Moussa
by MAK

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, a stunning portrait with instant appeal.

I love the dark background and the way the mans black face appears from the black depths in the way that it does. The dark clothing also helps in the overall low key effect here.

The lighting is effective with good detail where it matters.

The only constructive criticism I can offer is that of the eyes and the focus. It is essential that the eyes of any portrait are pin sharp to engage with the viewer. Here the focus is on the nearest eye but the pupil is only partially visible in the corner of his eye. I think the important eye here is his right eye which unfortunately is a little on the soft side. You ought to have either used a smaller aperture to increase the DOF to include both eyes or moved your focus point more towards the bridge of the nose. Personally, I think I would favour the latter which would have softened the cheek and forehead where it merges into the dark background, that would have looked more effective than more sharpness throughout which would have looked more abrupt and probably less appealing.

All in all a very pleasing image, I look forward to more from you, Sid

Buckle, Button & Zipper
by jayzundel

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, a well executed image that meets the challenge well.

You have produced a simple very pleasing image from an everyday item in such a way that it has impact and appeal, well done. The lighting and exposure are very good with sufficeint detail throughout.

The jeans and belt have a used look that enhances the effect it doesn't feel like a fashion shoot for a magazine intended to sell the goods. Probably the only minor irritant is the black label I feel it is very slightly distracting and might have been better to cover it up but I am sure there are many who would equally argue against such a move.

All in all a pleasing image that probably ought to have scored a little higher, well done, Sid

Water - the view from inside the bottle
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, I like the abstract nature but I don't think it fulfils the challenge very well

Your title is crucial in guiding us as to what we are actually looking at, the image is so abstract it rather defies definition. The colours and tones are very pleasing and I like the soft focus. The image is so basic I am rather floundering in what I can constructively say about it that will help except that I do find it quite a pleasing image, sorry Sid.

B Is For ______ | Ben
by Zita

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, a confusing image that I don't think meets the challenge

Whilst this challenge is in itself quite challenging having read the brief I cannot see how your entry meets the challenge unless I am missing something too subtle for me, the only possibility I can conjure up is outside the (coffin) box? Your title is not helping me at all, I just don't understand it at all.

The lettering has worn and it looks as though you have started to highlight the lettering by placing the fallen debris in the grooves of the lettering and given up. If this is not the case it is somewhat uncanny how the debris has ended up in the lettering for Ben and the start of his surname and then appears to be more random as you would expect.

The grass at the top centre of the image dominates and would have been better excluded. I'm not sure there is much else I can constructively add, sorry, Sid

Water Therapy
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, full marks for an original approach that meets the challenge well.

I'm all for originality and I fully respect your attempt to produce an original image with impact but I have to say that it doesn't work for me, the image leaves me feeling a little uneasy. I think that simply having the profile of an isolated head completely disembodied like this is so unnatural that it just feels really awkward and difficult to come to terms with.

This composition just doesn't work, I need to see at least some of the persons body too, if its going to have any chance to work at all I think the head should be in the right third. A better composition would have been to take the image from the head so that we could easily see the closed eyes but with part or all of the rest of her body in soft focus in the rest of the frame.

Has it achieved your objective of peace and calm? Well I suppose it has but it is unfortunately dominated by the awkwardness of the concept and composition as detailed above.

If the lighting had been able to make the face stand out more from the water that might have helped. If the hair was wet with drops on her face perhaps that too may have helped a little but your original concept remains flawed for me anyway, sorry. Sid

The Dance
by Drake

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions are of a magic wildlife moment well captured.

This, I assume is part of their mating or courtship ritual, I don't know how long they remain like this I have never observed it myself but you have captured the moment well. It is very effective in conveying a feeling of oneness and intimacy between the two birds, it also shows their wings and plumage off to full effect. We tend to think of swans as just being white but your image shows off the other subtle colours in their plumage well.

By using a large aperture you have easily isolated the birds from any distracting background but this is where I might have done something a little different. They are standing on ice but because of the lack of detail in the background it is impossible to determine that it is not a complete ice sheet. I think a slightly smaller aperture to bring out a little more detail would have worked well, it would still isolate them but show more of their habitat.

The only thing that mars your image a little is the brown blob to the right of the swans wingtip, this is screaming out get rid of me please! Your exposure is quite well controlled with good detail in the feathers but I feel it tending slightly to overexposure on the leading edge of the birds wings on the right of the image.

