by Mephisto

Comment:
This is an excellent, excellent shot. I've showered your deserted locale shots with praise, and this is no different. The trash, the industrial bleakness of the background, the dull overcast sky, they all perfectly fit together, forming a powerful portrayal of the moment.

Midpoint
by Paul

Comment:
This is definitely one of the best in the challenge, IMO. I like the lighting for the most part and you did a good job of meeting the challenge using an unique approach to portraiture. Couple nitpicks: model's left arm is slightly not parallel, and I would also like to see a little bit more light on her feet since they seem sorta cut off as is. Maybe it's just my monitor, but I can see a bit of your background as well, which I'd prefer not to. Either way, strong photo.

moonhalo.jpg
by vawendy

Comment:
This is way sweet. Nice capture.

The Specific Gravity Of A Lie.
by rooum

Comment:
Interesting title. You have a very strong image here. The intensity in the pose is great, and mottled fur looks very good. I like the border choice as well.

- - - -
by krnodil

Comment:
Wow this is an excellent example of a very interesting result from messing around with novel technique. I've done the zoom while exposing but didn't think to defocus a bit. The sort of softness you've introduced in-camera is far better looking than anything that you could get after the fact.
The netherworld of focus you've carved out here is great. In focus and yet out. Excellent.

ETA: I also really like the colors, and especially the contrast with the black at the top of the frame.

Message edited by author 2009-09-11 06:53:23.

4-sept 09 serendipity. incoming
by roz

Comment:
Man, that ghost bee you caught in the frame is AWESOME! The impermanent look to the flower is really neat too. Great shot!

exploring the deep
by aplomb76

Comment:
This has a lot going for it. It's a "built" shot, but has great creativity behind it and an interesting approach to the challenge. The lighting is good too, with the only room for improvement being a bit more light on the left most fish. Great job keeping the melon lurking. The strawberry teeth are perfect and add great color. I think you might strengthened this a bit in terms of composition if you had done an angled shot in landscape format and filled the frame more, with the fish leading to the right and the melon to the left emerging from the shadows. Great shot though.

Fountain Girl
by Paul

Comment:
Hey there, stopping by on behalf of the Critique Club.
It’s funny, I was just looking at this photo earlier tonight in the forums.
You have some interesting elements in the photo that catch the eyes, and although there’s a good amount going on, I wouldn’t call it cluttered. The rows of lights the child is stepping over lead the eye off to the right, away from the subject, but also add a nice weight to the right side of the frame. The same ground lights make really nice contrasty shadows that accentuate the look on the kid’s face, which I really like. Has the look of childish mischief to me, not creepiness as some others felt. The candid nature of the expression is great. The lights and curvature of the pool’s rim round off the frame nicely, as well.
I like how the majority of the frame is starkly contrasting white and black, and then there’s the pink, your link to the challenge, as really the only color in the frame. It’s nice that you accomplished this without selective desat. My favorite part about this is definitely the composition of the elements. The weighting is just really nice. I’m usually not very fond of photos with children on DPC, but this is one I would’ve given a good vote to. I think it wasn’t quite as overtly or centrally pink as a lot of other entries, and that was likely part of the reason for your placing in the middle of the pack. Either way, I liked it.

Disposable Society
by Cuttooth

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club;
I like that you went a slightly different direction than many of the other entries. Your entry is almost diametrically opposed- your subject is broken, dingy, and the frame is exceptionally cluttered. The other shots were very clean, simple entries, many appearing or consisting of studio shots. The realness of your photo really sets it apart from the others. Besides, I can’t help but commending you for managing to approach an “appliance” challenge from a street photography stance ;)
The black and white conversion seems to be pretty good. One thing, though, is that I might like to see the whites a little bit more white with some simple work in curves. Your border choice works very well here for the subject matter, and strengthens your composition, which I’m also fond of. In all honesty, there isn’t a lot I would recommend changing on this, because your mood and subject perfectly reinforce each other. Your shot isn’t as pretty as some of the others, but then, it isn’t supposed to be, now is it?

Space Age Suction
by Covert_Oddity

Comment:
Excellent shot. The simplicity of the whole affair really makes this, and is somewhat ironic since the vacuum has a rather complicated and unconventional shape as far as vacuums go. I quite like the sheen on the orange/red part of the cleaner.