SNOWFIELD
by howza

Comment:
I selected this photo for the Critique Club although I already commented on it. I will try to expound on it further. As you can see from my comments I really like this photo but there were a few things that I would have changed. The bit of grass under the fence is distracting in part because it is so dark and doesn't show a lot of detail. However I do like the taller, thinner grass and maybe would like to see more of that. I would have really tried to keep this scene as simple as possible by showing only the fence and the beautiful snow mounds. I do like the gate and would maybe like to see that emphasised a little more. A slightly different composition may have been even more interesting such as getting even lower to to the ground so that the closest mound looked even bigger and helped to exaggerate the perspective. I wish I were there to study this location it looks really interesting. I would have taken every possible angle and composition I could think of. But as it is it is still very good. You did a nice job with the exposure and colors and it is as sharp as it needs to be. Good job.

Tim
Critique Club

Riu Ripoll
by bcncrazy

Comment:
I really wanted to like this photo because it seems to have a lot of the right elements like sunny weather, a river, rocks and greenery but instead it feels too cluttered. It doesn't have a focal point, my eyes just keep wandering around without really enjoy any one thing in particular. I think there probably was something good to photograph at this location but this particular composition just isn't working for me. Of course without knowing the location I can't really recommend a better composition. Was there a cleaner looking part of the river? Was there an angle that showed more of the beautiful trees? It's often a little tricky to shoot into the sun so as to avoid a washed out sky or lens flare. Maybe you could have pursued that element and showed the sun even more for a real striking shot by positioning the sun directly behind a tree or other object or something like that. Technically it is pretty good, fairly clean and sharp. For this particular shot the photo may have benefitted by underexposing it about a 1/2 to 1 full stop to maintain more of the color in the trees and grass. Like I said many of the right elements are there it just needed a better composition and some elements of emphasis. It looks like a fun area to explorer.

Tim
Critique Club

tired of sex
by andres

Comment:
This is nicely focused and well lit but it has very little impact on me aside form it containing sexual content. I don't know how showing a condom out of it's package conveys the idea of being tired of sex. If anything, it suggests that you are about to enjoy sex. It just doesn't seem to match the theme to me. It is too well lit and is absent of any kind of mood. Your choice of colors and the softness and length of the shadows are good. Compositionally it is pretty ordinary with the content placed squarely in the center of the frame. The lighting and the composition are probably just the way you wanted it and for that you did a fine job in execution, however I just find this photo to be lacking in visual and emotional impact. Score 5

Tim
Critique Club

Oak Tree
by Gotcha

Comment:
Darn, and I just told another person in my comments that their's was my favorite so far. Now your's is my new favorite. This is so dynamic. It has everything. It is simplistic yet has wonderful texture and detail. It has great complimentary colors and contrast. Each of the elements are perfectly spaced and don't crowd any edges and you have just the right amount of blue sky. Even the shape of the clouds are subtly adding to the dynamic effect. Absolutely excellent. 10 -T

Sunset on Lake Ontario
by firstduchess

Comment:
I haven't finished my ratings of all the photos yet but this is currently my favorite. This is very, very good. I am so glad you didn't over saturate the colors and over sharpen the edges like so many people would have done. There is something incredible going on here visually. It seems to be both calming and energetic at the same time. The complimentary colors evoke the calming feeling and the wonderful textures in every area of the photo give the sense of energy and motion. The horizon line looks tilted slightly but the rest of the image more than makes up for it. I want to just keep looking at it. Excellent job! 10 -T

The Trio
by Gussi

Comment:
The composition and framing is superb. In fact nearly everything is excellent except it seems slightly washed out. I think a little increase in the dark tones and maybe a little more saturation would have made this photo even more striking. It is still one of my favorites this week. Nice job. 9 -T

Stand Tall
by Turbotech

Comment:
One word, polarizer filter. This is a classic example of where a polarizer filter would have significantly helped to keep the sky blue while maintaining the proper exposure on the rest of the photo. Without the filter you could have helped this photo by underexposing abput 1 stop and then making further adjustments in the individual color channels. It is still a very nice photo. I like the symmetrical composition but I would have centered the building horizontally, as well, so that it didn't crowd the bottom edge. This scene clearly presents a difficult lighting situation. A different time of day with different lighting would probably help to get more light into the trees on the right side. 7 -T

Evening Tide
by a1leyez0nm3

Comment:
First of all, this is a very lovely image. However, when I see an image like this with very interesting foreground elements, I tend to wonder if it may have been better to show even more of it. But since I wasn't there I can't know that. I just love the darkness and subtle highlights that reveal the shapes of the rocks. Is this Seattle? Hmmmm. the colors seem just right, the exposure is perfect and technically, it looks very sharp and clean. Nice job. 9 -T

Nature at it's best ...
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
It was an interesting decision to make this a black and white. Was there some specific colors that you didn't like? I think I would have preferred it in color. The large dark area of bushes on the right side is distracting. It feels too dominating of the scene. I do really like the lilipads in the water as well as the fine detail in the trees and around the building. The bright areas appear a little too bright and I wish the sky could be darker. I like the composition in the way that the river leads the eye to the building. Technically it looks very good, clean and sharp. 6 -T

Murder - The Crystal Method
by cq107

Comment:
This photo definitely does have some shock value and it does seem to represent the song title. There are several things that I don't care for, however. The scene seems too bright to represent an act so dark. I think it would have worked much better with a dark background and only a single light source barely lighting the bloody gloves. The glove itself seems wrong for this. The white color is fine but the style and texture doesn't really go with murder. It looks more like a gardening glove or a kitchen glove. The knife is pretty cool even though it is quite short. I think I would have worked on the composition some more by having the glove at a more severe angle to the knife as if they were just dropped or tossed in that position. Technically it is very good, sharp and detailed. What is basically lacking for me is the mood of such a grissly act. I think you needed to go further than the blood and knife and really experiment with different lighting situations. 5 -Tim