Guiding Lights
by Neil

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations on your top ten placing for your landscape that is assumed to meet the challenge.

Your lens has really emphasised the rocky foreground so that the unique nature of the rocks becomes a major part of the image. I like your use of the puddle to reflect the buildings too, it works well. The suns rays are also a nice element that adds to the overall result.

I know I am in a minority here but I am not keen on the HDR processing, I prefer a more natural looking exposure. I am pleased for you that it has been well received and has done so well especially given the competitive nature of the challenge, well done, Sid

Home Work Balcony
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A good still life that fits the challenge well.

An interesting take on the challenge and an interesting composition. I like the focus on the spirit level bubble together with the hammer on the same focal plane at the other end of the image, it works well. I like the way the spirit level recedes into the background, though the background itself does have some distracting elements.

The exposure is good throughout I like the natural light and the way it is lighting the hammer in particular. I find the red within the spirit level aperture frustrating because I think it may well be a drill, in which case it adds to the story the image is telling but it is too out of focus to distinguish what it is, because of that it now becomes a distraction. As it stands an increase in DOF would also bring more of the distant background into sharper focus and therefore more distracting still so I think it would be better to place the drill, if thats what it is, in a more prominent position in the foreground.

Thanks for an interesting and worthy submission, Sid

Sunset in Tanzania
by tigerluong

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very appealing sunset assumed to meet the challenge.

What a grab shot! In itself it is a very appealing shot of a lovely location in a good composition. I like both the left and right of the image and the position of the sun.

Like your commenter I have a problem with the sudden transitions they feel unnatural to the overall detriment of the image. You would undoubtedly have had little detail in the shadows and to get it back it looks as though you have pushed the curves beyond normal limits. I am having problems reconciling the feint red trees I am seeing between the silhouetted trees on the right, this may be down to selection problems.

Is that really the colour of the sky? You are in a part of the world I have never experienced and this may well be the case but those, like me, who haven't seen skies of such intensity are bound to ask the same question and unfortunately it may well affect their reaction to it, lovely as it is.

Thank you for submitting an appealing image, Sid

r e f l e c t i n g • p o o l
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting shot assumed to meet the challenge.

A great composition of an interesting location. Well done for looking for the puddle and reflection to add that extra interest to your image and placing it in one of the hotspots to complete your composition. The colours and patterns of the rocks are what make the image stand out and you have made these a major element of your image to good effect.

For some inexplicable reason I have problems with the buildings, they feel like cutouts that have been added after, I know they haven't but that's how they feel, particularly the nearest red building. It's a shame because it is an appealing image but the feeling is so strong it is detracting from my overall appreciation of it. I can only assume its down to the processing, it feels as though its somehow lost its natural look.

I'm pleased for you that most people here appreciated and enjoyed it, scoring well in a highly contested challenge, well done Janine, Sid

The Spark
by DigiFotoBuddy

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very striking portrait that is assumed to meet the challenge

A good and striking portrait such as you have captured here is all about the eyes, the confident eye contact that has that sparkle in it, and it's here in abundance. I also like your diagonal composition as opposed to a normal straight on portrait it has created a much more dynamic feel to the image as a whole.

I wish the background was more uniform without the bright area immediately next to his face, perhaps it might be an idea to dodge it a little just to reduce its impact. Other than that there is nothing further that I would alter about it.

Thanks for a great submission in a very challenging challenge, Sid

The Lady At Mirror Lake
by TommyMoe21

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A pleasing landscape that is assumed to meet the challenge

A lovely location that has been enhanced by your thoughtful inclusion of your wife in the scene. Her inclusion gives us a good strong focal point and also gives us a sense of scale of the grandeur of the location. I like the skies a lot.

Your composition and exposure are generally good, the reflections are a welcome addition. Technically your settings are good, nice low ISO and I assume a good tripod for support. You have achieved a huge DOF through your choice of a small aperture though if this actually the smallest aperture I would generally avoid it in the interests of best image quality.

Like your commenter I am not keen on HDR treatment, the colours are a little too saturated for me, I prefer more subtlety and a more natural looking result though having said that your image is a lot better than many I have seen using this technique.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

A Taste of Bokeh
by WonderDude

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A fairly pleasing flower study that meets the open brief of the challenge.

A simple shot of a simple subject taken with a simple lens in a satisfying way for you. It is satisfying when you can use simple and lovely old lenses in conjunction with a digital camera and it will hopefully lead the way for lots more similar experimentation for you.

With regard to the image itself I like the composition leading in from the top left the way it does and as your commenter observed, some lovely contrasting colours too. What I am not so keen on is the distracting over-exposed square behind the flowers, unfortunately it overpowers in a negative sort of way. The other issue is the sharpness overall which given your high shutter speed is obviously not camera shake so therefore must be down to the lens itself. It doesn't exhibit as softness per se but more a resolving issue, there is apparent sharpness but it just doesn't seem to make the flowers stand out the way they should.

Thanks for your submission, enjoy your use of manual lenses, its very rewarding, Sid

Rejected
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A basic shot that meets the challenge fully.

The main subject, the trolley, obviously meets the challenge brief in full. I like that you have chosen to represent the challenge in a way associated with the trolleys use to enable the shopper to get the groceries from the store to their vehicle and that this stick of celery didn't quite make it – it ended up rejected.

In view of my interpretation of your image you could argue that it should be taken as it is in the midst of the car park where it was left but to me your image has a lot of background distractions. The main one being the lorry, the person and not least the yellow line, of those I think only the person is a desirable element the others are not contributing to the end result. I've just realised what I thought was a lorry is in fact the trolley's owners name, ok, but I still think a different viewpoint closer in on the celery and its cage like surroundings through the corner in a more abstract fashion would have made it a stronger image with much less background distraction.

Sorry you didn't get any comments during the challenge, I hope mine makes up for it, Sid

Waiting to be wheeled in....
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An image that fits the challenge in an obvious sort of way.

I like that you have chosen to concentrate on a viewpoint that makes it immediately obvious what we are looking at but it just doesn't seem a very inspiring sort of image. As one of your commenters has pointed out the focus is on the second wheel throwing the lead one into soft focus which somewhat spoils the effect.

I think the repetition of the wheels would have been enhanced by cropping the front one so that we don't know its the first one but we have the illusion of a never-ending line of trolleys that just goes on ad infinitum. I like the diagonal of the composition but what I think would have also improved it would have been to go in close on the wheels looking up towards the rest of the trolley structure, this may have made it more interesting and engaging. The debris on the floor doesn't add to the shot and would have been better cleaned up either before or after the shot.

A good attempt Janine but not one of your best, Sid

Lost In Thought
by Pangurban

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An excellent portrait that is assumed to fulfil the challenge.

A very striking portrait that, like all good photography, is all about the light. I like your low viewpoint which has allowed you to exclude potential distractions and isolate your subject against a plainer background. Your portrait is also about timing, you have captured a reflective moment that works well because it suggests a natural expression that shows a complete unawareness of the camera or anything else at that moment in time.

Your exposure is generally good with good detail throughout though I do feel that you are pushing close to the boundaries of overexposure in some rather important areas mainly the lady's forehead. If you had underexposed by a third of a stop I think you would have given just a bit more room without darkening her face too much though it is, I have to admit, I very fine line. There is possibly a little too much space above her head but her gaze needs some space to look into and because of it I think you just about get away with it.

It is a very appealing portrait that in any other related challenge would have done well but the nature of this particular challenge is lots of high quality entries to compete against. Well done, Sid