Vibrating Fiddle String
by sagestudio

Comment:
Very nice...definately meets the challenge. I like how you were able to portray the vibrating string as it is being played. Nice touch. Focus is excellent. You picked up the lines well in this well used instrument. 9 Good luck in the challenge.

Tiffany Rosebud
by DougPaz

Comment:
Greetings From the Critique Club
By CLarson557

Hi Doug!
I'm going to start off by saying that I have truely enjoyed studying your photography this morning. When I do critiques for the club, I go back to other pictures the photographer has done to get a feel for him/her as a whole.

Since you have been submitting to DPC for a long time, you have a lot to look at, however you might consider taking advantage of the portfolio feature of this site. I would have liked to see other photos you might have taken outside the challenges. I was impressed with your unique subject matters and camera techniques. You definately have a good eye. Also, I enjoyed the photos with one or both of your kids. They are adorable!

With that said...onto the task at hand.

Challenge: The red and green of the flower definately fits into the challenge. However, I do agree with some of the comments that the yellow color dominates the photo and takes away from the main subject.

Composition: I do kind of like the way the top of the lampshade fades out of the picture, but for this challenge, I think that a tighter crop on the flower would be more appriopriate to get rid of some of the yellow. I think I would have liked to see the subject (the flower) not so centered in the photo. I've noticed that you do have a tendency of centering your subjects, however, with "Three Square" and "Checking the Radius", I think you did do a good job of using the rule of thirds. Using this rule on the flower in the lamp and maybe giving it a different angle, I do believe that it would be more dramatic and interesting.

Technical: I do believe that the technical aspects of this photo are its greatest strength. The lighting and focus is perfect. The dreamy-ness of the frosted glass is nice and the colors are beautiful. The DOF is great. I like how it shows the curvature of the lamp.

Overall: I know this sounds a bit dumb, but when I first saw this photo during the voting phase, I thought of the Wizard of Oz and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". Therefore, in my eye, my attention went more to the yellow and then, lastly, to the red and greens in the flower. I voted this as a 6...slightly higher than average because of the good technical aspects.

Once again, I've enjoyed this study and I hope you find it helpful.
Connie

Cheesy and Crunchy - Orange on Blue
by StevePax

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club:
By CLarson557

Hi, Steve
By the way, I would like to congratulate you on your highest rated photo on DPC. You are developing a good eye for photography.

Composition: I like the corner placement of your subject and the Cheetos are nicely arranged on the plate.

Technical: You have good DOF and focus here. You picked up the texture of the Cheetos as well as the ridges in the plate. The lighting is apporpriate. My only complaint might be with the reflection of what appears to be you taking the picture showing up on the lower left part of the plate. Slight distraction, maybe, but I'm just trying to pull up something. So, very minor.

Challenge: The vibrant orange and blue colors, of course, meet the challenge perfectly. Nicely done.

Overall: I agree with a couple of the comments below...that this picture could very easily be used in a magazine ad for Cheetos. It is fun and appealing. I feel as if I could reach in the computer and pluck a cheesy snack.

Good luck in future challenges. Will be anxious to see what you come out with.

Orderville Canyon
by dsidwell

Comment:
MMM...I like this! The lighting and focus is perfect. Shows nice depth. I feel I could walk right into the picture and follow the trail through canyon. Great texture noted in the rocks.

Pigeon
by GolferDDS

Comment:
I really like the lines and shadows in this picture. The coloring is fitting. It's just something about the lighting that gets me. Perhaps just overexposed? Also, it would have been nice to see the pigeon more in focus.

I'm Ready For My Close Up
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
I just love the texture you were able to get of this guy in your picture...not to mention the expression. The lighting and coloring is great...in fact everything about this photo is excellent as far as I'm concerned. 10+ Good luck in the challenge...hopefully I'll see you in the top three

New to the World
by sylandrix

Comment:
Very cute kitten. I actually like the soft focus. The lighting are colors are nice. Gives it a serene look. However, I do wish that the ears hadn't been cut off.

Painted Lady
by autool

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by CLarson557

Hi Richard,
I'm not sure as I feel qualified to critique your images. I have seen and admired your work since I first joined DPC, so you are someone who I have learned from. I especially like your creativity with the subjects of your photos. So, instead of saying critique, I'm going to attempt to express my thoughts as I view your photo as a part of my assignment in the Critique Club.

Meeting the Challenge: Yes, you met it. You definately chose a wonderful subject to meet the objective of the challenge. This looks like a very interesting building to see in person.

Composition: The angle at which you shot this picture is nice and effective. I agree with you...with the angle, you are able to see details that you would probably wouldn't otherwise see. The moon showing up next to the building is a nice touch. With the overcast sky and lack of clouds, it provides something different and interesting. However, with this picture, I may have cropped it a little closer to the moon taking out more of the blaa of the sky. Also, I may have cropped out a little off the right side of the building closer to the corner pillar...just to get it closer to a printable sized picture. I think that would be possible without taking out important aspects of the building.

Technical Aspects: Appears to be well focused. Can easily see the details of the building. Someone mentioned in the comments that they thought it looked grainy but I don't see it. I think the top darkened windows have some sort of texture to it that might look grainy in the picture but other than that, I don't know what they are seeing. I do believe, however, that the colors could "pop" out a little more. They appear muted. Perhaps adjusting the contrast and/or pushing up the saturation a little would make the colors stand out more.

Overall: Richard, it's another interesting and unique photo to add to your portfolio. I'm always anxious to see what you come up with next.

I hope you found this helpful.
Connie

Sensual World of `Yellow` Rose
by rj324

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
By CLarson557

Study: One thing I like to do when I critique for the club is to study the photographer as a whole before I concentrate on the one photo. You state in your profile that your goal is to turn your snapshots into photographs. I do believe you are accomplishing that. I definately see an improvement to your photos since you have joined DPC as evidenced by the quality of your work and the scores that you have recieved. I can't help but tease you by saying you've come a long way...from dog pooh to pretty flowers. ;-) Okay, onto the task at hand - your pretty flower submission.

Composition/Subject Matter: I have to start off to say that I'm really not a big fan of floral shots. There are just so many of them regardless of the challenge. However, this one caught my eye during voting and looked at it closer. This is a beautiful yellow rose. You framed it nicely in your photo with the center of the rose placed using the rule of thirds effectively. Composition-wise, I would not change a thing. The rose fills the picture nicely.

Technical: While it is a nicely focused Macro, I feel that due to the lighting, it lacks detail or perhaps definition. Appears just a tad flat. I would have liked to have seen better clarification of the petal edges. The yellow color is well portrayed here. It is vivid and nicely saturated.

Challenge: The challenge asked for primary colors - yellow, red and blue. Although it didn't specifically state that you needed to use all three colors, I think that people scored higher those photos that incorporated all three. So, I think that this challenge didn't do your photo justice in the way of your score.

Overall: Nicely done flower macro shot...just needing more definition especially on the edges of the petals.

Natures Purple, Man's Yellow
by K-Rob

Comment:
This is a GREAT capture. I love the colors and the lighting in the clouds. I think it's neat how the lightening flashed just above the flags in this picture. I could be wrong but it seems just a little crooked. Perhaps just a little rotation to the right would make the houses and flags appear more even. Except for that nit picking thing, this is definately a WOW in my book. Good luck in the challenge.