Cotton and Lace
by picklenose

Comment:
Comment:
Good day! You're the recipient of a "critique club" critique! So feel free to take this with a grain of salt :D

First Impression: I think it definitely meets the challenge -- the structure of the ice is very interesting and very delicate. I like the contrast of the moving, blurred water and the structured ice.

Composition: I'm really struggling with this one. It's a very interesting photo and a wonderful find, yet it seems to fall a little flat, yet I'm not sure how to improve it. My first thought it POV. It would be a cold undertaking, but I'm thinking that, if possible, lying down flat and taking the picture more from the level of the ice (or closer to that level) might make it more dynamic. Or perhaps cropping in from the right. The rocks aren't as interesting, and it would bring out the diagonal of the water flow a tad more.

Subject: Good subject, delicate, interesting, intriguing. Did you try a couple of shots zooming in and isolating the ice crystals? Both the skirt on the right rock and the curtain of ice in the back are quite fascinating.

Technical: I think you did well on the technicals. Good blur on the water, nice and crisp on the ice. I'm glad you didn't over sharpen or over process this. It's the type of shot that needs to be natural! It might benefit from a little more contrast. I'd try playing with the levels and bring out a little more darkness in the rocks -- it could set the ice and water off even more effectively.

Final thoughts: Interesting shot - lovely spot. Nice choice for this challenge.

Pair of pears
by IreneM

Comment:
ok, not voting yet, but this is by far my favorite of the challenge. This was the type of thing I was trying to accomplish.

Family Portrait
by DCNUTTER

Comment:
Congrats on your PB!! And what a wonderful shot. I loved it when voting and still do. This better be framed and hanging in your house!!

Exodus to the stars
by Yo_Spiff

Comment:
Great "best of" shot!! I really like this one! I thought the lines and particularly the colors were just great! What an interesting spot!

Minster minature
by SaraR

Comment:
This is so cool!!

Getting Up Steam
by SteveJ

Comment:
I really liked this shot and gave it a 7. I thought the same as others, that a little more contrast would be nice. I'm kicking myself for not spending more time looking at it the first time around, because I missed the photographers up top!! They add so much to the picture. The 800 pixel limit loses some of those fine details for people with lousy eyes, such as myself!

It really has a wonderful, nostalgic feel to it. So very nicely captured!

Eyes of Blue, Hair of Gold
by karmat

Comment:
I really liked this shot and gave it a 7. Yes, the face is a little soft, but that works with this, and I don't think it would have been nearly as effective if it was sharper. I thought the softness was part of its charm!

Boathouse, Cape Split
by Bear_Music

Comment:
I'm always afraid to comment on your photos, because you know so much more about this than I do. And I need to look into how to do gradients for sky...

anyway, I really like the shot. Love the red and love the softness of the boat. Wonderful colors, as well. AP is right - vibrant, but not artificial. It's time you start a mentor series on doing this.

Hello!
by SaraR

Comment:
I thought this was spectacularly done!! I gave it an 8. The wide angle lens is so funny on animals, I'll have to play with it! Anyway, I think it's brilliant! And the b&w was a perfect choice. I disagree with the "needs to be sharper comment", however. I think it would be a mistake...

First Day Out
by JuliBoc

Comment:
Love the pair and love the background! The patterns really play havoc with your eyes if you're sitting to close to the screen! :P

What a wonderful scene.