Hiding from the Pain
by Paige

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a great photograph. I love the the compositional use of framing of her face with her hair and her arms. I am a little bothered that you have cut off part of her head and part of her arm, but maybe that tight crop added some strength to the photograph. (I would like to see it both ways to be sure).

I have read some of your comments regarding the lip gloss. I have to agree that this is the one main distraction.

(2) BACKGROUND There is not much background here, and so nothing to distract from the subject.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. Exposure is right on. I notice that your exposure time was one second. Nice decision to do it that way as opposed to on-camera-flash, which would have ruined this photograph.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Wonderful use of duotone. Is very reminiscent of an old movie.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE You have done a fantastic job of meeting the challenge. Your model is very good too. I wonder how she managed to hold still for an entire second. Its hard not to get movement in a photogrraph like this.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is wonderful. The way you executed it is great. This was one of the best of the dispair pics. I am happy to see your score reflecting this. Well done!

One Room Schoolhouse
by Tarbini

Comment:
Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a wonderful photograph. I love the the compositional use of framing with the branch of the tree. I also like the way the light is hitting the front of the old school house, it adds a depth that would not be there if you had chosen to shoot this at a different time of day. Your lighting choice was superb!

(2) BACKGROUND There are a few minor details in the background that would be distracting if they were in the foreground, but you have managed to keep them at a minimum and I am not bothered by them.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. Exposure is right on.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Wonderful use of black and white. Is very reminiscent of an old movie... perhaps "To Kill a Mockingbird". You have managed to keep your whites very crisp without losing your blacks. That is not always easy to do.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE You have done a fantastic job of meeting the challenge in a refreshing way.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is wonderful. The way you executed it is great. This was one of the best of the stock pics. I am happy to see your score reflecting this. Well done!

Paper Clip Art
by Jacko

Comment:
Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a very simple photograph. The absolute simplicity of the photograph is its real strength. The composition is probaby the best possible with such props as you have chosen to use. The addition of the text is very important here, as the photograph without that would be too stark.

(2) BACKGROUND I realy have nothing I can add about the lack of background. The white sets off the paperclips well.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Good use of black and white. I do feel that perhaps you have oversharpened a bit because the paperclips seem a bit "off".

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE You have done a good job of meeting the challenge in an original way.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is perhaps a bit oversimplified. The way you executed it is alright. There is not a whole lot here to hold my interest for very long. I am glad to see that you did not spend much time on it.

Blues
by nathaliedoo

Comment:
Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a wonderful photograph. The composition is right on, and adds a real power to the feeling being displayed. The blue color cast adds to this as well. The grainy-ness almost give the appearance of being underwater, they could pass as bubbles.

(2) BACKGROUND The background is very interesting. It gives the photograph a very textured feeling. The leading lines from the background lead right to the face and especially the open mouth.... very strong emotion.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL I love how you created this photograph. The overall dispair is so evident.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is very good. Very effective cropping, leaving only the important details in the photograph.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE You have done a marvalous job of meeting the challenge in an original and refreshing way.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is wonderful. The way you executed it is great. This was one of the best of the dispair pics. I do not understand why this did not score better. Many times the most creative photos are not appreciated by the masses.

Repitition in form
by Natasha

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a wonderful photograph. The absolute simplicity of the photograph is its real strength. I actually see several repetitions; the lights, the girls back and the panty line.... each one adds to the depth and power of this photograph. The repetition of form makes this fit both in this challenge, but also in perspective.

(2) BACKGROUND The background is very dark here, and in that way does not distract from the subject at all.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. I have read your comments about having a problem with some noise around the candles, and I see a little stray light, but not enough to be distracting.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Good use of black and white. Is very reminiscent of an old movie. You have managed to keep your whites very crisp without losing your blacks. That is not always easy to do.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE You have done a marvolous job of meeting the challenge in an origional and refreshing way.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is wonderful. The way you executed it is great. This was one of the best of the rhythm pics. I am happy to see your score reflecting this. Well done!

Shop Til You Drop (at IKEA)
by smellyfish1002

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is a very cute photograph of the little boy. He looks so peaceful! The stripes in the comforter are leading lines that draw the eye right to the subject. They are even diagonal which adds to the strength of the composition. The rest of the photograph is a little busy and cluttered (yes, I understand that is how "Waldo" photos are).

(2) BACKGROUND The background is cluttered and there is nothing here that adds to the photograph. Maybe not for this challenge, but for you personally, I wonder if you tried to zoom in a little closer to the sleeping child and avoided some of the background clutter. That would have made this photograph so much better (again, not necessarily for this challenge).

