there is nothing I can add, indeed you could teach us lots, well done Jayne

Fate
by romil

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very appealing image that meets the challenge well.

I agree with your commenters it is indeed a hauntingly beautiful image and it is made so specifically because of the inclusion of the person because to me his pose seems to suggest a certain sorrow at the loss of the tree. Your composition is perfect with the tree on the left and lots of negative space although I personally find the bird so small it is a bit of a distraction it should either be larger or not there at all. There's nothing you could have done in that respect but to have a larger bird flying towards it from the right together with the everything as it is would have been the icing on the cake.

Your exposure is good with good detail throughout, I do like the near silhouettes a lot. To be honest there's nothing else I can comment on I like it a lot, well done Romil

Every Ending contains a new Beginning (I. Ching)
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that meets the challenge.

I like your interpretation and title, it works well, you have achieved your goal, certainly for me anyway. The branch you have found here is a very interesting shape with all of the dead leaves to the right and the one thriving shoot to the left, you have composed it well with a close crop that is just about right for the subject.

I find the OOF dead leaf in the foreground a little distracting but not in a major way, in any case I think as long as you have all of the living side in good sharp focus the right matters less. I think a little less DOF could have improved it further reducing the background detail as long as the living side can be kept sharp. A plain cloth or card would have been good here. The lighting is perhaps a little on the harsh side but you have controlled the exposure quite well.

Nicely done Marcel, thanks for your submission, Sid

No Flies On Me
by Pangurban

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An unusual interpretation that partially meets the challenge.

In terms of the image itself the fly is anything but camouflaged but I can see your interpretation is a clever take on the challenge theme that has fortunately been recognised by a lot of your voters too. The image itself is rather appealing with the submerged leaves forming a lovely counterpoint to the fly sitting on the plant's woody stump with the river flowing all around. You have to be commended for spotting this and interpreting the theme in the way you have, I'm pleased for you that it was appreciated here too, well done.

Anyway, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid. Please feel free to reciprocate on any of my images, I would welcome your feedbackâ€Â¦

No body today
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An original take the fulfils the challenge theme.

Well spotted for the challenge theme, I agree with one of your commenters, I like the shadows too and just wish they had been stronger. As regards the composition, I like that you have it on a slant the way you have but I think you missed an opportunity to make more from it. I would have composed it so that the ends of the wood weren't visible thereby creating the illusion that this was an endlessly long array of coathooks. I would also have made more of the diagonal and the shadows by a closer position to the wood and the hooks that exaggerates their perspective.

Just one point that would probably be considered pedantic but to me rather important, your title if read the way it is written suggests that there have been no dead bodies hung up to dry today!

Anyway, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid. Please feel free to reciprocate on any of my images, I would welcome your feedbackâ€Â¦

Santa Sofia
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An amusing image that fulfils the challenge brief.

I get to comment on your image a second time! And, I was wrong you didn't get any comments about softness or low contrast, fair enough. Well, my vote and my comments are still my opinion post challenge with the addition that the white border adds nothing and I think a square crop would have been better. I do still like the black halo, its wicked!

Anyway, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid. Please feel free to reciprocate on any of my images, I would welcome your feedbackâ€Â¦

Exposition Everest
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that meets the challenge.

Your image is more of a normal interpretation of the challenge theme that judging by your commenters seems to have been lacking in most of the other entries. It is well executed with your model's hand positioned in the correct place to 'hold' the mountain in his hand, however, I think it would have worked better if you could have extended the DOF from his hand to the mountain and got that sharper. It would also have been a lot more convincing if he could have been looking to the mountain instead of the camera and having him out of focus would not have been a problem then. Instead of holding the mountain he could have had it between his fingers as though placing it into position within the landscape.

The image itself is a little too highly exposed although within acceptable limits it has enabled you to get a better exposure on the man himself but the mountain itself, the most important element in the image, has significant areas of blown highlights.

Anyway, thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid. Please feel free to reciprocate on any of my images, I would welcome your feedbackâ€Â¦

Talc in Motion
by ericpi

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations on winning with an excellent close up that meets the challenge

Not strictly a macro as required by the challenge but not everybody has the equipment to enable them to produce macros so I regard close ups as perfectly acceptable in the context of this challenge.

So, I get the pleasure of commenting on your entry again, and my original remarks and score of 8 still stand. I don't know where you got the idea from but it is a great one, well done. You have captured the moment really well with this minimum flash against the black background, the patterns of the wispy talc as it is dispersed are very attractive and appealing.

I didn't really pick up on the stray bristles of the grey brush as others here did but I can see their point especially as the lower brown brush is so much better in this respect. The composition is very effective with an appropriate amount of brush bezel at the top and bottom of the frame, the crop is good not too tight.

What a great way to introduce yourself to DPC, an excellent result for an excellent submission, apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid

Lava-Bead
by Pangurban

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An unusual image that meets the challenge.

First of all, thanks for broadening my experience, I'd never heard of these before, quite fascinating. As regards the image itself it makes a good record shot to document lava beads and I suppose the ribbon adds some interest but beyond that the image is not really very stimulating.

It stands out distinctly against the black background and the DOF is good giving some softness to the most distant part of the ribbon, the lighting is a little flat but helps to illustrate the porous nature of the rock. It has something of a floating nature to it so that is in its favour but its difficult to get excited about it.

Thanks for your submission and apologies for the delayed critique, as they say, 'better late than never', or at least I hope it is, Sid