Close Shave
by FranziskaLang

Comment:
This is actually a very simple photo ... I took a picture frame (w/out the glass) and a lot of pencil shavings. Arrange the shavings within the frame and on top of the frame. Take picture, crop, do the usual post-level adjustments. I've used this technique before for the kitchen art challenge (with pasta and a differently colored frame). The idea comes originally from someone else (don't know who) who submitted a picture using this technique and a scanner to create something similar.

Btw, please feel free to copy this if you'd like, after all, I copied it too! ;)

Originally posted by clues56: Very good. I wish you would write a tutorial on how you made the border with the shaving coming out. I won't copy, I promise. I would like to know for myself.

Message edited by author 2003-06-16 22:16:03.

Slightly Cross-Eyed Charlie
by ruthiek

Comment:
I'm assuming the eyes are the object here and therefore you meet the challenge, but, to be honest, to me, it's the whole cat that's the subject and it pretty much fills the picture rather than being off-center, especially if I haven't read the title. As for the photo itself, none of the background has any strong colors so it's not too intrusive, but I would prefer to see a cleaner or blurry background, personally. The white fur on Charlie's chest is very much overexposed and overpowers the image. Maybe use something (I often use a bedsheet) to block out / reduce the strong lightsource from the right to even out the lighting ...

Finish Line
by Ruchart

Comment:
I love the angle! You meet the challenge and you take an everyday place and show it from a totally unusual angle. The finish line adds great interest in the foreground and from there the eyes just wander along the converging lines through the whole photo. Awesome. Makes me feel I'm standing at the start and I'm ready to race.

Midnight Mushroom
by scab-lab

Comment:
Meets challenge. Good idea that works well in b&w. I wonder how this would work with the light below the mushroom so that the shadow from the stem on the underside of the cap is not there anymore.

Rachelle
by angg

Comment:
You meet the challenge here. I like that you haven't just placed your subject off-center, but added something in the remaining space that balances it and gives it context. Now, I'm assuming you took this at a concert, so you didn't have control over the lighting or the angle, and I know concert photography is hard (at least I pretty much consistently fail to get any decent pix, but that might just be that I'm not good at concert photography :-P ). Anyhow, there are a number of things that don't appeal to me personally: Rachelle does not seem to be quite in focus, the mike seems to be pointing at her forehead rather than her mouth, the bluish light giving her the bluish skin tone and lastly the fact that she is looking away and there's a shadow on her eye so it almost seems like there's no iris. I'm sorry I don't like your photo much, I'm sure part of it is just a matter of taste and others will appreciate the blue tint etc. I hope I pointed out some constructive things to look out for anyhow.

Off Center Barn
by Kneeforu

Comment:
Fits the challenge, don't you just hate it when the weather doesn't cooperate with those bright blue skies when you want them? One of the ways to minimize that impact is to include less sky in the photo. In this case especially, unless there's something in the foreground that prevents you from doing it, I would've included more of the grooves in the field and less of the sky (even if it was blue) to add more texture and interest.

Feathers of a Bird
by alanfreed

Comment:
Just one feather ;) Great idea, meets challenge. Love the focus and the fact you included a vertical feather in a landscape format photo. DOF is spot-on, really like just how smooth the background gets toward the top. Two things that could be better are the blown out white soft bits of the feather (I know how hard that's to control, I've photographed feathers myself) and - something that's easy to control - the two out of focus longest bits of grass in front of the feather. I like that there are some in the front, but those two tall ones are just that (IMHO), too tall and detract from the feather.

Me and my Monopod
by JPR

Comment:
So, how many comments are you getting about how you did your border and whether it's legal? I trust it's legal, I'd be curious to find out how you did it after the challenge though. As for the photo, it meets the challenge, great b&w with nice amounts of contrast, good lighting. Good job :)

Message edited by author 2003-06-23 08:51:31.

Summer Rose I
by Jak

Comment:
Very nice focus, stunning rose, the off-center works here (and meets the challenge). I like the frame. The one thing I'd change (and it's nitpicky and for after the challenge because it's a DPC-illegal edit, so I won't deduct points) is the white area in the top left corner ... I would probably match it more to the background so it doesn't distract the user away from the rose.

Fuchsia
by GolferDDS

Comment:
Beautiful flower and focus. The flash created some harsh shadows and reflections though ... could you have taken this one w/out? While this meets the challenge (subject being off-center) I can't really feel a reason to put it off-center other than meeting the challenge, there's nothing to counter-balance it in the empty space.