Desert Paradise Calling
by rjkstesch

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, always try to include some info about the shot in the Photographer's Comments section. It really helps out when we know what the photographer was thinking and what equipment/lighting/etc. were used, especially when you request a critique.

Camera Work/Technical: Wonderful exposure, crisp focus and great depth of field, ensuring that everything in the frame was in focus. The coloring a and WB seems spot on from the photos of this park I have seen in the past.

Lighting: Almost perfect. The only complaint that I have with the lighting is the shadow inside the top of the arch, but I don't think you would have achieved such a dramatic feel with the lighting any other way. The time of day you picked really makes the colors in this image come to life.

Composition/Content: I really like your chosen point of view here. You have a nice foreground that subtly leads the viewer into the frame, giving us the feeling of scaling up the arch. Then the arch itself takes over, leading us through the rest of the image. Very nice contrasting complementary colors between the arch and the sky. Great rule of thirds use, especially in the division of the sky.

My Opinion: It just doesn't fit into the DPC Cinema cahllenge like most voters expected. In complementary colors, this one would have been an easy top ten, I believe, as well in many other challenges. While I rarely even look at titles, this title just doesn't pull the entry into the challenge. I believe that this was one of the rare challenges wehre the title was actually significant. OVerall, I like the image. If scoreing, this one would have been in the 8+ range for me despite the title. You ahve a very powerful image that lacks very little from a technical viewpoint. Well-done.

Don't Press Charges
by Judi

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

Camera Work/Technical: Great high key type shot. Nice exposure without losing any detail. Perfect choice of settings to produce a perfectly focused photograph.

Lighting: Very well done. Nice studio setup that exposed everything just right.

Composition/Content: Great composition that leads the viewer's eyes to each element in the frame. The positioning of each and the detail of the shot keeps the viewer's eye moving throughout the frame.

My Opinion: I have to admit, I have no ideas what the title means, but that would not have affected my vote in this one. Nice job meeting the challenge and producing yet another great Judi image.

Dodecatheon Planetary Creatures
by aberration

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, always try to include some info about the shot in the Photographer's Comments section. It really helps out when we know what the photographer was thinking and what equipment/lighting/etc. were used, especially when you request a critique.

Camera Work/Technical: Great positioning and excellent point of view. You subject seems nicely focused, while your background tapers nicely off into a blur. You did lose some detail in your darks due to the camera doing all it could not to overexpose the brights.

Lighting: Your choice of lighting is why this photo didn't do better in the challenge. Your lighting is a bit too harsh, and choosing a different time of day would have produced better lighting results.

Composition/Content: Very interesting flower, and it makes a great subject. Your point of view also provides a very interesting composition. Great rule of thirds use that keeps the viewer's eye roaming all through the frame.

My Opinion: I like the idea, but I think that is scored appropriately. You probably would have picked up another half point or so with a lighting change. As is, I would have voted in the 5 range.

The Santa Maria
by timfythetoo

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

Alright...how the heck does this keep happening. I make a Trading Post comment, then I pull yours from the CC. Well, her goes...

Camera Work/Technical: Great focus. Everything is very crisp and crystal clear. Nice choice of the high ISO to keep the shutter speed as quick as possible. That ocean can be tricky, even in calm water. I also like the depth of field choice here. Everything that the eye can see appears to be focused. The background is a little too noisy. If you shoot in RAW, upping the shadows would help out a lot. As far as PP, I have no idea.

Lighting: Excellent, excellent lighting. The available lights give this shot a really nice, peaceful feeling. No area is overexposed and no area is underexposed.

Composition/Content: Stupid kids, but you still put together a great composition. Your leading lines are near flawless here. Starting with the skiff line, the eyes are pulled into the frame and all around to the various elements. Your texturing and coloring here is terrific. My only critique for the composition would be to remove just a little bit off of the top to get rid of that object in the upper right corner.

My Opinion: Excellent capture! I really don't think that this one ended up with the score it deserved. This is especially cool since it was your first night shoot. You got a great eye.

Mission San Jose, founded 1720
by Melethia

Comment:
--Trading Post--

Nice finish with this one. I like your composition choice here, but the lighting seems a bit off. I copied this one and looked at some possible adjustments. I tweaked the curves just a bit with an S shape and it did wonders for the darks in the photo. It gave it some much needed contrast. Very nice capture, and with a little work would ahve surely drawn a 6+.

The Santa Maria
by timfythetoo

Comment:
--Trading Post--

HA, I beat you this week by a mere 0.001. I do like this shot quite a bit, but I'd like to see you shadows a bit deeper and darker. Upping the shadows would have done wonders for that noisy sky in the background, and would have probably vaulted you well ahead of mine. Nice work!

St. Joseph's
by DanSig

Comment:
--Trading Post--

Interesting composition. I think that you met the challenge just fine, but you included too much for the voters to look at. Its just a bit busy. A different point of view would have vaulted this one into a much better score.

Night Light for the Weary
by chalice

Comment:
--Trading Post--

First of all, congrats on your highest scoring photograph to date!! I like your choice of subjects here. Many of us shot the city skyline, which I have personally gotten too comfortable with. You didn't. You chose a subject that was a bit out of the box, and it works well. My only critique is that the shadow running down the middle of the frame is very distracting. Perhaps a better position for the shot would have gotten this one into the top 30 or so.

Architectural Rhythm
by adjustabletool

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, always try to include some info about the shot in the Photographer's Comments section. It really helps out when we know what the photographer was thinking and what equipment/lighting/etc. were used, especially when you request a critique. Secondly, welcome to DPChallenge! You have some nice work in your challenges to date, and I look forward to seeing more.

Camera Work/Technical: The first thing that strikes me here is that your focus seems to be off. You did a pretty good job controlling your exposure in such harsh lighting. You lost just a little detail in the shadows, and even less in the bright areas. Nice depth of field usage to ensure everything in the subject area was near focused.

Lighting: This looks like a very harsh lighting condition. There are lots of shadows, as well as some very bright areas. You did a pretty good job with the exposure despite the lighting, but perhaps shooting this at a different time of day would have helped.

Composition/Content: You have chosen a nice, rhythmic pattern here, but it gets lost in the rest of the photograph elements. The parking lot, plants and pole are all distracting from the rhythm itself. I think a different point of view would have improved your score tremendously.

My Opinion: Your photo was scored appropriately as it is captured. With a bit different point of view and a different time of day, this one could have scored better. IT does meet the challenge well, but that is only one element that the voters look at when assigning scores.

repeated curves
by soraya

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, always try to include some info about the shot in the Photographer's Comments section. It really helps out when we know what the photographer was thinking and what equipment/lighting/etc. were used, especially when you request a critique. Secondly, welcome to DPChallenge!

Camera Work/Technical: Great depth of field use to carry the viewer all around and through the frame. Crisp focus and excellent exposure also contribute to this image quality.

Lighting: Great use of natural light to produce a very evenly lit, balanced photograph. Nothing is over or under exposed, and the detail is terrific.

Composition/Content: I really like this image. I have one similar in my portfolio here, but these lines are much better. It is a great image to look at over and again. I may have isolated less of the pattern and stood up some to provide a more dramatic angle to them.

My Opinion: I think this one could have been more dramatic and pulled a bit higher score in BW. Any 6+ score is something to be proud of, and this photo is well-deserving of it. Nice work.