Wooo Hooo!
by Anachronite

Comment:
Critique Club


Initial thoughts
Well captured motion – weather makes for poor lighting.

Composition/ Content
The shapes of the biker and bike are strong and I like the way the biker is so high up in the air. I also like line of flags at the bottom and the red of the track earth.

Background
I am not so keen on the inclusion of the white metal structure and trees right behind the biker – I think it would be stronger with him isolated against the sky. Yes I know I am asking the impossible! My main issue with the background is that, because of the weather, the sky is so washed out and horribly white that it makes the rest of the image appear dark and washed out.

Camera Work - Technical
Well caught – I don’t know if alternative exposures would have toned down the sky and captured more colour and light in the biker. I don’t know if you exposed on auto for the whole seen or set the exposure lock by focusing on earth or another biker and kept it locked for the shot?


Fits The Challenge
Yes, definitely.

Your Opinion On The Photo
The motion is well captured but lighting and colours are not working for me.

Face-to-Face In the Snow
by magnetic9999

Comment:
Critique Club


Initial thoughts
Nice square composition and quirky angle.

Composition/ Content
Has the cute factor and it’s great that the squirrel is looking right at you – that eye contact definitely adds impact. I like the square ratio and I also like the diagonal of the tree in the foreground, which is balanced by the squirrel with his tail leaning the opposite way.

Background
Some of the snow seems to be a little blown out and without detail though it’s good that the detail shows around his feet – kind of anchors him.

Camera Work - Technical
Well captured – great to get such good composition when you only had a moment to take it incase he moved.

Digital Processing - Technical
His nose and mouth area (the pink and yellow) seem very saturated to me – is that the real colour or is it pumped up a little in post processing. Since I don’t often get close to squirrels I am not sure!

Fits The Challenge
How could it not?

Your Opinion On The Photo
I do like the image, I think it̢۪s composition is particularly strong. It̢۪s not one I̢۪d hang on my wall but I would think about buying and sending it as a post card. Especially in the square format.

Subway
by stephan

Comment:
Fabulous colours, reflections and movement. The light is just wonderful. I like the composition too with the vertical at the left to balance the converging horizontal lines of train and platform.
Personally I'd crop a little off the top.
8

Rehearsal
by Alecia

Comment:
Very artistic - like the hight contrast treatment and strong shadows.
Feels much too grainy to me (though maybe this is deliberate?) and the wall behind is too bright.
Interesting shot...
8

Tanya
by bamaster

Comment:
Wonderful portrait - beautiful composition - I like the way she's sideways on to emphasise both the bump and the cloth behind but is looking right at the camera.
9

Good Vibration
by Harz_Joerg

Comment:
Great perspective, composition, use of DOF and lighting. Wonderful capture of movement and mood.
9

Bottle
by ganders

Comment:
Critique Club


Initial thoughts
This probably won̢۪t be as unbias a commentary as I̢۪d hope to make it what with us being married and all but I do like this one a lot and thought I might fit in an extra critique.

Composition/ Content
I really like the landscape composition – infact I was probably responsible for you trying this crop since I wasn’t so keen on your portrait alternatives. I think it makes for a much better abstract and much stronger composition that the more obvious portrait composition. The portrait composition works to the obvious shape of the bottle – this works against it and is therefore quite exciting to me.
I like that there is some aspect of the rule of thirds, sort of – in terms of the positioning of the curve of the body of the bottle – and some aspect of centred composition in terms of the lighting and bottle top.

Background
I think the background is at least as important as the subject here since it̢۪s the soft circle of light which gives the composition some of its strength. The way the lighting is so well diffused by the bottle itself is very appealing.

Camera Work - Technical
Some darkness on body of bottle though that does serve to anchor the image somehow. I like the DOF though would be interested to see a version sharp from front to back too.

Digital Processing - Technical
Seems fine.

Fits The Challenge
Oh yes.

Your Opinion On The Photo
I really like this and NOT just coz you̢۪re my husband!

Cold Blue
by DCThiessen

Comment:
Critique Club


Initial thoughts
Strong colours, interesting composition.

Composition/ Content
I like the diagonal lines and curves in the image and the way you̢۪ve got in tight to the subject.
My main problem with content/ composition is that the text – such a recognisable logo – is upside down. This doesn’t feel right to me.

Background
Clean, unobtrusive.

Camera Work - Technical
Focus seems satisfactory though not pin sharp – perhaps that’s because of the low resolution.
Lighting also acceptable though the Pepsi white text is just a little too greyed in shadow.

Digital Processing - Technical
Seems fine.

Fits The Challenge
Yep, absolutely.

Your Opinion On The Photo
I think this is a good image and the ranking would likely have been better if it hadn̢۪t suffered from comparison with a similar entry this week. I like it more than many that ranked more highly.

Red goes Blue
by Harz_Joerg

Comment:
Critique Club


Initial thoughts
Exposure and colours good – composition poor.

Composition/ Content
In terms of content this image has a number of positive elements – great colour depth with a number of different colour lights captured, a wonderful curve in the car brakelights and some nice lighting on the road surface.
Where I think it is weak is in the composition – the frame feels cluttered and without focus. I’d say the main focal point is the brake light trails as that’s where my eye ends up but the rest of the image is quite distracting. I don’t know where I’m intended to look or what the main subject or intent of the image is.
Cropping the right half out and the left-most dark area to make this a portrait shot strengthens composition for me but may not be what you wanted to show.
I have saved a copy and cropped it in this way incase you’re interested – please do email me and let me know if you are.

Background
I like the richness of the black but find the shapes it makes don̢۪t balance out - the sweeping curve at lower right, a strip across the top and vertical strip to the left feel unbalanced to me.

Camera Work - Technical
Looks great!

Digital Processing - Technical
Can̢۪t see any issues!

Fits The Challenge
Yes – some wonderful blue lights captured very well.

Your Opinion On The Photo
I like some of what̢۪s in this image very much but find the composition itself weak.

wet leaf
by shutterfly

Comment:
beautiful