You Are What You Eat!
by manic35

Comment:
I know this scene all too well! :)

I love the white, the negative space... I love his eyes neatly in a 'rule of thirds' intersection. I love everything about this photo. You can't improve on perfection! 10!

On Dangerous Ground
by fadedbeauty

Comment:
This is just a phenominal photograph. The sharpness is just incredible on the mouse and the central mouse trap and the colors are just incredible. Great job, I can't imagine how to improve it. 10!

Document retrieval
by jpdeloof

Comment:
I have NO idea what this has to do with cheese.

Double Cheese!
by laind

Comment:
Technically, it lacks overall sharpness.
Artistically, it fails to "tell a story" or otherwise hold my interest.

Puppy in a blanket
by confused

Comment:
This is just a supremely odd idea, and not very visually appealing. I mean, why cover a puppy in cheese? The puppy looks so young that I feel bad that he was taken out of his mother's care for this shot. Finally, technically speaking, I would prefer more Depth Of Field so that at least the puppy's head was in focus.

Say Cheese...Mebella and Jenna
by MsCheese

Comment:
Tired idea, and not the best executed of the entries in this class.

justin says cheese
by permapier

Comment:
Tired idea, and not the best executed of the entries in this class.

You Can't See the Cheese Because It's in the Mouse That I Ate...
by sacs

Comment:
It's a good concept, but there are a few things wrong with this photo:

1) There's a blue cast to the whole thing.
2) The background is odd and doesn't add anything to the photo.
3) The lighting is poor.
4) There are sensor dust spots in the upper right corner.

I think this concept needed a little more development to make a better photo.

Carver
by GeneralE

Comment:
::: Critique Club :::
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First Impression - the most important one:
The composition is awkward... I've never wanted to be so close to a ham. :)

Composition:
I think this is the weakest point of this photo. A fatty ham hock isn't something that I've ever really wanted to inspect in detail. As another commenter noted the plate in the upper right corner is distracting. I do like the lines of the table, they add grounding to the photo. I also would have gotten a brand new knife (even if it is just a $5 wal-mart special) so that it was nice and shiny. I also wouldn't have put the knife in and out of the ham, there's fat on the blade, which is kind of "oogy."

Subject:
The idea itself is a good one, and germane to the challenge. It's traditionally the man's place to carve the holiday feast. I just think this idea could have been presented in a far more photogenic way.

Technical (Colour and light):
The light falls off significantly on the right side of the picture. Actually, the more I look at it, the light falls out above the ham; really, it's the underexposure of the knife that bothers me. The color is nice and "pops," but it seems a little warm and orange-ish, perhaps the white balance was slightly off? The sharpening is right on, not too sharp, no strange artifacts.

Summary:
This seems like an "opportunistic" shot to me. You were there, getting ready to carve the ham, and said, "Wait, let me take a picture!" DPC rewards those who work hard at getting the shot, and that reflects in your score. I've looked through your past challenge entries and I think your shots fall into two categories: some that score really well, that you've put some thought into, and some which don't score so well, that look like you just snapped a picture because you were there. As long as you don't expect too much from the latter category, then that's fine.

Finally, I'd like to ask you to consider "critiquing the critique." A lot of effort goes into these critiques, and I enjoy learning how I can do them better. Does what I said make sense? Is it way off base? Did I enlighten you? Offend you? Please let me know via a private message what you think of this critique, so I can give better ones in the future.

Thanks, and good luck at DPC!
---Andrew

Industrial Bronze
by fotomann_forever

Comment:
Didn't vote this challenge, but would have given it a 9.
Two things keep it from a 10 in my book...

1) Would have liked to see more detail in the hair.
2) The commenters are right, the expression in her face is awful.

Pity that more don't get it. I would ask if it was "worth it" for Van Gogh to cut off his ear, but they'd probably say no to that too... with a consenting adult who is aware of the risks what's the problem? And put clothes on her and you've got Rosie the Riviter. The nude adds 1000% impact to me.

A GREAT shot, something for you to be very proud of. Worthy of my favorites list, anyway. :)