See the Flower, Become the Flower
by banmorn

Comment:
Gives me an erie feeling. Well composed. Maybe some work on the lighting to enhance the subject. (8)

Superman
by smyk

Comment:
This is just great. Very well composed and the Idea is phenominal (10)

Big
by srdanz

Comment:
Great take on the challenge. (10)

Breaking the Darkness
by nlghttrain

Comment:
Critique Club Yahhoooooooo

Composition
I like the use of the horizontal line to create the major element of the composition but I do think that it intersects the center horizontally just a little too much. Lowering the overall horizon would have added the notion of space and inversely you would have been able to meter some of the background and eliminate the white casting of the candles and the metal rim of the dish.

Set-up & Camera
I̢۪m not sure what kind of lighting setup you used for this photograph but what ever the source of the lighting its needs to be either removed or drastically lowered so that the highlights aren̢۪t blown out. A general technique I follow with dark backgrounds and a light source within the photograph, candle in this case, is don̢۪t use lighting but rather compensate with shutter speed and aperture. This also means the use of a tripod as you would have to use a slow shutter speed. Another major thing to look at and understand is the Exposure Value of a set up like this. With the background being very dark and the foreground containing bright light the exposure value is very small in the 1 to 4 range. Thus with your current ISO/Shutter/Aperture your exposure value reads between 6 & 7. Well what does all this mean? You would need to change either the shutter speed or the aperture to attain the desired Exposure Value. In this case you could have changed the Shutter speed to 1/1sec or changed the aperture to F/10. This would remove the blown out highlights. I would have opted for the aperture as this could make for a wider DOF.

Post Processing
The histogram is very flat and this is due to the fact that the exposure is blown out. In this case there is not much that can be done to correct this as its more in the shot of the photograph then the edit. I also noticed it̢۪s a tad off horizontally. I try and use a piece of paper of something to simulate a level horizon. I place the paper against the monitor and see if everything matches on the line I want my horizon to be.

Opinion:
Overall this photograph meets the challenge very well. As far as my emotions go it took me little while and staring at the image to kind of realize what it is or the concept of the shot. Thus the time taken to figure out the concept makes it much harder to feel an emotion. The title on the other hand I like a lot as it hints the idea or concept very well. If I was to shoot this shot I would have really concentrated on the exposure so that it makes the effect of the shot more dramatic. If you have any questions regarding this critique please feel free to contact me.

Cheers,
Hiral Patel

Simplicity
by pidge

Comment:
Critique Club Yahooooooooo

Composition
This composition is very well laid out as it intersects 6 of the 9 rule of thirds sections added to this is the orientation along the Horizontal line and to top it off the symmetry. I just don̢۪t know if there is much more that could have been added with the composition. Well Done.

Set-up & Camera
I like how you used the mirror to create the reflection this works really well the black background. The DOF is nice as you can see both ends of the flame focused. I cant say much about your camera work as your submission contains no aperture/ISO/Shutter Speed.

Post Processing
I don̢۪t know what post processing you did on the image. I looked at the histogram and that looked good. I would have maybe removed some of the orange glow. This would have given the actual candle wax some color.

Opinion:
This image meets the challenge very well and composed perfect. The title (Simplicity) really helps contribute to the image and its composition giving me the emotion of power and silence. I get the thoughts history, once was human beings source of light, such a treasure. Very well done keep up the good work. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line.

Cheers,

Hiral Patel

Spoon Fed
by BaldurT

Comment:
Critique Club WooooHoooo

Composition:
I love the concept with this photograph. I like how you used the dust of the spoon to emulate crumbs or liquid residue. I also like how the title delivers the concept however there are things in the photograph that I couldn̢۪t figure out. One is the knife̢۪s position, it just doesn̢۪t seem in the correct position and this could be argued that the focal point is the fork and spoon; however the knife plays a big part with the cutting. I also think maybe showing more of the knife and the fork would have added some visual elements. Maybe using a plate with some color or texture would have enhanced it.

Technical & Set-up:
Overall the setup looks good. I̢۪m assuming that you used some sort of lighting as I see a hot section in the lower right corner. Looking at the histogram I noticed it̢۪s exposed towards the highlight side which I can see from the light color of the plate. I do think that maybe adding a second light from the opposite side would have eliminated the black tint on the silverware, as the histogram for the silverware is exposed more towards the Shadows.

Camera Work:
I like the DOF as all the elements in the photograph are in focus.

Post Processing:
As for post processing I don̢۪t if there much that can be done except maybe do some levels adjustment on the silverware. This would remove some of the shadows with the silverware.

My Opinion:
This is a very nice photograph the message is very clear. It meets the challenge very well. Overall I would have rated this image between 65-75 out of 100. Well done keep up the good work.

Grandpa
by I Enjoy Ham

Comment:
Critique Club WoooHoooo

Compostion:
Compostion on portraits can be difficult when getting up close as you just dont know what elements of the portrait to keep and what to leave out. In this image I would have zoomed out or steped back a tad to create room for the chin. This would have significantly changed the aspect of the image and increased the level of the glasses to just above center and into the rule of thirds. I not 100% sure but it looks like your grandpa was smoking and maybe that would have shown good in this image.

Technical & Setup:
Diffusing the light would have maybee eliminated the hard light on his Left eye glass lens. This would also removed the hot line under his hat and forehead.

Camera Work:
Not much to say in this column but keep up the good work on knowing your camera. It seems like you used a tripod.

Post Processing:
I checked the histogram on your image. You captured the flesh tones very well.

My opinon:
I would have graded this image between 60 and 65 out of 100. The image doesnt really do much as appeal for the free study challenge. This may also be due to the fact I know what kind of talent is out there to compete against in DPC.

The beauty about a free study challenge is photographing the things that you love.

Think Pink
by basssman7

Comment:
Nice Shot. I think the compostion could have been better. The colors are just stunning. (9)

Marina at sunset
by aznym

Comment:
Nice Colors. Nice Compostion. Nice Shot.

Sarah
by whiteroom

Comment:
Just beautifully shot. Her eyes are just so pleasing to look at. Well done.