Marooned
by Kronus

Comment:
Great subject. The centered composition just doesn't seem very strong in this case though.

Desolation of the Imagination
by liebe

Comment:
Cool shot. Great concept. The television. I agree with what you're saying. Actually, that makes for interesting, dramatic lighting. I like how you've conveyed the message nicely, without even showing the tv. Might be nice to have just a little tighter framing on the left. Get the child even more out from the center of frame. Yes, very cool shot though. And a very creative, refreshingly original take on the challenge, for me. Good job.

Watching the Fun
by bjallen

Comment:
Interesting approach to the challenge. Works for me, I get the idea. I think including the trees and stuff show enough context to help convey the concept. The title, to me helps too, without being so much to sound like 'shoehorning'. Good job.

nothing left
by Elvis_L

Comment:
Great idea for the shot. Definitely works for the challenge for me. Of course I don't know if this is a set up shot with a model, or you actually found this person there, but I wish the person were a little more detectable. I didn't see him at first. Took a few seconds. Some quick voters may miss it altogether. Of course, only so much you can do if you found this person here :-). Perhaps positiioning him a little differently, a spot (like slightly to the left) where there is just a touch more light. Or even changing the point of view/angle/framing of the shot, to place him in a more solid, prominent position in the composition.

Cut, Slowly Falling Apart
by tngrndream

Comment:
An interesting subject, that seems to have good potential. I'm feeling that this isn't the strongest presentation in this shot though. The point of view isn't very stimulating, it appears as if you came across this stump, and pointed the camera down and took a shot. Perhaps getting down low, or finding a dramatic angle, something other than a typical view you would see could be better. I think you may have also fallen into a territory where the shot is wanting either more or less. Less meaning, get closer in, show the viewer just the wood and broken pieces, really key in on the subject. Or more being, if the shot is going to include some of the surrounding scene, show enough to add context, enough to use some space to position the stump in the frame on a thirds line, or out of center, try to give some dynamics to the composition, things along that line. I'm also thinking that a little tweaking in editing could make for an improvement also. Maybe a little levels or curves adj, strengthen the tonal range, and some usm to get a little sharpness.

Fog, lights
by Melethia

Comment:
Very cool shot. I love foggy, misty shots. Never seem to find the right occurence to try one myself. A good sound composition, with a nice use of leading lines. I like how the lamp post is tall and grandeur, as if standing sentinel over it's surroundings. The line of lamps like that, with the line of the curb, and the fog, makes me think of 'cold war' type things. Like the border walls, or no man's land, dmz type of thing, and guards posted along the line. Nice job.

Shattered
by snaffles

Comment:
Interesting choice of subject. Looks like the focus is kind of off though. Possibly the camera was too close to subject? Inside the minimum focus distance. Or perhaps camera shake from being hand held and lo light?

daylily1p6160003web.jpg
by marykat

Comment:
Very pretty! Great colors and interesting detail. Nice job!

beeondahliap6160008web.jpg
by marykat

Comment:
Very nice shot Mary! You composed it very well, and I like the blurred background.

Let me tell you how it will be -- There's one for you, nineteen for me
by talmy

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :-)

This is your entry in the 'Beatles Song/Lyrics' challenge. It definitely fits the challenge. You've chosen very readily identifiable lyrics, and actually a clever concept for the photo, and your idea is conveyed nicely. Your technicals look fine, even lighting, good focus, etc.

I noticed your goal on your bio page, and took a look at your past challenge entries. So, I hope you don't mind, but I may kind of talk in generalizations here, that are applicable to not only this shot, but in general to a lot of your challenge shots. Please keep in mind, this is just my humble opinion, and you may place whatever value you may like on that :-)

I can see by your shots that you have a fine grasp on the technical aspects. Focus is good, exposures are fine, even lighting, dof, basic processing adjustments, etc. What I'd really like to discuss is subject and composition. I feel that concentration in this area could make a considerable difference in your scores. I see from looking through your entries, you have some very cool, creative ideas. This shot, Bulb, and The Emperors Shoes, just as a few examples. There are some though, that do seem to be lacking some excitement and inspiration, so to speak. A lot of times, even mundane seeming things can make for great, interesting images, if presented with a little 'passion' if you will. Some advice that a person gave me once: "If you want to photograph something, there is a reason why you want to photograph it. What is it about this 'thing' that YOU find appealing. Shape? Color? Texture? Emotion? what? Define that, then find the way to photograph the thing that shows to the viewer what you feel."

In a lot of your photos, the idea, the subject is presented in a very straightforward approach. Here is the subject, here is the shot. Ok. We can take for expample, your taxman shot here. A creative, fun concept, but there is lacking excitement, and dynamics. What kind of things could make it different, more interesting? Perhaps in this case, adding a little more context? Instead of haveing the hands cut off in the frame, and seeing just the candies, get more, or all of the model in the shot, wearing a shirt and tie or suit, with an evil, greedy, 'taxman' look on his face :-) Shoot from a more stimulating angle/point of view. Instead of going with even, flat lighting, make use of some dramatic lighting and shadows. Just some ideas here.

A thing that has helped me greatly in my photography, is to not just view, but really 'study' the photos here at dpc. Look at top scoring images, images that you find really interest you, that you like looking at, analyze why you like it. What makes you want to look at it. Check out the poor scoring shots, or images you don't care for. Why is it that you find them weak? What makes them 'not work'.

The 'good' images are not just good subjects with positive technical merits. Really delve into them and you'll see the excitement, the interest, the dynamics I'm talking about. You'll see interesting points of view. Shots from down low, or up high, sharp angles, out of the ordinary views, that are not just eye-level stand there and take a quick shot. You'll see incredible uses of lighting and shadows to create drama, or tension, or mood. You'll see strong, dynamic compositions. True, rules of composition can be broken and make for incredible images, but they are called 'rules' for a reason, and they generally just 'work'. You should know and understand composition, and take it into account without even thinking about it while shooting. Things like the rule of thirds. Leading lines. The golden mean. Repetition. Triangulation. Centered, and off centered subjects. Perspective. Balance. Negative space. ...and so forth and so on :-)

I think if you are serious about wanting to produce high scoring images, with your technical grasp and creative ideas, that if you apply a little bit of studying, and dive into yourself, find the way to put some 'excitement', some 'verve' into your shooting, the potential is there and it is very possible. I hope this at least provides you with some food for thought, I look forward to seeing your shots in the top of the pack :-) If you have any questions, or comments or anything, please feel free to contact me.

Happy shooting,
taterbug