09.jpg
by Chiqui

Comment:
Best wishes for a wonderful marriage to you both.

Alice

Death
by zumba666

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Clubk

Sometimes, I wonder. This deserves a higher score than it received. In my opinion, it met the challenge, head on. The voters thought otherwise.

Moving on: the composition is good, with the sap from the felled tree in exactly the right spot to attract attention. It's a bit hot at the right side, and I wish that limb to the lower left could have been a touch less bright. Nothing you could do about that with basic editing.

I would love to have seen this at bracketed exposures. Perhaps a 5.6, ISO 100. With a tripod, perhaps to stop possible camera shake.

About all I can say, is "keep 'em coming." You have a good eye.

Alice

It's ok the postman can't see me
by xXxscarletxXx

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

I like your picture.

Well composed and nicely seen. Unusual. All these very good things. (um, maybe a bit oversharpened)

Unfortunately, you made our viewers work to find the message so skillfully concealed within. Heck, I had to look for a minute to understand what you put right in front of me.

So, be pleased with your image, block out the score, and keep on shooting. You have some splendid and unique material in New South Wales. And you will interpret it well.

(Your EXIF data should tell you what your Aperture is; be sure to include this information when you request a critique; it's helpful to us and it helps you understand your camera better.)

Thinker
by deepfrog17

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

You did well with this interesting Thinker image of yours in the Master of Disquise Challenge. Perhaps the biggest thing you pulled off was the disquise of that Jade Plant as a "real tree!" That added the bit of surrealism that put the image in the "Wow" category.

Good seeing and good execution.

Your lighting fit the mood well, and of course, the tiny human that you posed so well, worked wonders for the overall effect.

So, congratulations on a good one, and keep up the good work.

Alice

Why ride when I can fly?
by bandit

Comment:
First, take one chicken...
Seriously, excellent photography here and a well developed, original idea.
Congratulations on a spectacular win.

Exaustor
by Vanessa 72

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

What an interesting idea for the Square Crop Challenge; Circles within a Square.

While the idea was a really good one, I'm afraid you had a little problem with execution. First, as your commentors mentioned, your image should be square. That is, all the pixels on all sides should be "640" or some other equal number. Because voters didn't think you met the Challenge, this doomed your image at the start. Then, it's important to have at least some of your image very, very sharp. This gives the viewer's eye a place to rest. If he doesn't have this place, he just keeps going on to the next image, never taking the time to enjoy the idea you have presented.

Finally, when you request a comment from the Critique Club, it is important to include your camera settings, and also write something about your thoughts in the Photographer's COmments section. This helps us understand what you were going for, and in addition, helps you to understand your camera.

I wish you good luck in your future DPC entries.

Alice

Burning the Midnight Oil
by cliffj

Comment:
I think a tripod would have made a world of difference in this very interestingly conceived shot. Very good idea.

Pheasant in the Snow
by riot

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Oh, my! I know a good bird photo when I see one, and this is a good bird photo. I am so lucky to get to examine it closely in the line of duty. Every feather is crisp and in good order; the highlight in the eye is there, the contrast with the not-white background is just fine. Yes, I see a tiny bit of haloing on the back of this beauty from sharpening; but because all else is so good, that can be overlooked.

So, congratulations on a great score, which I certainly think you deserved. I'll look forward to your next wildlife entry.

Alice

Kangana
by jpeters

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

What an interesting image you have presented here. You managed to work around what could have been a difficult problem with depth of field on that forward hand and the face & body of the dancer. By blurring out the background you made it all come together.

As your commentors suggested, the lighting is uneven; perhaps it is possible on your Nikon to change the intensity of the on-board fill flash? If so, that might help some in a similar situation. I would also suggest that you use even more blur on the background since it competes mightily with the dancer and her colorful clothing. But I don't know how much you could do and still be "legal." (Of course now that it is for your personal portfolio, the sky's the limit should you wish to try that idea)

As it is, you achieved a respectable score for this nice image, and undoubtedly you learned from it.

Good luck in future challenges.

Alice

Early Bloom
by amster

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Hello, amster! You're seeing is wonderful, and your ideas are great. In just a little while when you get the technical stuff down, the rest of DPC better watch out. You're gonna be coming through!

This one was within an "ace" of being on target. You filled the frame nicely (with one tiny caveat - you lost the tip of one flower petal at the top of the frame; a photographic mistake. Ooops.)

Your commentors mentioned your focusing problems.

I'll suggest a solution - well two of them. First, it's fairly easy to bracket your shots. You shot at 3.2, maybe 4.5 or 5.6 would have been better to give you stronger control of depth of field in the blossoms while still leaving the background blurred. Worth a try. The second suggestion is to be sure to use a tripod - or at least balance your camera on something steady. Once you get used to a tripod (or equivalent) you'll get controlled depth of field images far more often.

One final idea. If the flowers weren't yours - so you couldn't pick 'em, try laying a black bit of cloth behind them as a background; the yellow against black would be stunning. Since this was Advanced Editing, you could insure a black background (starting with the black fabric) through the judicious use of "curves" in Photoshop, if that's the program you use.

Okay, I've run off at the mouth long enough. Hope I've given you some ideas.

Good luck in future challenges.

Alice