Busy Architecture
by KarenNfld

Comment:
Seal Intervention

free
by jaxed

Comment:
I've been taking flag images and not having much luck at it and here what do I find...the one I've been looking for...great use of curves here with a very nicely balance image. I bet you spent some time getting the right shot on this one!

Lexington Church
by jaxed

Comment:
I don't know about toning down the white in the doors...it seems to enhance the greens in the image and give the image a sense of purity. In addition, the soft white doors also enhance the texture of the stone walls in the image. The doors and trees also work together to enhance the vertical which denotes strength in an image...very appropriate for the subject matter!

Nature's Contrast
by Canadian_eh

Comment:
You captured the curves in this image very nicely, lending calm and serenity to the image. The dark area in the top right contrasts nicely with the lighter colors of the beach in the lower left. You did a very good job on composing this shot. A little bit more sharpness. I rate this image a six. O.k. O.k. a ten with a little bit of work. ;~)

cold
by jaxed

Comment:
I like what you did with this composition...the vertical lines give it a sense of power and the angled lines accentuate the vertical while giving a sense of calm and flow to the image. The only thing I don't like about this image is the black border. IMO, I would have tried a softer black border first. Try this if you like: create a duplicate background | Rectangular Marquee tool to select inside edge of frame | Inverse select | select feather and set somewhere between thirty and fifty | Grab the brush tool and set the Opacity to 100% | In the brush setting (Brush Preset Picker) set the hardness to 100% | take several trips around the border with the brush tool | Goto into the layers pallette and adjust the opacity there untill you get the effect that you want. Hint: View drop down menu | Select Show and remove the checkmark from Selection Edges. Becareful though, don't forget to turn them back on!!! And by the way...Your a much better Photographer than I am and as far as your post processing skills are concerned...you're pretty damn good at that too! I hope you understand that I sincerely mean it when I say that I in no way meant to rain on your parade. I just have this attitude about what is allowed and what isn't. I think it's great that we have Basic Challenges, Advanced Challenges and Open Challenges or whatever type of Challenge you want to comeup with; however, the problem that I see with it is that it denies photographers and artists alike from using tools to enhance an image! If Joey lawrence put up an image that uses advanced Post Processing tools and he puts it into a basic competition I probably end up giving him a seven, eight, nine or ten and because his images are so dynamic and powerful I would have never requested that the image be disqualified. As a matter of fact, there was an image that was dq'd because it used seven exposures to get the one image. This artist used the tools that were available to them to create a very interesting image...The thing that disturbed me about it was that it was dq'd. One of my favorite photographers on this site is Jutilda...I think she likes to explore those bounderies that editing rules would deny her! Take a closer look at some of her work...she's very good too! That's it for now...I'm going to be taking a respid from all this and go out and try and find my passion! LOL! I'll be back after the first of the year with hopefully some better images to put. No competitions or voting for me though. I've retired from that type of endeveavor...but you keep it up... you have alot of talent to offer!!!

Tender
by jaxed

Comment:
I just took the garbage out...I do apologize for my rant on a day that should be filled with joy for you. I did take a look at your profile and I think all the comments concerning your abilities are true. Don\'t let an old godger like me throw you off track.

Tender
by jaxed

Comment:
And it's obvious to me that (shaunjchang) you also do not know what you're talking about. Let's see...doesn't own a camera...never done a lick of photo editing in their life. You want to judge my skills...here it is: in addition to the twelve years of photo editing, I also spent eight years repairing cameras as well as working behind them...you go take some art classes...you go take some photography classes and after you have removed your head from where it's not supposed to be...then you can come tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about...Jaxed I do apologize I fotgot to congratulate you on nice image...However, I still stand by my opinion and my rating of a seven...which is what you averaged in the voting.

Tender
by jaxed

Comment:
Never said I was a photographer...good bad or otherwise...but I am a damn good photo editor and IMO if you want this type of thing then throw out the basic editing rules and the advanced editing rules and let the photographer decide what an image needs in the way of photo editing and then judge that.I thought I lived in America where an Artist is not restricted by other peoples ideas of what should be allowed because it gives them a safe, warm, and fuzzy feeling when they go to bed at night...buy a camera, take some photos and then try some photo editing. You might learn something and then be able to give an honest opion of someone else's skills.

Tender
by jaxed

Comment:
and finally, the black edging around the head definately lost points with me. I give a seven.

Tender
by jaxed

Comment:
In addition, I deducted points for lack of originality...I have seen an almost duplicate of this image in a previous challenge...it was also a first place winner which IMO also did not deserve a blue ribbon.


Message edited by author 2005-11-03 21:02:48.