Heavens Light
by xXxscarletxXx

Comment:
Greetings (or should I say "Good Day Mate") from the Critique Club

Well, this is your 3rd Challenge and you are really getting in stride here. Congratulations on your good score on your Heavens Light image.

You didn't give much information on your automatic camera settings. I'd suggest that if you check around your program where you upload your images into your computer, you'll find your settings lurking in there somewhere.

It is an interesting shape and our voters liked it. YOu do have some blown out bits and some strange blue at the top that might have come about with your post processing. But I can't really tell without your processing information.

Nevertheless, you did well with your image and I wish you much success here at DPC.

Alice
(edited for grammar)

Message edited by author 2006-01-14 23:49:35.

Peachy-Keen
by Burg

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Ah, these symbols of small-town America. Personalized watertowers. I love 'em too.

You've got a good start here, but execution didn't quite make the grade. On a bright, sunny day, I'm frequently reminded of the photographer's slogan: "Sunny 16" An aperture of f16 or lower is frequently best in capturing a scene like this with less danger of over-exposure. If it's easy to bracket your shots on your camera, that is a good help too in coming up with a correctly exposed image. One last trick: a polarizer can take the glare away. If your camera can use one. (Edited to add: I see your new camera is a dSLR. Now you can do all this stuff!)

I like the way you showed a suggestion of the dimple in the peach and can only wish the designers made that leaf more pronounced. Nothing you could do about that. ONe thing that does stand out - those utility poles in the background. A few steps one way or the other might have hidden them. But that's not my call. YOu know the terrain. I don't.

Message edited by author 2006-01-13 13:35:45.

wind chimes
by zheka78

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Congratulations on getting through your first Challenge. It's all downhill from here.

You met the Challenge nicely with these elongated shapes but, as was pointed out by your commentors, the focus is quite soft. It is important to have something - preferably the foreground - good and sharp to give the viewer a frame of reference. I would suggest that 1/60th of a second is at the edge of being able to handhold your camera.

But, in any event, an aperture of, say 5.6, would have given you some depth of field (and according to your settings, would have slowed down your shutter speed even more). Your chimes may well have been in a dark corner of your friend's house. That's usually what the ISO800 and higher is reserved for: dark corners and stop action.

Am I making any sense to you? I hope so.

Keep playing with that very good camera of yours, learn it's quirks and foibles, and you're going to do very well at DPChallenge. I think you've got a good eye.

Welcome aboard.

Rectangles or Circles? You Decide....
by newsjunkie93

Comment:
Okay, this is not from the Critique Club - this is really on my own time,but I appreciated your PM and know you are trying hard.

Congratulations on this image. You are really doing well. I have two comments for you.

Your ISO is still very High and you are getting grain which isn't needed in this image. You are obviously using a tripod, so a high ISO just isn't needed. Try 100. Go ahead, try it. I use it almost all the time.

Second, yes. You nailed the Challenge of Shapes. However, our people tend to zip through their voting and your title probably just didn't register with most, and with those where it did register, some said "whaaa?" and kept on going.

You're getting there. Keep up the good work.

Pattern of Light
by newsjunkie93

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Welcome to DPC. You have two Challenges under your belt now and it looks as if you are enjoying the site.

You asked for a Critique on your nice photo, so here I am. The image met the Challenge nicely with the great pattern - I'm guessing in a ceiling. I really like the colors and the composition. Both work well.

As some of your commentors pointed out, your image could use better focus and parts of it are "blown out" or very 'hot'. Unless you were taking this in near pitchblack conditions, I think your ISO of 800 is a touch high and with a shutter speed of a second and a half, unless you used a tripod, you really had no chance of a good sharp image.

This is the type of shot that cries out for bracketing. If it was mine, I'd try under exposing and over(well maybe not on this one) exposing, changing ISO numbers, changing aperture openings.

You've got a great camera that can do a lot for you. And you've got a good eye. I look forward to seeing more of your work on DPC.

Alice

Swirl
by jurassic

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

(Before I start, just want to say I really liked your 8 seconds of fluidity in a recent challenge. beautiful work.)

