The Shrine of The Goddess of Mercy
by angkokweng

Comment:
Here's your critique and feedback, as requested!

First Impressions: "Oooohhh!!!"

Whoa, this is going to be fun! Okay, first off the intricate design work of this structure is perfect for architectural photography, and without even looking at the stats, I can tell this is from the "Constructed By Man" challenge. Composition-wise, this is perfect, the two pillars in front just make the image spectacular and the detail on the could be brought out to perfection. Those pillars are icing on the cake, so they should be ASAP (as sharp as possible). My first regret is that the scaffolding takes you out of the pictures mood, and until I look at that, your photo does a good job communicating that mood. I really wish the photo was a tad darker to bring out the contrast on the whole shrine, and I REALLY wish that you could see the sky. The sky is blown out, so a higher aperture and slower shutter speed would possibly (depending on your lighting situation) help you correct the overexposure in the sky. Had this been a night shot you could do soem long exposure work and REALLY make the photo POP!

This could have gotten a 7 from me if you would just bring out some more contrast, and give me some sky man! You did really well without a background, something that isn't very easy to do. Congradz!

- ColemanGariety
The DPChallenge Critique Club

Decomissioned poluter - now landscape Art
by duartix

Comment:
Here's Your Critique and Feedback as Requested...

Wow, this is interesting! An odd use of fish-eye but I believe it works. First thing that kinda bothers me (a very minor issue) is that the building itself, as interesting as it is, is kind of difficult to make out form the background as it dissipate into the sky. maybe you were trying to go for this, but I would personally prefer it to be a bit sharper, closer to the camera, brighter, and just a tad bit further away from the bottom edge of the photo. Otherwise, your subject is quite eye-catching in its entirety. It would just settle with me a bit more if I could make out the top edge of the building. The soft-focus and coloring is done VERY well here, I would be surprised you didn't get a higher score had the building been more clearly exaggerated here. Second problem I see, and probably just as important as the first, is your work of framing the subject. Your use of fish-eye works because it wraps the building around the top of the image, framing your subject in the center. I would like this photo a million times better had there been a building to the right that framed your subject to the right side as well, the way the shot is composed, it just doesn't sit right with me.

Other then those minor technical details, I love this image, I really wish it had gotten more approval form the DPC voters. Had the building been sharper, more distinct, brighter and further away from the edge, this photo could have gone up to a 5.5 in my book, and with the a second building framing the subject to the right, this could have easily gotten a 6 or even a 7 from me. Congradz!

Please, feel free to message me if you have any questions! :D

- ColemanGariety
The DPChallenge Critique Club

NGC2024, IC434 - Flame and Horsehead nebula in Orion
by Pascal

Comment:
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!
I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!!!!!
AMAZING PHOTOGRAPH!!!!!
GREAT WORK!!!!!!!

Disney Concert Hall, detail #08
by bspurgeon

Comment:
I like this better then the one you submitted, personally.
Great work! :D

Winterscape
by temba

Comment:
Here's your Critique & Feedback as requested! :D

This... is stunning. The magnificent colors and contrast bring out so much lovely detail in the hills and along the roads. It's just a beautiful landscape shot. I've always found landscape shots a tad boring, but for this, I can consider an exception. The overall hue of the photo gives a warm feeling while still portraying a cold winter landscape after a snowstorm in England. Your subject certainly caught the attention of your fans and some obvious giveaways in the photo help its connection to the challenge "Signature Style"

I must say however I do dislike the crop you've done here. I would appreciate this photo much more if there was a little more then half of the sky shown here, and the bottom of the image was more of the water. I'd love to see you capture more reflection of the hills in the water, this would add a great deal of contrast to the image, adding to the impact and could possible raise your score to a low 6. The better you can capture that lake/river, the more you can get a gradient of textures ranging form the sky to the ground. Also, the clouds above the horizon are a bit dull and, as I said before, take up a bit to much of the photo. They can be cropped out a bit on top.

Finally, your contrast is great, I'd only love to see more of it. The faded tones on the trees don't add much to the photo for me, but that's just a personal opinion. overall, great work! Your subject really worked with the challenge as you showed the same scene of a previous image you posted, but in winter, adding a little twist, I like that a lot. Message me if you have any questions on the critique, I hope I was helpful! Keep it up! :D

- ColemanGariety
The DPChallenge Critique Club

Chickadee and berries
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings form the Critique Club! :D

First of all, great shot, very disappointing you didn't get at least a 5.5. But when life gives you lemons... blah, blah, blah. The first thing I notice in the photo is the bird, kudos for that, and the slick, lustrous berries really are icing on the cake. The pin-drop white background and DOF in the branches really just takes me away. Congratulations on that, but I can tell you the first major flaw here is the flat lighting on your bird. The problem with this is that your bird is the subject and your shooting for a bird challenge. The chest of the Chickadee is almost flat gray, taking loads away from the overall impact of the photo. In addition to that, the bird is annoyingly grainy, a tad out of focus, and all the black ares of the head wash together, disallowing you from seeing the bird's eye. Your background looks great, it finishes the image off with a nice touch everyone looks for in an image. The big problem here is that your subject, the Chickadee, looks like you cut & pasted it in there form another photo. I'm guessing that's why you got such a low score on one of the best photos in this challenge. Fantastic composition and lighting, but the dynamics on the subject and the detail quality on the image in general is very poor, especially on the Chickadee. Sorry about your low score, but I was just looking through your portfolio, and the composition on those pictures is amazing! You've got a great eye, I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your work. Hopefully that helped you! if you have any questions just message me.

- ColemanGariety
The DPChallenge Critique Club

Longtime Seeking
by Pascal

Comment:
Needs a crop in from the top about 5 pixels... That way you can't see the ends of the sticks! :D
Fantastic photo!

Test Your Snake-Phobia-Boundary !
by Mona

Comment:
REALLY wish his eyes we're open and the lighting was a bit more dynamic...

It's a Girl!
by Art Roflmao

Comment:
Oooh! It's the afterbirth!!!

Six Years Together, Over 100 Years Cumulative With First Spouses!
by 777STAN

Comment:
Touching, not much for a photo though...

Message edited by author 2010-01-04 01:23:20.