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. I love the lighting you have used, it seems gentle and soft. There are no harsh shadows at all.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Saturation is good. Colors are vibrant and bright. You have managed to keep your whites white without losing detail in your blacks.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This photograph does a fair job of meeting the challenge. It is my personal opinion that Waldo should have been hidden a bit better, but I did not do that either so I have no room to talk :-)

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is an everyday object, photographed in a new original way. I like this very much. This is one of those family photographs that you will treasure as the young man gets older. It might be the one you tease him about as an adult.

On another note, I live in Virginia too, I have been to this Ikea many times if it is the new one in Woodbridge. Perhaps we are neighbors.

Shotglass Refraction
by jameson

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) You have very efficiently used many of the tools of photography in this photo... you have placed the glass on the right most line of the rules of thirds, the edge of the table become a leading line that leads the eye to the subject. The sheers in the background are bright enough to become a repetition of the shape of the glass.

(2) BACKGROUND The back ground is perhaps a bit brighter than optimum. I think maybe you did not have much control over this unfortunately. The brightness of the background tends to take the focus away from the glass a bit, as my eye keeps wandering back there.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. Your composition is very good as well. The reflection in the glass is about perfect. There are also lots of little details and the longer one looks at this photograph the more there is to see. One example are the wonderful bubbles in the beer. Another example is the base of the glass has some fantastic abstract color designs from the play of light.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Saturation is good. Colors are vibrant and bright.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This photograph does a very good job of meeting the challenge.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is an everyday object, photographed in a new original way. I like this very much

Deep Within
by Gracious

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) WOW, at first glance, this is a photo that really grabs my attention. Your use is red is perfect, and the diagonal leading lines is a very powerful image maker. Then there is that face..... strange, weird, unreal, scarey.

(2) BACKGROUND The red background is maybe the very best thing about this photograph. It would not have done nearly so well with a different color.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. Your composition is very good as well. I love the lighting you have used, there are a few harsh shadows, but those add to the overall feeling here.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Saturation is good. Colors are vibrant and bright. I have read some of the comments about grain, and when I look closely I do see that. It does not distract from the overall feeling of the picture though. Its sort of like one of those old black and whiter movies.... the grain just adds to the feeling of strangeness.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This photograph does a very good job of meeting the challenge.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is an everyday object, photographed in a new original way. I like this very much

Delicate Extraction
by spiderman

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) Your composition is strong. Both of the hammer heads lie along the rule of thirds lines. The handles of the hammers lead the eye to the eggs, and consequently the yolk which is the subject of the photograph. Someone commented that the yolk being in the exact middle ties the two sides of the picture together and I have to agree with that. This adds to the strenth of the photo.

(2) BACKGROUND The background is a little distracting to me. The wrinkles and creases in the plastic bag do not add to the overall composiion of the photograph. I am wondering if you could have used some darker plastic instead of the white.... now sure how that would have looked but it might have been worth a try.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The focus is wonderful, everything is very sharp. Lighting is very even and the small amounts of shadow are very light and not distracting at all.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Saturation is good. The colors just pop here and there is certainly that "wow" factor. Your cropping is excellent. I do not see any way that you could have improved on this.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This does an excellent job of meeting the challenge.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is great. The way you executed it is great. This is a photograph that you should be proud of.

Wildlife - Peregrine Falcon
by pstuhr

Comment:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) This is an great wildlife photograph. The subjec is just marvolous, and I love the detail, expecially in his eyes and the feathers on his back.

(2) BACKGROUND The blue sweatshirt of the handler is a bit distracting because it is so bright. I wonder if it would have been possible to move a little to the left and cut that out, although you would have been looking directly at the front of the bird. I understand that might not have been possible in this case, but the background is something that photographers sometimes forget to look at through the viewfinder. For me, its worth the few extra seconds to glance at it before snapping the shutter.

The other part of the background is perfect. The colors are subdued and its totally out of focus. There are no distractions there.


(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL The DOF is very good, all of the important parts are in sharp focus. I love the details on the bird, the feathers and the beak and the eyes. There is a very nice catch light reflected in the eye that give the bird such and "alive" feel.

The front of the bird is just a trifle dark because it is facing away from the sun. I do not know if you had any influence over the handler, but if he could have turned the bird just a bit into the sun, it would have made this into a prize winning photo.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is good. Saturation is good. The colors just pop here and there is certainly that "wow" factor. Your cropping is excellent. By cropping it this way, the birds eye falls into the rule of thirds position.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This does an excellent job of meeting the challenge.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The subject here is wonderful. The way you executed it is great. This is a photograph that you should be proud of.