Guns & Ammo
by Beerme425

Comment:
*Greetings from the Critique Club*

A very nice picture!

Composition:
Wow, a very nicely composed shot! But I would have to agree that the crop on the left is a tad bit tight. I enjoy the velvet background actually, enhances the feel of a nice gun becuase that's about the only place you see a nice gun like this. I particularly enjoy the sharpness, and the crisp detail in the gun. A photogenic gun indeed. I think there could have been a little bit more bullet though because there isn't enogun emphasis on it in my opinion, it's just kind of a quick blurb of the shot (if that makes any sense). I think that adding more bullets that were obvious to see would have made this shot a little stronger, that's my own personal feeling. As far as the gun "issue" is concerned, I have absolutely no problems with it. It is my personal opinion that it is kind of silly to vote a gun down low because its an..."Oh my gosh, a gun?!! To me, thats not taking any consideration into the actual photo, and in your case here, a very fine one at that, that shouldn't be overlooked because it's a gun and those are "bad." Apparently, some voter haven't ever been to Idaho. :)

Lighting:
By far the strongest part of this image. It brings out the details is the gun very nicely. It was used very effectively here, nice work.

Overall:
A very nice shot! Just take into consideration that some voters aren't too savvy on the gun thing, even though they really shouldn't, just something to keep in mind in the future. Just a few minor compositional errors that could be fixed, those are what make the difference between a really good photo and a WOW photo. Good luck to ya!

~Matthew (goinskiing)

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to PM me!

THE ORIGINAL CAPRICORN
by RUEDISCHMUTZ

Comment:
*Greeting from the Critique Club*

Excellent Shot!

Composition:
Very nicely composed picture! I am going to re-iterate what other commentors have stated because I believe they are quite correct, this would be a near-perfect shot if all of the horns were in the shot. In my opinion, the horns are the main focus of the shot because they are the most interesting, with that being said, it would be imperative to have all of them there. Other than than, it is a very nicely composed photo that is very pleasing to look at.

Focus:
Again, I would have to agree with those who have already commented, I do believe that blurring the background would enhance this shot in ways you wouldn't believe. This can be done several different ways, one is to have a higher F-Stop setting on the aperature (smaller aperature), and to adjust your focal length. Blurring the background helps the main subject "pop out" of the shot more. May I add though that your focus is absolutelyu stellar in this shot, very nicely done! The amount of detail (especially on the horns) is staggering. I love it!

Overall:

Very nicely done. The only things that would make this already strong picture solid would be those two small things I mentioned. A few small things though can make the difference between a really good shot and a WOW shot.

Good luck on future challenges! I really enjoy this shot a lot!

~Matthew (goinskiing)

If you have any comments, questions, or soncerns, feel free to PM me!

Industrial Art
by JC_Homola

Comment:
Very cool shot! I love the lighting, gives it a very mystifying feel.

3 roses
by JC_Homola

Comment:
*Greetings From the Critique Club*

Beautiful Shot!!!

Composition:
This is a beautifully composed shot! I really enjoy the sense of balance this shot has, very well done. I particularly enjoy how you composed each of the different roses at different distances and a different angle at each, this makes it a very dynamic shot, aesthetically pleasing. I personally think the border works quite well here, it gives it a poster-like feel to it, especially with the bottom rose hanging over it, very nice touch.

Focus:
I realize with dark shots like these that focus can be really difficult to nail. Your two back roses have very good focus, but the rfont one I feel is a tad bit out of focus. It really doesn't detract too much from the quality of the photo, but if it were in crisp focus, then this would have been quite a whiz-bang shot.

Lighting:
This is by far the strongest part of this shot. The lighting is simply wonderful! The lighting brings out the different shades of yellow in a very bright and vibrant manner, increases the mood of the shot. Very nicely done!

Overall:
A very gorgeous shot! Really, there isn't much I could suggest to make this photo much better except for the focus on the bottom rose. Good luck on future challenges!

~Matthew (goinskiing)
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to PM me.

Year of the Tiger
by ddmckinney1954

Comment:
*Greetings From the Critique Club*

First off, I would like to say this shot looks really good and I am happy and thrilled to be able to critique it.

Composition:
In my opinion, what really makes this photo is the colors. The colors are simply wonderful! I love the blue that radiates from the background on to the tiger, enhances the shot ten-fold! It adds a really cool aura to the tiger. I feel that the cropping for this particular picture works fine here, maybe shave a little off the right side. The trick though with shots of animals is to have the main focus be at the eyes. The eyes are what make or break most animal shots. I would really love to see this tiger's eyes head on because a tiger's eyes are strong and focused.

