rush
by arngrimur

Comment:
What a lovely abstract.
I think I'd prefer the bottom cropped off though!

picture disC
by messerschmitt

Comment:
Critique Club

Composition/ Content
Perhaps this is one of those cases where the decorations looked better in real life than they come across in a photograph? Based purely on what I see in the image my first thought is not "classy". I would say that using the CDs to refract fairy lights is certainly a novel idea and was probably a lot of fun to do.
In terms of the image itself I find it very messy. The composition seems haphapzard ΓΆ€“ no obvious focal point that I can identify ΓΆ€“ and not particularly balanced. Some parts of the image are out of focus (due to the depth of field) but I can't see any rhyme or reason to the decisions made about which bits are in focus and which bits are not. The splashes of colour are spoiled by the strong white reflections which, because of their brightness in a fairly dark image, have more prominence than the subject matter.
Overall the content does not appeal to me either in terms what I am looking at or in terms of the abstract visual of colours and shapes.

Camera Work - Technical
Would recommend attention to lighting, unwanted reflections, depth of field (selecting an aperture deliberately to achieve a desired depth of field and deciding which elements of the image are inside and outside the plane of focus), composition.

Fits The Challenge
Communicating the somewhat loose concept of "classy" is a difficult challenge and, in my opinion, requires a very light hand. In many of the more successful entries I notice a tendency towards simplicity of content, minimalist composition (use of negative space) and limited colour palette.
Whilst "classy" is certainly in the eye of the beholder, this image doesn't strike me as one that would likely convey the concept to many viewers.

My Opinion On The Photo
An interesting idea in the flesh that didn't translate strongly into the photograph.

Smiles
by BAMartin

Comment:
What a sweet candid-style image. I really like the way in which the girl is so relaxed and comfortable and the dog is perched upon her. It clearly shows a bond that is familiar and warm. The choice for black and white is good as it let's the focus remain on the eyes of both rather than on the furniture. Background is reduced in impact by being black and white which is a good thing in my opinion. That said, whilst this is a lovely picture, like most in the challenge, for ME it's one that will always hold more interest for those who know the subjects than it will for strangers.

Highlited X-Ray Frames (office art+multi-image)
by MrYu

Comment:
Oooh, a tribute to two! Clever!

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!
by Konador

Comment:
Very witty!

A Tribute to 'Balance' by timj351 - Pencil challenge
by bledford

Comment:
Absolutely superb, very clever to reverse the drawn/ real, excellently done.

Fore Bitten Fruit
by Node

Comment:
ROFL, this is hilarious. Hat's off to you for the idea and the courage to do it!

Come As You Are
by arnit

Comment:
Wonderful sense of contained energy - the stillness of the model and the wildness of her hair - very exciting. Great use of negative space - it really adds something to the composition.

lloyds1.jpg
by PeterC

Comment:
I like this alternative to your Landmark entry a lot. The ratio and the inclusion of the leaves at the top corner really improve it for me. I think I'd prefer it mirror-flipped on it's vertical axis...

Lloyds of London
by PeterC

Comment:
Critique Club

Initial thoughts
I like the intensity of colours that come from the longish night-time exposure and the viewpoint creates an unusual composition.

Composition/ Content
The content is certainly interesting as it provides an unusual look at a building that's been photographed so many times before. That in itself is an achievement not to be sneezed at.
I particularly like the strong linear aspect to the content ΓΆ€“ pale vertical lines at the left, bluey diagonal ones to the right and yellow horizontal ones (broken by verticals) in the centre which combine to create another vertical. The repetition of patterns is interesting.
I am bothered by the way that the silver pipe to the far left seems to be quite far off the vertical as that jars with the more precise nature of such a structure, for me.
The colours seem both saturated and strong and yet there is a feeling of muteness to the image ΓΆ€“ perhaps that's more of a psychological reaction to the thought of the building during night-time.

Background
The warm, natural, orangey colour of the sky works well against the more obviously man-made silvers and blues of the buidling.

Camera Work - Technical
Nice colour and detail captured.

Digital Processing - Technical
Nothing that stands out. The artifacts mentioned in one of your existing comments aren't evident to me.

Fits The Challenge
Yes.

My Opinion On The Photo
An interesting geometric abstract based on a famous landmark.