tree house
by Zenjohn

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

My first impression is that this shot is a little too dark. The high contrast of the bark in addition to the black background give this photo an excessively gloomy feeling. This definitely is in line with the feeling of old, but it is just a little overpowering in this shot. I see some hints of dark blue in the background which make me think this photo was taken around dusk. I am very curious to know what post processing you did because that may be throwing my guess off about the time of day. If this photo was taken earlier in the day, so that the background was something more than a solid mass of black, I think that would have helped this shot out tremendously.

Another distraction is the branches in front of the tree. The vertical ones on the left side are one of the brightest elements in this photo. This forces your eye to pay more attention to it than it should. The other branches with leaves are out of focus, and since they are in front of the subject, they act as a barrier for your eye.

I feel like you were going for an "overgrown" element with the branches. This definitely adds to the feeling of "old" but I don't think nature was on your side for this. If the branches were growing up the tree I think it would accomplish the feel you were trying for (again, not much you could have done about it since this is the way nature made it).

The ladder is wonderful. Each rung is unique and has it's own characteristic that makes this shot truly something old. I would be afraid to climb this because I am sure they would break! I also like the scar on the right side of the tree. You can see where the bark has been stripped away, but seems to have started to grow back. Again, dramatically stating the oldness of this tree.

Overall I like this shot. The branches are unfortunate, and I feel it is a little heavy on the contrast, but this fits the challenge well and has a lot of character.

-Bill

Foul Hunt
by efren

Comment:
How very sad. Wonderful shot for this challenge!

Triumph
by angela_packard

Comment:
I don't see the news story here. Maybe if your title described a headline.

Lexi
by margiemu

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

This is a wonderful portrait! It is obvious that Lexi is having a lot of fun being a super model! I love her facial expression- and how she smiles with her eyes. Her pose adds to the emotion of this shot. It says "Its playtime!".

The colors of her outfit work very well on the white background. However the red is a little over saturated. This also seems to make her skin tone seem a little washed out. Applying a slight warming filter may help this out. The lighting provides just enough shadow to give some depth to this shot but maintains the cleanness of the composition.

One last thing... Try to use the full size available to you. This picture is 540x461. Your submission can be up to 640 pixels. Larger pictures make it easier to see more detail and small pictures are often penalized in the voting.

-Bill

Snips & Snails...
by lauraodom

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club

First impression is that this is a very cute portrait! His smile looks very genuine, not forced, you can tell by his eyes. It gives me the feeling that he is happy because he is holding his best friend in the world. I especially like how he is holding the dog, almost like a hug. They both seem happy together.

The dog's pose is excellent. He is not looking at the camera, so he doesn't compete for the attention of your eye. Yet he is very attentive with his ears up and his gaze fixed on something. I like the position of his paw, it adds to the feeling that he is returning the hug.

You received several comments that this has an "old" feeling to it. I would have to agree with that. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I think it helped this portrait stand out from the others. I think it is the combination of the colors, the style of his shirt, and his hair cut that give it this feeling.

You also received some comments about the focus. This is probably the one flaw in this shot. The dog is slightly sharper than the boy. This pulls the attention back onto the dog. If the pose was not so good, this would have been a lot more detrimental to this shot. Closing your aperture one or two stops would have helped with this (I have this problem too!).

The lighting is excellent. The subject is far enough away from the background that he doesn't leave any shadows. The lights are positioned so that there is a slight shadow on the side of his face, which really gives the shot a feeling of depth.

Overall this is a great portrait! This would be a shot that I have framed and sent to members of my family.

A window framed
by Gauti

Comment:
Great shot! It looks like a monster's claws reaching up to grab the window.

The Church Pews
by Wobble

Comment:
Without the title, I never would have figured out what this was. :-)

Touching the Clouds
by Nikolai1024

Comment:
Cool shot! This should do well for you!

Air Dry
by Jutilda

Comment:
Seems over exposed.

paneful reflections
by posthumous

Comment:
Not sure what the subject should be.