Best Angle?
by xXxscarletxXx

Comment:
Cuteness x 7! What a great set of puppy shots!

Day 15: Poly X Big Molt
by rox_rox

Comment:
Great shots... I love the bright background color to offset him. We get butterflies in the spring for my classroom and last year I tried the time lapse thing since they always seem to molt, pupate, and emerge over the nights/weekends. I set a webcam up to shoot ever 15 seconds, and it was enough to not only get individual images, but you could loop them together into a movie too. Fascinating stuff! :)

Cactus
by Brielle

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

My first reaction to this shot was to question which challenge it came from. High contrast? Abstract macro? I think in either of those challenges it might have scored a little higher, but in the free study it just didn't speak to the voters as much on it's own.

The lighting here is great (as you noted), I love the contrast it provides. I like the prickly textures contrasted with the smoothness of the plant too. But, my eye just wanders around aimlessly giving me nothing to focus on, so I end up looking at the large dark area. Perhaps a different crop or angle would have given a composition that let the viewer's eye wander around looking at the great lighting and textures more systematically.

Most of the commenters said that they liked the b/w conversion, but I'm wondering what the color version would have looked like, or even just a slightly desaturated version. Could you play with the hue a bit if you weren't fond of it?

Overall, I think for me this picture just doesn't tell me much of a story. It has some interesting technicals and details, but the composition doesn't allow the viewer to just enjoy them without hitting those awkward parts of the picture.

I hope this critique was helpful. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Lost
by LN13

Comment:
I'm usually not a fan of selective desat because it looks so unreal... but in this case I didn't even realize you'd done it until I read your comments. I was completely focused on the little girl and police officer. The other thing I like about this photo is the little girl in the background who seems to be watching what is going on. Overall, this is a fantastic shot that has captured the moment well. And as for sending the offer a print of the picture, go for it! I'm sure he would apprecaite it! :)

Cherika
by whiteroom

Comment:
Stunning... this is the clear winner for the challenge in my book. The tones, the expression.. and the reflection of the person are all perfect. If I had to make a suggestion, I would say it looks just slightly oversharpened. Good luck!

A portrait of my great grandmother
by LalliSig

Comment:
Priceless! Looks like she is a wonderful and fun loving person! The shirt really helps to tie it into the contrast challenge. Well done!

Mr. S.
by riley

Comment:
I love the intense look on his face. I think a slight levels adjustment on this would have really boosted the contrast and made it stand out more.

Swirl No. 9
by danderson107

Comment:
I like this version much better (though, I liked the first one too!) The dark circle is gone, there is a smoother blending into the swirl, eliminating what came across to me as hot spots of white, and the swirl itself is smoother. A great reshoot. I notice the original says that it too was a reshoot of a shot you did when you started photography. It would be interesting to look at that one too in this series!

GettingTheShot.jpg
by scalvert

Comment:
Ha! Great shot! I'd love to see what Neil ended up with here!

Jewel Colors of My Earth
by sherpet

Comment:
I had no clue what this one was, but that was the point of the challenge, right? The colors are so warm and wonderful, this one kept getting bumped up as I looked at it each time. Well done! :)