The Spice(s) Of Life
by TommyMoe21

Comment:
Ooooh - have you visited the website listed under my profile?
I lov the colours of the spices and it's interesting how the size of powder grains/ seeds/ leaves creates different patterns when they are out of focus.

Screen Shot Gerbera 2
by banmorn

Comment:
I've looked at either this or a very similar image recently in someone's portfolio. I don't know if that was yours or not?

Snip & Press
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Critique Club

Initial thoughts
Composition lacks coherence, background conflicts with main content.

Composition/ Content
The content itself seems a strange choice. I like the idea of showing the garlic press and the garlic together but can't quite fathom where the scissors come in. Together they seem a little too random and unconnected.
Compositionally, the layout doesn't feel balanced. There's no flow in terms of natural eye movement around the image; my focus is stuck on the reflection on the garlic press; the lower right area of the frame feels oddly empty even though that corner is no different to the other corners. I think that's all down to the rather random layout.
Whilst I often find it works to crop part of the contents out of the frame it doesn't seem to work here ΓΆ€“ perhaps because it's only happening to one item and only at one edge of the image.
Coming back to content, I think it's important not only to find subject matter that fits the challenge theme but also to present it in such a way that it's aesthetically appealing or intellectually interesting.

Background
The wooden chopping board that you have used as your background seems at odds with the main content not only in colour but also in texture and in the shapes it provides. I find the strong parallel lines too overpowering for the contents placed on top of them.

Camera Work - Technical
Lighting and focus look OK but there is a patch of the garlic bulb that seems blown out.

Fits The Challenge
Yes.

My Opinion On The Photo
Too much concentration on meeting the challenge and not as much on producing an image that's appealing in it's own right.

EDIT: Corrected typo!

Message edited by author 2005-01-10 13:12:35.

Kookaburra
by C-Fox

Comment:
I voted this a 6. I think it's a nice image and the background does contribute to the image. It's nice that we can see some shape and colour in there. The lighting seems very cold - I wonder if using a different white balance or perhaps some post processing could make this look a little warmer in colour tones? Seems just a touch dark too.

The Players Edge
by GolferDDS

Comment:
Would love to hear how you did this and don't mind responses during voting period.

Treble 20
by Konador

Comment:
I think the idea on this is great! - The colours and shapes in the out of focus area are absolutely key to communicating what it is that we are looking at. There are a few reasons this doesn't score highly with me though and they are generally down to personal taste, though that's the case for all my votes! Firstly I just don't like the luminous colours on this board. I wonder if a traditionally coloured darts board might have appealed to me more? Secondly I am not hugely keen on the centred composition though it is nicely done. Thirdly I feel that the key part of the dart is the pointed tip not the flight so I'm not so keen on having that part of the dart fall into the out of focus area.
I scored this a 5.

Bleak Bokeh
by Bear_Music

Comment:
I really like the pattern of the bokeh area on this and the way it sits in a zig zag area between the leaf edges. The abstract pattern of the colours and shapes in that background are quite fascinating. What lets this down for me is the lighting on those leaves - too much shadow for my tastes. If the leaf on the left were lit to show colour as the ones on the right show I think it would balance the composition more strongly. Overall I find the colours a touch too muted though perhaps if there weren't so much shadow that would not be an issue. I voted this a 6.

Dormant Dandilion
by crabappl3

Comment:
I like this image a lot but don't know that the blurred areas of the image add that much impact for me or wow me with their aesthetic. Certainly I do think that the shallow DOF background works well for the image and I also like the little bit of detail and reflection on the container but - the shapes and colours of the background don't thrill me. There's also something weird about the luminous nature of the dandelion head - something about the lighting perhaps that looks odd to me. I voted this a 6.

coy
by dwoolridge

Comment:
I found the other version of the haiku below - I'd initially scribbled it down and lost it and then rewrote by memory.

Here's the original:

long day fades
inner beauty is hidden
as petals clasp

Message edited by author 2005-01-06 10:05:24.

Walk Him Every Day
by Konador

Comment:
Yeah right! Bet your mum end's up doing it after the novelty wears off! Gorgeous image - lovely framing, nice use of shallow DOF, lovely light in her eyes... great angle to her head. CUTE!