Lucky Leaf in 7 Boxes
by ronnyt

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Your first entry, and you scored so very well. Congratulations. Well done.

Now, you're new so I'll explain that the Critique Club is supposed to examine your image and give you suggestions on how to 'make it better.' There is a distinct problem with this objective when considering your image. I can't find anything to critique! You've presented a unique idea in an imaginative way and have received a very respectable score.

So, about all I can say is keep up the good work. I'll look forward to seeing your name and images in the front page before long.

Alice

Moments for Yourself
by messerschmitt

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Yes, once you found this set up, you just had to take the picture. (But I don't want any milk right now, thanks anyhow...)

Okay, seriously, you had a great opportunity, you made the most of it and have a fine image to show for your efforts. You met the Challenge - and you scored very well. What's not to like!

Your composition is excellent and your use of darks and lights perfect for the situation.

About all I can wish you at this point is continued success at DPC.

Alice

Oh, Yummy Breakfast!!
by jorr

Comment:
Greentings from the Critique Club

Yippee! Another bird person. I very much enjoyed going through your portfolio. You have some good bird pics there. I hope y ou don't mind if I try to give you some tips.

As with people, please don't cut off the feet of your subject. It's okay, if it's a head & shoulders shot, but not if most of the bird (except for the feet)is there. Then, especially with a white bird, bracket your shots. It's fairly easy to do with a Canon and I suspect a f6.3 would have given you good definition of those feathers.

Only because I really like what you are doing here am I going to get picky here, and go in depth with this one. You have a splendid capture of this bird, handling its prey. Think about giving it a bit more room (not much but some) to toss its head to swallow the meal. The egret is boxed in pretty tight in all directions. Uncomfortable for the egret and unsettling for the viewer (who doesn't know why he's unsettled, so he just votes lower)

I'm really pleased you used the 300mm lens on this, you can get some good wildlife with that lens, especially if you can use at least a monopod (or equivalent).

I'll look forward to seeing some top images from you.

Victorian Noir
by rasdub

Comment:
Very, very nice!

From The Garden
by JOHNBOY1970

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Oh, nice! My first thought on seeing this image was, "painterly." Your treatment of the flowers and leaves does give a just painted feeling to this and I like that a lot.

Certainly you met the Challenge with that ultra-square cropping and certainly the design is quite pleasing.

On composition, If I had to nit pic, I'd say that the right-in-the-middle stem is a touch awkward. Had you slanted the stem & flowers from (say) left to right, it might have been a more balanced composition. And would have left less empty space at the top.

However, you did receive a respectable score, and that's a plus!

Finally, I'll suggest that when you request a critique from the Critique Club, please do enter your camera settings. It helps us give you the best comments we can, and it helps you understand your camera as well.

I'll look forward to more of your images in DPC.

Alice

Night Lights
by sigrun_th

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

What are the odds! 300+ images in the queue, and in a couple of days, you get me again as a critiquer! I'm the lucky one, 'cause this is beautiful. (I'm trying to reconcile the location with my recollections of Reykjavik, but, darn, I can't. It's not that big pond in the middle of town, is it?)

Okay, enough of that. Down to business. Beautiful. Meets the Challenge perfectly, of course. The leading lines of the fence posts take the viewer directly to the nicely delineated houses right back to the lovely expanse of water which your long exposure interpreted perfectly. Keeping the viewer in the picture for another romp through.

I have just one minor point. Since this was an advanced editing Challenge, if it was mine, I'd probably given that last house on the right a little burn or the tiniest neutral paint. Just dull it down a tiny bit. As it is now, that house is the brightest point in the whole picture and is a bit of a sticking post. The viewer does tend to go to the brightest area of the picture first.

Again, it was a pleasure to enjoy this image. Keep 'em coming!

Alice

Blue Light Special on Yo-Yos
by rhenderson52501

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Always nice to see work by newcomers to DPC and this is no exception. You have a good eye for the unusual and when you get your technicals under control, I think you're going to have some good scores here.

I think you know your image is a little hot, and out of focus. (Out of focus is okay if some portion of the image IS in focus.)

I would also suggest that your composition is pretty close to dead center in the frame. Sometimes this is good, especially in portraits, but this subject probably would have been better interpreted as an off-center composition.

Without your camera settings, it is difficult for a member of the Critique Club to give you advice, so when you request a critique from the Club, it is important to put that information up. And of course, by understanding your own settings, you will get a better feel for your camera. That will help your photography.

Good luck in your future Challenge entries.

Hawk in Meditation
by essene

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Awwww, what's not to like about this gorgeous bird image!

And I mean that, sincerely, from one bird person to another.

(er) But, I'm not sure this met the Challenge, and,while I know this is your first Challenge entry, this is a very important qualification. The image is beautiful, it is composed well, it is sharp. But in most of our viewers' estimation, it Did Not Meet The Challenge. Deadly. Because of all the good things going for it, you still received a respectable score.

You're good. Keep up this caliber work, and try to get a bit closer to the Challenge description. You will go far at DPC.

Ocean Of Dreams
by kellijane

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

This is my day for finding new contributors to DPC! I love it when that happens. Welcome aboard.

Of course you have an adorable photo here, but you didn't score well. Not to worry, you will when you figure out the resizing stuff and get to know your camera a bit better.

Now, composition: Your little guy is smack in the middle of the frame. I wonder what he'd have looked like off to one side with the great expanse of ocean,say, all to the right. Or even if you could have been closer and caught a bit of his profile as he gazed toward the water. It's often a good idea to catch the expression of the dreamer if you can. On the plus side, you do have a nice straight horizon and your lights and darks are pretty good. I expect a little more experience with your photo editing program (Photoshop?) will give you more contrast and good colors.

Please try to understand your settings, and report them in the appropriate boxes. The Aperture, ISO and Shutter speeds all tell you (and your critiquer) what is going on in your photograph, and these are the numbers that help us all learn this craft of photography. It's not hard, really.

Okay, I'm in danger of getting wordy here, so will close this critique, with the note that if you need help in learning how to resize your images, PM me and I'll try to give you some hints. And there is a tutorial here at DPC that tells you all about it.

Take care, and good luck in future Challenges.

Alice

Time Sure Goes Fast
by Asainz320

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Welcome to DPC! You have really scaled the heights in scoring in your first two Challenges. Keep this up and you'll be on the front page in no time flat.

This is a deceptively simple image that undoubtedly took a good deal of planning to get just right. And get it just right you did. You received a super score and you have left me very little, if anything, to critique.

So, I shall say "Congratulations on a fine entry" and head on to the next image in the queue.

I shall certainly look forward to seeing more of your work on DPC.

Alice