Carverby
GeneralEComment: ::: 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
Photographer found comment helpful.
