Dine & Look at the View - CN Tower
by Konador

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club! :~D

This has a subdued romantic feel to it. I like the perspective and the nicely focused table setting. I think with the backdrop of the sunset, the eye doesn't really have a true place to rest. The complimentary colors of the tablecloth and the background work well, but it seems to have a sense of busy to it due to the clouds and all of the tableware, etc. The woman's blurred silhouette to the left is a tad distracting, but in a restaurant setting, I know it's hard to ask everyone to move so you can get the perfect shot. A tighter crop might have helped alleviate some of the side distraction. The two blurred lines running vertically on the glass hinder the overall quality of the photo as well. Part of that could be due to the late day shot and the lack of lighting. Perhaps since this was an advanced challenge, you could have utilized some of the tools available to fix some of the problems. Overall, it certainly has potential. From looking at your other photographs, I know for sure that you have both the eye and the creativity to continue with some great shots in the future! All the best, Judy

Drum Line
by ShannonLee

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!!

I made some comments during the challenge, but I'll enumerate in more detail now. As I said, I like the idea of this and the bright colors work well. My main complaint is the tight crop. Were you able to either encorporate more of the drummers bodies or perhaps some negative space to the left, the drums themselves might have had more impact. The skin tones could use a little work, as I had already said - perhaps working with the red and desaturating it a bit. Possibly the yellow as well. Since you want the drums and the sticks to be the focal point, a more solid background would be optimal, but in a setting as a playing field, that would probably be an impossible task. I love the title and it is perfect for the challenge. I sense a bit of graininess in the background, possibly from night lighting which might not be helped due to the circumstances. It would be fun to possibly stage this again under perfect conditions and a dark backdrop and try it again. I know from your other photos that you are imaginative and have wonderful creativity. I hope this inspires you to keep going and try new things!

All the best, Judy

Door & Light
by Goldwing_ed

Comment:
Greetings from the Crique Club. :~D

This image has great potential, but with it's tight crop and limited area, it loses the impact I think you were going for. I'm noticing alot of distortion on the door but it could be my monitor, That is usually a result of over desaturation, although the color of the door doesn't appear to have that problem. I think if this door were in a large room and you were able to get some distance and negative space around it, there would be plenty of impact with such a simple image. There's really nothing there to give it the POW factor that makes high placements in the challenges. The title is certainly appropriate, but with the ability to use advanced editing in this challenge, you didn't use all of the resources available to really make this an interesting image.

From looking at some of your other photos, I know you have a great eye for detail, so keep up the good work. I hope you found some of these suggestions helpful! All the best, Judy

Sunset Dreams
by Neil

Comment:
So pretty. I love the tones of the blue and gold. Really a serene setting. Nice capture.

Drugs & Liquor
by ajschel

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club~ :~)

My first thought on this photo is that it has good composition and the title is certainly fitting of the challenge. I think that the main problem is the lighting which creates under exposure and quality of the shot. You could have even shown a spotlight on them from an angle and added to not only the ability to see them, but added another element of interest.

If the items were placed on a white or black surface, the grain of the wood of the table would have been less of a distraction. The varying heights are good and the fact that you have an odd number of items works better since they don't have a specific placement value. It would have served you better had there been more negative space on either the right or the left of the collection of items. I might've even had a bit more on top as well. It looks a bit tight, cropped as it is.

You could have possibly taken advantage of more post editing tools as this was an Advanced Editing challenge. The imagination is there, so maybe if it were tweaked, this might have a winning combination.

Hope you find this helpful! All the best, Judy

Dumb & Lazy
by LadeeM

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Your photo has a funny title and idea which I mentioned in my first comments during the voting stage.

I think the perspective might have worked better had you been down on their level so that you aren't actually looking down on the subjects. The shadows work against you, so maybe shooting it at a different time of day might have eliminated that problem and showcased the coloration of their clothing a bit more. The focus is fine but undermined a little by the shadowing. It made the "dunce" face almost halfway eliminated and a very expressive face might've conveyed the dumb look I think you were going for. As for the lazy one, I think a different pose would work better so that you could see her face too, maybe with her eyes rolling up as if to say "me?" That might have added to the humor of it over just lying in the grass. I would have had the girls in front of a solid backdrop (maybe a sheet or something without pattern) which would help from the distraction of the clapboard of the side of the house.

You are most certainly onto something and I think with a little tweaking this idea could serve you well. All the best in your future challenges!!!

Judy

d o t s -&- l i n e s
by annah

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

As I had commented on this shot earlier, I'll elaborate on it at this time. I find the overall quality of this shot amazing. The original sense of it shines through. The focus is good and the lighting showcases the facial features as well as the jewelry she's wearing, without it being harsh or overdone. There seems to be a little bit of smudge on the right side of her nose, but not enough to truly detract from the overall image. I wonder what seeing her whole face, or part of her mouth would have done? I don't miss it, but it might have added to the effectiveness of the image. The clarity of the eyes is spot on and I find the contrast to be enough to really give this capture the POW factor. I look forward to seeing more of your photographs in the future. Best wishes, Judy

Departuretocollegefromhome and Landscape
by Zoomdak

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I had commented briefly on the photograph during the challenge, but I'll elaborate on it at this time. Overall, I find the image very pleasing to the eye. The colors are complimentary as blues and browns work well without being too contrasting, yet having enough variation in tonal quality to really work well together. My one criticism would be that there is possibly too much dark foreground. I think part of it could have been eliminated so that the brighter more interesting area in the back could be showcased a bit better. The sky and clouds are well captured along with the stillness of the water. The overall mood is serene and knowing that you will miss this area, a sense of forelorn is there as well. Best wishes at school and hopefully when you return here, you'll appreciate it all the more. Take care, Judy

sky.jpg
by JPetraliaX

Comment:
Did you notice that looks like the outline of a dove? WOW - pretty amazing.

Dimes & Limes
by cornettcag

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!! :~)

Overall, the idea of this is clever, especially with the rhyming title. But I think it stops short after that. It would have served you better had the fruit and coins had more of a deliberate placement. As it is, they just look kind of thrown in a sporadic fashion, with no intent. The focus could use some work as well. When doing a close up type shot, it is imperative that it be crisp and sharp to detail the subjects used. The black background serves as a perfect backdrop for the vivid green of the limes and the shiny silver of the coins, but both of them lack a little in the oomph category as far as I'm concerned. If it had been me, I think I might have taken three limes and put them in an interesting pattern, or maybe even three in a row with the dimes sticking directly into them, or stacked on top of each other in front of one, making it more of a geometric shot. From seeing some of your other images, I know you have a creative eye and your imagination is always working. Keep up the work and I hope find my suggestions helpful!! All the best, Judy