Mystery potion
by sessa

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

Technically speaking you have done a fine job with this photo. Nice DOF especially and the exposure is real clean. I don't see anything too over or too over exposed. I bet your histogram is happy (hehe camera jokes) I do notice a little loss of quality/clarity on the table portion that is in focus. Not sure what caused it, maybe the camera, maybe not, not something I would expect at ISO 100 in the daytime.

The object placement is nice and interesting enough for me to enjoy the photgraph, but for "Magic and Mystery" one would expect something a little darker and a little more mysterious to bump the votes a bit. Maybe some swirling dye in the bottles but I understand something like that may be out of the question if you don't want to wreck the capping on your bottles.

But like I said, I like this photo and I think you are on the right track, but it my not have been Magical or Mysterious enough for the voters.

Good job overall!

:)

Working Dog
by marbo

Comment:
I really really really really love this picture.

Endless Peas Into a Paper Cup
by Lorene

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

Nice image you have here.

The composition is nice, the displacement of the peas looks random, making it easier for the eye to see the action.

One thing I think this photo is lacking IMO is a little contrast. The whites and blues in the sky are similar to the whites and blues of the cup. The peas kinda bring up the contrast but I would have liked to see more green, more focus on the peas. You could maybe experiement with some different shutter speeds.

Def. fits the challenge.

Other than those minor details, I think this is a lovely image :)

Enter the Forest
by lifternessjt

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

For me, this photo doesn't hold my attention for too long. The exposure seems to be what you were going for (meaning black trees and the dark blue sky) but the composition could use some work. The alignment of the trees that you have captured, along with the "personalities" of the trees (How the branches spread, the angles, points, leaves and all) are presented here a little flat. Also, there is a distracting blob in the upper portion that seems to be haunting this photo and doesn't seem to be doing anything for it. I guess there isn't enough interesting elements to give this photo any real life.

Having said that, I want you to know that I think this idea is really something that you could work with. I like the contrast of black again that pretty blue. Maybe if you could find a different angle to shoot from that may help.

That's just my two cents.

:)

Magic Lamp
by Tej

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

Nice image here!

I like the background color and composition. The centering adds a lot to this photo in my opinion. I also think the vignetting helps.

The image is a little dark for my taste; particularly the center of the glass. If it were a little "clearer" I think it would have made this image pop. (Eg. Look at the smooth color and clarity of the glass handle.)

The flame is nice, it may have been a little more interesting if the flame was a little bolder and was pointed to the left. (Maybe a little wind)

Well that's just my two cents, take it or leave it. But, I really do like this image and I think it has potential.

:)

Fire Falls
by Buckeye_Fan

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

I think this is a neat little image. The composition is very nice. I like how the flame flows, and how each flame adds to the next. The exposure is nicely done. Also, the subtle detail on the flame heads (matches??) adds a nice touch.

The background color could maybe use a change. The contrast between the fg and bg is interesting like it is now, but maybe a more contrasting color like black or blue might have added a little "umph" to this image. I like the "crinkles"

Overall, a nice image!

:)

Firepower - keep your sponsors happy!
by boomerakl

Comment:
Hi from the Critique Club!

In my opinion, there are a couple things that are distracting in this image.

First, the crop. It seems that you have shaved off a little too much on the left of the image where the front bumper is. This adds a certain distracting element when viewing the photo.

Second, the top portion of the background showing the dirt and a shovel?? and something else white (not sure what all those items are) are very distracting. The track wraps around nicely but at the end of it you find the distracting items that don't add anything to the image.

Maybe a change in crop, maybe a little tighter and allow for a little more space in the front.

I really liked the colors, the exposure turned out nice. The focus is nice and clean and the fire from the exhaust is a good capture!

Overall, very nice try!

explosion
by goc

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

This image proved to be a little hard for me to critique.

The composition is very nice and the exposure on the match itself is excellent (you pulled a lot of detail out) but there is something bothering me.

The big white blob in the middle of the flame is overpowering the composition area. And the fact that there is no detail in that area makes the blob ever bigger to the eye. Don't get me wrong here you have a potentially excellent image here, and I could read all your post- processing remarks and tell you worked hard on this image, but in my opinion, it barely misses to present itself with full power.

Maybe there could be something done with the crop, (maybe shift it to the left just a tad) Or shoot the same shot with a slightly smaller flame.

The colors are nice and the background fits to give emphasis to both the match and the flame. I also like the shape of the flame. It fits the challenge perfectly.

Overall good job because I have found that working with fire isn't always easy.

:)

Splash!!
by LalliSig

Comment:
Clean and clear, nice execution! Cliche but nice. Not everyone can do it (including me hehe)

The Quest
by aznym

Comment:
Really neat image! I am blown away by the dramatic artistic value of this photograph. The colors are nice and the idea and composition are outstanding! If I could vote I'd give this a ten! Another favorite added :)