Okay, here we go. I looked and looked at this image. I even did something unusual for me, I downloaded it and played with the composition on my own computer. (and then erased the image, of course) The pattern you chose is delightful, the handling of light, good and the parts that need to be sharp are sharp, IMO.

Jurassic, there's something about the composition that bothers me. Cutting the flowerpot off at just one side, and not very much of it at that, makes me want to complete the circle, but I can't! (And I think this is why you didn't get into the 6's with your score.) I tried cutting off the circle at two points and that worked a little better, and I tried cutting out the pot circle all together, but that took away the unique-ness that makes your image interesting in the first place.

So, you have a good photo here that the voters thought was interesting enough to get into the high 5 scoring category. But to go higher, play with different compositional components to give it that "wow" factor.

Good luck in future challenges.

Alice

Here's Grampa!
by peanutbutterguitar

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

I always enjoy action shots because they are sometimes so difficult to get. You have good color and excellent composition in this shot. I really like how the subject matter fills the frame with no extraneous material to get in the way.

This image certainly fits the challenge, but didn't get a really great score.

The one thing I would suggest is to make something in your image tack-sharp. As it is, everything is just a bit fuzzy. The motion blur on grandpa's legs works perfectly, but the sled and/or the snow should be really sharp. One way to accomplish this - with that nice camera of yours - is to shoot in burst mode; one or more of the resulting images is likely to be sharp. (at least it works for me.LOL)Another way to try for sharpness is to bracket your shots.

You have a good sense of composition in this and your other shots. A little more practice, and you'll be up there with the best of 'em.

Alice

Ripples
by carlo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

What a charming little boy, running towards you on a sunny day.

I think I see what drew you to this image for the Pattern Challenge. All those ripples in the sand caused by the water returning to the ocean created some nice patterns. And the little boy accentuated the patterns by his presence in one of the "Sweet spots" in the rule of thirds.

Unfortunately, the shot almost into the sun didn't give you what you saw in real life. It happens! It may be that if you had taken this at an angle to the ripples they might have taken on more definition. Also, had you been towards the beach with the boy running towards you, the ripples might have been more pronounced and the child would have had good light on his face. Then, you would have had to shot carefully not to get your own shadow in the image! Still, it can be done.

All this is supposition. But it is usually good practice to take many pictures, to move around to see what is the best angle, and additionally, to get down to the level of the child and the ripples for a different angle.

You are new to DPC and your images look as if you are enjoying the site. I expect all you need here is a little more practice. I look forward to seeing more of your work as time goes along.

Look out for that bus!
by abroken1

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

You have an image here that meets the Challenge nicely but didn't score very well. So, I'm going to pick it apart a little and see what happens.

First, I'd suggest that this image presently is just about half 'n half car and van. I think you could crop down on the car quite a bit and make it a 1/3 - 2/3 image which is usually visually more interesting. (say from the bend of the hood on the left and down to the rear-view mirror on the van. That would give more visual impact (sorry) to the image.

On the DOF debate, I'm in the middle. Either the car should be extremely OOF or the whole thing should be good and sharp. Personally, I'd favor the 2nd approach. And while the van is in pretty good focus, it isn't tack-sharp. Sometimes, with the nice camera you have, using burst mode can give you one good image out of many.

Okay, one last thing. Depending on how good you are with Photoshop (or equivalent) you might play around with levels, contrast and curves. This would add more lights and darks to your image and give it more interest.

Finally (I know, I know, I said I was done) I see what is probably a police car in the background. An image with that as the center of attraction might also have been interesting to look at (and for our viewers to relate to).

All of the above are just hints on how to get the viewer (voter) to look at your image long enough to really appreciate the story you are trying to tell.

Good luck in your future challenges on DPC. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

greenlizard
by annah

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Love this guy! He's perfect for the Username you selected and has posed nicely for you.

You've given him good placement in the frame and I like the DOF you chose to set him off. Even though he looks good where he is, I wonder if he would be set off even better with a slightly closer crop. I'm not sure he needs all that space on the right side to jump into, and maybe a touch off the top. NOT off the bottom with those splendid leading lines. Again, it's just a thought. You did well with the presentation you chose and the voters agreed.

I wish you continued success in DPC and I'll look forward to seeing more of your work.