Lighting:
The lighting is really good on the right side of the picture and the background as well, but it seems that the head is a little too dark, it takes the focus away from the head and to the lighter areas away from the head, which is the most important part of this shot.

Focus:
The focus here is quite interesting because there seems to be some spots that have stellar focus and parts that aren't as much, especially around the head, again drawing attention away from the head. Good focus overall though, neat and crisp.

Other Thoughts:
If there were any suggestions that I think would help you out the most with this shot would be to get the tiger's eyes head on. I realize this isn't the simplest of things to do, but it makes the difference between a good photo and a superbly awesome photo. Just a few small and minor adjustments could turn this into a stellar shot.

Overall:
A nice looking shot, keep up the good work.

~Matthew (goinskiing)

I hope this critique was helpful to you. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to PM me and good luck with future challenges!

Year of the "Three Little Pigs"
by bjallen

Comment:
*Greetings From the Critique Club*

This is a very unique and enjoyable shot. I am excited to be able to critique this shot because I feel there are a few things that you could fix that could make this shot absolutely stellar.

Composition:
Okay, first things first, I would crop off the bottom of the shot right where the shade starts on the left side of the shot about 1/3 the way up from the bottom right at that point for several different reasons: First off, like most everyone else mentioned, just a little bit too much foreground, it kind of distracts from the rest of the shot, leaving your eyes wandering around a bit. Secondly, I feel the shade itself distracts from the shot as well because the difference in the shade and the lighted ground is way too much of a contrast. Third, I'm not sure if anyone else said this, but if you notice the snow line in the shaded part on the bottom runs in a completely different direction than the rest of the shot, leading your eyes completely away from what's important in the shot. Finally, it makes it to where the pigs are in the center of the shot. It would make it look like it were split into thirds from top to bottom, as I see it, it would put the fence part on top, the pigs in the center, and then the foreground. I feel this would add a lot of strength to this shot.

The pigs are really great. One interesting thing I noticed is the color of the pigs, in succesion from the first to the last, you have a white, a mixed, and a black pig. To me, that just really caught my attention. I love the positions they are in, very enjoyable.

Like other people have said, it is shame that the pigs aren't in focus, because if that were the case, I believe it would have been a very solid photo. I realize this isn't always the easiest thing to do and I commend you efforts because you caught a perfect moment, sometimes they turn out, sometimes they don't, it kind of the luck of the draw.

Other Comments:
This is a great shot, I just feel that a few minor things editing-wise could have made it a little bit stronger such as cropping and contrast (Iwould add just a tad bit more). It is a fun shot and I am glad I was able to critique it. Best of wishes to ya in future challenges!

~Matthew (goinskiing)

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to PM me.

"2006 The Year of the Dog"
by ladpupmoe

Comment:
*Greetings From the Critique Club*

Nice dog! :)

Composition:

One thing that I personally would have helped this shot is a tighter crop. I feel that there is just a little bit too much space to the left and on the top. A crop that would work would be to make the crop on the left side as the same as the right by making both sides of the picture touching the ear on the dog. This would add a more balanced feel. As for the top and bottom, I wouls shave a little off both to give more emphasis on the dogs face.

I personally enjoy the black and white treatment, seems to work quite well here. I really like the looks of your dog, good, strong, and healthy looking.

Lighting:

Overall, I feel the lighting is good here, maybe a tad bit harsh. I can see a little bit of over-exposure in the mouth and a little bit on the nose. Again, good choice using black and white. I say this because I can see I wide scale of darks and lights.

Other Comments/Feelings:
I did also notice a couple of things about this shot. A few minor clean-up issues (small things that make a huge difference): the hair hanging from his chin distracts from the quality of the picture and also the hair on the nose. Like I said, just small little nit-picky things that make a huge difference in the over-all feel of a shot. One thing though that I really thought was interesting was the dog's eyes, very interesting adn mystifying.

*Matthew

If you have any questions, just PM me and best of wishes to ya in future challenges.

Toothbrush & Toothpaste
by EddyG

Comment:
Could be on a commercial! Very nice lighting and clarity, bravo!

Nemo: The Truth About Clown Fish
by KING

Comment:
Excellent DOF. I love the colors!

Cold, snow-blown trees of Goat Island, Niagara Falls, NY
by lwkimages

Comment:
I have had this shot on my mind a lot lately. It is an extrmely unique shot, which fits the NG theme extremely well. It must have been extremely windy for the snow to be piled up on the trees in that way. There's just something to this shot, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is truly marvelous. Good luck!