Through the arches
by beclo

Comment:
Beautiful arches. I'm not completely crazy about the shadow in the bottom left, the line on the far right or the blatant skinny crop of the image, but the overall effect is very nice.

Renovation of a 19th century stone barn.
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Wow! Perfect color balance and exposure, as well as composition. I love the really "white" whites and the really "black" blacks. This is marvelous. 10

Round & Round
by qmdi

Comment:
Creative use of composition! Very nice tonal rane, also. 9

Gas Lamp
by banmorn

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition: Overall, the composition bothers me a bit. The rather straight vertical line created by the main subject and the horizontal movement created by the line crossing the frame make the unused parts of the composition stand out a bit too much to me. My eye is really drawn to the two large rectangles of brick in each of the lower corners, as oppposed to the subject.

Challenge: Fits the challenge very well. The lamp is quite pretty and it is a lovely, creative subject.

Camera Work: Nice job with the exposure, not letting the bits of fire get too blown out like we saw a lot of in this challenge. Sharp and clear in all the right places. Appears you've used a tripod. I do like the mood created by the several different points of light and the shadow. I see that you've altered the hue and saturation and find the orangish tinge a bit unpleasing to the eye - it feels more like the white balance is off than a deliberate. If it were a bit more on the blue side, it would evoke a peaceful feeling of nighttime and you might feel the need for the lamp a bit more.

My Opinion: Overall, I do like it, though I'd like to see some other shots of this lamp with different compositions to see what else you could do with it. I don't remember what I rated this when I voted, but I'd guess in the 6 - 7 range.

After the Music
by leaf

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition: Excellent composition. Wonderful use of space. Depth of field is perfect, clearly showing the artist and his instrument. The capture of the expression of the musician is wonderful and complemented nicely by the warm lighting. I really get a feeling of warmth and peacefulness from this image. The only thing I would like is a touch of unsharp mask - I suspect that when you resized this it got a little soft, and I would love to see tiny details in the man's face, like eyelashes, etc. I think that would really make it "pop" off the screen.

Challenge: You've met the challenge criteria extremely well. The feeling of silence that this conveys is wonderful.

My Opinion: Overall, I really like this. It's hard to capture mood so well in a photo, especially with people. I'm a bit curious to know if he was modeling for you or if you somehow grabbed this shot candidly. Either way, it's a beautiful portrait of a musician.

If you've got any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via the PM system.

Left Over
by unknowndeath

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Composition: For the most part, I like the composition. You've got nice dynamic lines that keep the eye in the image. I think that perhaps the dark three dimensional object that grows out of focus as it gets nearer the camera is a bit too prominent in the image, however. Perhaps with greater depth of field, if the entire object was sharp and in focus, it wouldn't be so distracting. It keeps distracting me from the interesting details and textures of the wet paper. I do, however, like the monotone feel of the image.

Challenge: I'm not sure that this says "silence" to me - it invokes the feeling of an urban street, which I associate with noise.

Camera Work: Very nice - sharp where it needs to be, appears to have been taken using a tripod. Exposure is very good, excellent tonal range that would also make it work well as a toned image or black and white.

My Opinion: Overall, I like this image. Particularly the feeling of dampness - it's a very "arty" shot. I can see it as part of a series hanging in a gallery.

Joy of Design
by scalvert

Comment:
Very creative background and nice composition. Eye-catching saturated purple colors push this one over the top to really make it "pop" off the screen. Nice work.

"Buiding a Better Mouse Trap"
by tfarrell23

Comment:
Oh, the memories this brings back to me! I had this game when I was a kid and LOVED to just set it up and watch it go! They still make it, huh? Okay, now that I've reminisced... on to the picture... Very nice composition - I like the edges of the board in the background adding dynamic interest to the shot and keeping the eye in the frame. The colors add a lot of interest, also. I'd like to see a little mouse sitting and waiting under the trap. Overall, a 9. Part of that may be due to the emotional factor that this made me smile in the morning before I've finished my coffee (no easy feat), but really, overall it's a very fun photo!

Digging Design
by Beagleboy

Comment:
Beautiful shot. Great, creative composition, excellent exposure and beautiful colors make this a 10.

Rock Legend
by spydr

Comment:
Beautiful shot, but I'm distracted by the apparent tilt adjustment that's highlighted by the frame.