Overall a good submission with a respectable score so well done and good luck with your future entries, Sid

Oh, to be three again.....
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions, a delightful and very appealing portrait, very well handled within the rules of the challenge and justifiably rewarded with a top ten placing.

Its all in the eyes! They're really nice and sharp and vibrant they're directly engaging with you. It's also in the smile and the natural expression. It's in the pose, looking over his shoulder.

The lighting is very well handled and I'm assuming its all natural with perhaps a little fill-in?

To try and be constructively objective I find the brighter areas either side of him quite distracting and I feel there is a bit too much empty space above his head. These are minor criticisms but I think they would have improved the image. I'm aware that you had to construct this within the restrictive minimal editing rules and may not have had too much control over the bright areas but the area above his head you could have reframed in-camera.

To be able to produce this sort of quality portrait straight out of the camera proves that you have great control over your technical handling of the camera, very well done, Sid.

Terra B&W
by MarioPierre

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions are of a lovely elegant model photographed in a way that meets the challenge but leaves me with some issues.

I am a keen advocate of natural light and prefer it in the majority of situations so from that perspective I like it. I am very impressed with the number of very constructive comments you have received which must be very satisfying in itself for you.

Lets start with the model and the lighting from the top. If this were just a head shot I would like the way it is lit, I find it very appealing. I do not like the bright light on her shoulder especially in relation to the whole image. I love the way her hair falls down her front, and I like the folds in her top. I do not like the way her legs are brighter than the rest of her, especially the shins and then the feet are effectively chopped off and darkened with a sharp shadow. Her pose looks a little uncomfortable and unnatural.

I'm sorry but I find the whole of the set completely unflattering to your model and the image's objectives. In detail, the skirting board, as already pointed out by one of your commenters. The socket in close proximity. The curtains and window and the distracting partial sign seen through it. The stool and its shadows and the bright highlights on the chrome. Her shadow from the fill light.

Your choice of aperture seems inappropriate for this specific image. As you are probably at or near the wide angle end of your lens you will have sufficient DOF at maximum aperture, you have nothing behind the model you want in sharp focus. Maximum aperture would have certainly made the outside sign less obtrusive and perhaps made the window and frame softer.

I think a lot of the suggestions you have already received are very constructive and well worth reflecting upon. Thank you for submitting and good luck for the future, Sid

Self Portrait: Warts And All
by smardaz

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Wot no warts! First impressions, a very competent self portrait that meets the challenge well, presumably within the minimal editing rules.

Thank you for providing the lighting details, the setup is very effective, the focus is nice and sharp with good DOF and the pose is nice and relaxed. The minimal editing rule set is very strict but it does make it a great test of your camera skills, so very well done from that perspective. There are two, presumably deleted image spaces, below 'advanced editing versions' but even without those to view I remain impressed with your original.

There is nothing I can add in respect of your technical setup, it is very well chosen and, as already stated, very effective, well done.

As you say, the sensor dust does unfortunately let it down and cannot be removed within this rule set. I know from my own recent experience with a rushed last minute submission full of sensor dust much worse than yours, just how badly it goes down with the voters here which will fully explain its lower than deserved score. Without the dust your image would undoubtedly have placed much higher, certainly in the top ten, probably even the top five. We have both learned a lesson the hard way, good luck with your future submissions, Sid

ubike
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First impressions are of an appealing subject reasonably well captured that I hope fits the challenge.

As a keen cycling enthusiast I am always attracted to bikes particularly action shots. Your panning action has captured the cyclist nice and sharp and introduced a little motion into the background. This is where the problem lies for me, because of the high shutter speed there is not enough motion blur in the background it looks more like camera shake, thereby significantly reducing the appeal of the shot.

The other big problem is that you have a dark clothed rider caught in the dark shadow of a tree and with the shadow unfortunately falling right across his face, probably the most important part of the image, the part where we can identify with the moment he is experiencing through his facial expression. Also the composition, I'm not sure why you feel the portrait orientation works better than landscape but I am all for a non-standard approach as long as it works. Because of the size of the rider and the amount of space he has left to ride into it probably just about works.

'I hope it fits the challenge', I am unable to judge this as I don't know what Ubique's philosophy is but I do like his comment, perhaps I am missing an important clue to that in his comment? I have followed the challenge description which has a link to a forum thread where I was hoping to learn more about his philosophy and try to work out whether this does fit the challenge, with 3760 comments to review I'm afraid life is just far too short, sorry.