Shadows on the wall
by gmink

Comment:
Hi. I am happy to provide this critique as part of the critique club.

It appears from looking at the scores that your image was rather divisive - there were a lot of high scores and a number of lower scores. I suspect this stems from some comparing your image to what might be a classical description of B&W Still Life - a black and white image taken of an object (likely on a table or platform) taken using light to obtain a nice dynamic range and soft/pleasing shades of gray. Since the challenge description did not limit images to photos of an object, your image, at least in my opinion, does meet the challenge description. But your image is certainly unusual and non-traditional, and in challenges with lots of classical examples available for comparison, the non-traditional isn't always universally appreciated.

As I spend time considering you image, I certainly find it interesting and very artistic - almost abstract. There is a wonderful diagonal pattern of light, and there is some nice texture on the surface being photographed. The spots (damage?) also add interest to the image. What the image is lacking for me is a solid subject, or framed composition where I can focus my attention. My eyes kind of wandered around and enjoyed what they saw, but I felt myself looking for purpose. The uneven white areas were spread out enough that they just didn't strike me as a focal point for a still life photo.

Your image was black and white, however the transitions were somewhat harsh. It appears that the highest scoring images in this challenge had very smooth transitions from blacks to grays to white. That is not to say that your image is not good, indeed I enjoyed it very much, and I appreciate the creativity and artistic vision of this image. Hopefully you were pleased with the two 10's that you received.

Thank you for your entry. I hope to see more of your work.

Montana Wildflowers.
by ScottOsterday

Comment:
I am happy to provide this critique as part of the critique club.

First let me say that I enjoyed your image and felt it was a good submission for the challenge. The delicate purple flower and green leaves definitely met the challenge.

I liked the placement of your flower in that left third of the image, but the large amount of negative space on the right side distracted me a bit, especially those two diagonal branches that extended to the upper right corner. The branches were prominent enough to call attention to themselves and I felt my eye kind of pulled into that dark part of your image. I wondered if a square crop might have eliminated those branches and given you a stronger composition.

Your colors look good. The green is very realistic and I think the purple is just beautiful. While part of your image is quite dark, I really like the light you captured right on the flower. The flower petals are in sharp focus, which I found pleasing. Overall I enjoyed your image, and felt it was an above average entry. (It was the nice light on the flower that gave me the most enjoyment.)

Congratulations on your first entry. I look forward to seeing more work from you.

Purple doll
by drydoc

Comment:
Wow, I did not think it was a doll until I read the title. Could have cropped a bit more off the top maybe, but great find and nice lighting.

~morning catch~
by KMcC

Comment:
It is my pleasure to critique this image as part of the critique club.

This is a pretty image. I like the delicate colors in the clouds, colors that are reflected in the water on the sand. The lone person makes this image special, and I love seeing his shadow.

There is a fair amount of negative space in this photo, but to me it works in this shot as there is a bit of movement in the clouds, some pattern to the sand, and that nice shadow in the foreground. The subject's pose is a bit closed in, and he is quite far to the right in the image. Although I think for this shot that far right position works, it gave something that drew my eye through the whole image.

I think the muted colors are perfect, I do not think I would enjoy this image as much were the colors more vibrant. The sun is quite bright, and the reflection of the sun in the sand led to two very bright spots right next to the subject. Those bright spots in the sand distracted just a bit. But your high score indicates that few voters found this bothersome. Indeed your high score indicates that other too found this a nice image.

Under Attack
by jomari

Comment:
The gardens are taking over - I feel it through your image.

Water-Lily.jpg
by jomari

Comment:
Added to my favorites. I love this, gorgeous flower with a twist. Great work.

Carwash
by jomari

Comment:
Great portfolio. I love the stream of water and bright colors.

Dog'n'bone
by jomari

Comment:
This made me smile, so cute.

Freedom Constrained
by jomari

Comment:
So dreamlike. Just beautiful.

An Impression of Spring
by jomari

Comment:
So light and calming. I love the muted pink.