Friendship - Missing You
by Tuckersmom

Comment:
*Critique Club*

I like this photo. I enjoy looking at this scene. I think that is important when taking a picture for a greeting card. I like grain too. I think that it can add character to a photo. IMO, grain can create a feeling or mood with a photo that seems boring otherwise. In your photo the little girl (darling BTW), is picking up shells. She is gathering objects maybe for her collection. This action does not say friendship to me or missing you or even thinking of you. Maybe other voters felt the same way and that is what resulted in a 5.4 score.

Your picture is very cute and different (added grain and desaturation) which sometimes is not liked by the majority voters. This probably wasn't what they had in mind for a greeting card. It is not easy to appeal to the masses. I have a very hard time myself and have made up my mind to take pictures that appeal to me and me alone. If I do well in a challenge I am thrilled, but if not it is not the end of the world. Overall, I think that this is a cute picture and I hope the best for you. I see a ribbon in the near future. Your work is excellent and it is just a matter of time.

Mandy

Québec
by Louison

Comment:
wow.....this is going in my favs for sure.

Sympathy
by sprite777

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Well, I have to hand it to you! Congrats on the high score! There were so many flowers in this challenge and what makes your entry stand out is it simplicity. I love the fact that the flower just fades away into the background. It looks so soft, I can almost smell it. Flower pictures can be very boring and predictable. Your image is not. Wonderful job you did here. I would definatly buy this greeting card. This could be used for many different themes.

Mandy

Gothic Mausoleum
by md8speed

Comment:
OMG this is fantanstic!!! I can't believe this is the first time I have seen this! I love it!!!

Thanksgiving
by Louison

Comment:
*Critique Club*

I like photos with negative space. I like photos that are simple. Your picture is both of those things. I think that it was a gutsy move for a Greeting Card challenge. You went out of the box and shot something no one would expect and it didn't go your way. This happens to the best of us.

Is this a cherry tomato? One single tiny cherry tomato does not say Thanksgiving to me. Thanksgiving is usually represented with an abundace of food, families at the dinner table, etc. I think that it where you went wrong as far as the theme goes. The shadow is a little harsh and the overall placement of the tomato is not appealing to the eye. Good Luck in future challenges

Mandy

Stir it in
by asussy

Comment:
very different and creative!

Sympathy...
by docpjv

Comment:
*Critique Club*

I too feel that this should have scored higher. This is a beautiful and delicate representation of a sympathy card. I love the processing that you did--excellent job! I wouldn't change a thing. I have no idea why this did not score in the high 6 range. I just don't get it. Sorry I couldn't give you a better critique. I really don't see anything at all I would change. Better luck next time I guess.

Mandy

Thank You
by owen

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Flowers are a great choice for Thank You cards. They are pretty and simple. I like the fact that you used ONE flower instead of a whole bunch. I read your comments and I am having a hard time seeing where you DE-SATURATED the photo? The colors of the greenery in the background is a nice bright green. The only problem I have with the BG is that some of it is in focus and some of it isn't. It would have been more appealing if it was one or the other. The actual bloom is extremely over-saturated to the point it looks painted. It does not look natural. I think that is what hurt your score the most. Oversaturating to make colors brighter and more vivid is good, but sometimes we can go too far and it looks fake. I think that is what happend here. It doesn't even look like it belongs in this photo, it looks like a piece of clip art that you pasted there. Photo processing can add so much appeal to a photo. But sometimes, I think most of the time with something as simple and naturally beautiful as a flower, it is best to leave the natural colors nature has blessed the bloom with.

I hope this was helpful, good luck in future challenges.

Mandy

Friendship
by bcoble

Comment:
*Critique Club*

A yellow rose representing frienship is perfect. I do however see many ways you could improve this photo. For starters, the background has weird blue patches of color in it. Roses are beautiful flowers, but not all of them. The rose that you choose to photograph should be picture perfect. It should have no flaws and be perfectly shaped. Your rose looks more narrow than round and it has a petal on the bottom that should have been picked off.

I would have also reduced the noise in this photo.

If you are going to put your subject off-center, leave a little more negative space on the opposite side. It looks better that way, IMO.

I also think that the image would have been better if you photographed the rose from a different angle, maybe from looking down on it.

I hope this helped you some, these opinions are just opinions after all. If it is bad advice then just ignore me. :) Good luck in future challenges!

Mandy

Morebuck$
by muur88

Comment:
winner!