my sacred place
by agwright

Comment:
hi, one of the new critique members, here to give some thoughts on your shot....
positives, the bench the building and the lights on the water, the sharpness and stillness are wonderful here, certainly gives the feeling of contemplation and solitude. The light in the sky is really wonderful, even tho it is nighttime it has a brightness and warmth to it.
While I am left curious about the white reflection it does not interfere with the shot IMO as much as the branches on the right, I think cropping the 1/4 of the shot would rid that distraction as well as shifting the building and the bench to the right side (which your eye naturally goes to). It would also create a more standard vertical format. I think a reduction is the sides would help the eye to focus on the really great subject and light in the center of your shot.
nice work, happy shooting : )
CC

Reflecting Upon Religion
by michael_p

Comment:
Hi new CC member going to give you my thoughts I hope they help.
Things that work well in my opinion are: the colors of the leaves, the mood of the shot , i.e. fog. the building is composed nicely in rule of thirds. The reflection and the title work well together to fit the challenge while producing a good photo.
My criticism would be the leaves in the foreground I am not sure that they add to your main subject. They are quite dark and some what overpowering and distracting. I would like to see a comparative shot anyway without them. The other possibility is that with them gone you could add more contrast to the building helping to stand out a bit more. Also allowing to see a bit more of the fall colors in the distant trees. Just my thoughts--happy shooting.
CC

One Last Grape
by StevePax

Comment:
Greetings from one of the new members to the critique club.
While your subjects are somewhat ordinary you have managed with good lighting and and composition to create a photo that is enjoyable,emotional and thought provoking. I find myself asking, "Why would this (non-eating) figure be interested to hold a grape so carefully and feel remorse that there are no more. You have created a balance with not only the grape between the hands but enduced an emotion between 2 inanimate objects, with the composition(and a little help from the title). The black background helps to pull your shot together and serves to leave out any distracting elements.
Hope this helps, I am new at this.

To the Lighthouse
by dan_pendleton

Comment:
Not sure how you captured such silky sand in this but it is beautiful as is the lighting and composition of this shot. Really spectacular. Well done!

The Color Purple
by hopper

Comment:
Simply spectacular, I love the contrast in the modern art vs the trees, the color of the leaves and the sculpture against the purple. Excellent compostion and balance. This certainly is my choice for blue ribbon. Absolutely stunning capture.

Grace In Autumn
by roy204

Comment:
I think this is a beautiful shot, but I find the border very overdone and a distraction to the beauty of your shot. 8

Raindrops
by TooCool

Comment:
This is a lovely image, it is warm, colourful and interesting. My only possible suggestion might be in rotating the shot for the main leaf to be 'upright', I find myself trying to turn my head to have a better look. Another suggestion along the same lines that IMO would make it much stronger would be to run the stem of the leaf from the bottom right corner creating a diagonal. Your image is certainly sharp, in focus and I think the similarity in color tones helps to create a smooth image.
well done.

Not So Scary Monster
by smellyfish1002

Comment:
I am so glad you won the blue for this -I love it!!

To the Stars
by Refracted

Comment:
Spectacular capture of the northern lights, (i am assuming). I like the way the light falls on the yellow house as well. I hope you will tell us where you were when took this. : )

Beings
by zeuszen

Comment:
Simple, elegant, beautiful, the color is especially pleasing.