- Miracle! -
by Imagineer

Comment:
Hi Jon! I wondered during the voting if this was yours. I'm getting good at spotting certain members' work.
Congrats on placing so well! GOLDEN!

Reading under Purple Light.
by biggood53

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

While I think the Tiffany lamp has potential as good subject matter I don't care for the way it fights for dominance with the woman's face. The title throws me off a bit. It suggest that I will experience purple light spilling on to the pages of a book. The reality is, the light looks quite warm and golden and we only see a woman's face peering down. She is wearing reading glasses but she could also be sewing, doing a crossword puzzle, or balancing her checkbook as someone else quipped. This suggest to me that the cropping is a bit odd which leads me back to my initial comment regarding the struggle for dominance of subject matter.

My instinct is to suggest a more generous crop so that the viewer can see her activity. Alternatively, you could try a different POV which shows the light spilling onto the pages of her book as she reads. This composition indicates a bit of indecisiveness in choosing a clear focal point. Is it the woman or the lamp? The soft focus on the women helps a bit but her features are still quite visible and add quite a large area of interest that compete with the equally interesting lamp shade. It makes it difficult for the eye to relax. Since this is quite clearly meant to be a relaxing image the dynamics need to be toned down quite a bit.

I do like the placement and cropping of the lamp and the harmony of the jewel tones and the warm, golden light. If the lamp stayed excactly where it is in the composition but the woman was sitting quite a bit further away, perhaps curled up on a sofa, I think it would make for a more balanced composition and a very cozy, pleasing image. Of course, I don't know if this is possible, not knowing what the room is like. This is just how I envision this image working. It could perhaps be done by placing the woman on a cozy piece of furniture under similar lighting but without showing another lamp, and placing the Tiffany lamp several feet away from her on some kind support (a dining room table, a plant stand). Of course you couldn't call it "reading under purple light". The point would be to showcase the lovely lamp shade while keeping it in a warm and human environment.

Embarrassment
by Konador

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Ha! My very next photo on the cue after reading your email regarding my first critique!
I liked the humour of this photo but it wasn't a perfect viewing experience for me. I've looked at it pretty carefully and I can only conclude that I find the cropping a bit tight. I think the intent was to get a good capture of their expressions but I would like to see a bit more of the ridiculous costumes and maybe some context, like a smirking glance from a passerby. While I'll agree this is quite obviously an embarrasing situation, their embarrasment would be more keenly felt by the viewer if their humilation was being witnessed by someone other then himself.

I like the color combination quite a bit. I'm not crazy about what appears to be a desaturated background. I think the blurring would have been sufficient to separate the subjects. As it is, the delineation is so sharp they seem almost super-imposed on the background.

I liked the originality of the subject and the street photography quality of the effort.

Kaleidoscope
by flip89

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I found myself wanting to like this image more than I did. I like the colors quite a bit. The flower and star sequins are particularly pretty. I think it is the randomness of the composition that detracts from my enjoyment of the subject matter. The pale round beads don't add much interest yet there are quite a few of them in the frame. The lavender object at the right of the frame, while very pretty, isn't a strong focal point.

Therein the problem lies. There doesn't appear to be a main focal point for the eye to rest on long enough to create a satisfying viewing experience. If I were viewing this through a kaleidascope the changeable nature of the toy would create the pleasing viewing experience I'm after. As a still life, this is just too busy for me. You don't mention how many shots you took before settling on this one. It is possible that without enough attempts, the very randomness of the nature of kaleidoscopes would have yielded a more pleasing arrangement then this one. It is certainly worth experimenting with again if you are motivated to do so.

I am impressed at the quality of the image considering you took it from a kaleidascope. That can't have been easy.

Design District
by GinaRothfels

Comment:
Whoo, the color hurts my eyes. Framing the shot this way creates a tangible connection to the words on the sign. Very good.

... Closer Than They Appear
by GeneralE

Comment:
Not very original. The focus is a little soft. The extreme pinpoint highlights in his eyes have a creepy effect. This isn't a great use of the surrounding areas of the frame.

Sweet reading
by xoao

Comment:
Where have I seen this before? This trick is getting tired for me. It's a good shot so I have to give it at least a five but can this be the last one of these? Please?

Open For Business
by marginalwarfare

Comment:
Good subject matter but you need a tripod to avoid the camera shake.

Air Force One
by Silent Bob

Comment:
Other than identifying the origins of the plane I don't find that the words play a creative role in this rather literal representation of the plane.

Words : "Money Talks" 1953 Banknote
by Stagolee

Comment:
"Take a photograph where complete words -- not just individual letters -- play a creative role in your composition."

I don't see anything creative in this literal, close-up representation of an old pound note. There is nothing of actual artistic merit that the photographer can take credit for. Technically, it is fairly sharp but there is no outside context to create a meaningful experience for the viewer except to show what a 1953 Australian one pound note looks like.