Day 2
by EstimatedEyes

Comment:
Very nice, especially for a handheld shot! I think you might have been able to get away with a tad slower shutter speed, which would have given a bit more brightness to this shot. I love how the focused parts of the shot are broken up with the leaves that are out of focus. Adds some nice variety.

Rich Velvet Spores - Day 2
by sherpet

Comment:
Yay! Another shot of this beautiful plant! That is quite a shallow dof, but I love the texture that you captured on the edge of that leaf as well as the curves. What a fantastic plant for this challenge!

Blood Line
by gaurav

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First Impression: Not much to keep my eye interested in the shot and not sure how this relates to misunderstanding. The glow is neat, and I wonder how it was accomplished. After reading the title, I am guessing that this might represent a line of blood where someone is attempting suicide after feeling that they are misunderstood?

After reading the photographer comments: You didn't give any additional comments to help someone who is critiquing the photo understand what you were trying to say with this photo, or any details about a setup so that I can help you figure out how to improve. After looking through a few other challenge entries in your portfolio, this seems to be a trend for you. I would suggest adding a few words about what your background thinking was, how you set up your shots, or what you were trying to achieve if you want to get more constructive criticism on how to improve a shot.

To improve the score: I think this was a very abstract idea (if I am correct in your interpretation of the shot), and DPC'ers usually have a hard time with abstract. The shot was completely reliant on the title for me, and from reading the comments you received during the challenge, it appears that the title wasn't even enough for some voters to see what you were aiming for. If this had been a shot entered in an abstract challenge, it may have done better, but many people probably felt it was DNMC, and the visuals/technicals weren't strong enough to carry the shot to a better score.

Good luck in your future challenges! If you have any questions about my critique, please feel free to PM me.

Message edited by author 2008-03-02 09:15:15.

Rainbow Comet
by MelonMusketeer

Comment:
Interesting idea to focus on a small section of light and not necessarily the object itself. I wonder if a long exposure and a moving light source would look interesting or like a disastrous mess.

Day 1: Baseline
by EstimatedEyes

Comment:
Neat plant... I like how the tips are a different color. The lighting looks like it wasn't really on your side with this one since you have that darker section in the middle, but I do like the backlighting which helps to bring out the fresh green colors. I don't have any fancy reflectors, but I have used a sheet of aluminum foil wrapped around something to help reflect light back on my subject sometimes. Maybe something like that would help to brighten up that middle spot here? Great start to the challenge.. looking forward to more! :)

Old Flower - Day 1
by slaakso

Comment:
These puffball seeds are so fun! I like how you captured the green stem, the puffball, and the dead part of another flower that's already been blown away showing many parts of the life cycle of this flower. The lighting on this one seems a bit harsh like you used a flash? Anyway, thanks for reminding me that I have some old seed pods tucked away somewhere that would be great for this macro challenge!

Day 01 - Onion
by hajeka

Comment:
Nice shot! Love the diagonal lines and how the middle seems almost transparent. I wonder if you could backlight this if you had a thin enough sliver. I'm not a fan of the smell or taste of a raw onion, but just goes to show that it does have some redeeming qualities!

Day 1: Falling sugar crystals
by johst582

Comment:
WOW! Now that's a macro! This is one of the things I love most about macro photography... being able to see the details in everyday objects that I would normally not be able to. The processing is wonderful, and thanks for sharing that in your notes. Great start to the month! :)

talk - day 1 macro
by scwalsh

Comment:
Nice shot. Lots of details you can see that you probably overlook every day. If the buttons light up, I wonder if a night version of this would be interesting?

Where's my stick?
by rmezzo

Comment:
I love how the water frames the top and bottom of the shot, and the ice at the bottom gives an extra splash of texture. It probably wasn't easy to get the pup to stand so nicely, but I wish s/he had moved over a bit so that the rock wasn't coming out of his/her side.