unwilling model
by timfythetoo

Comment:
--Trading Post--

Trying to catch up on some of the comments I'm behind on....

I really like this. I like the skintone, and I really like the blue eye. The single light source is very obvious and very well done. The composition is a bit centered and thus feels static, but I'm not sure if it would look better off center or not.

Body
by zenelf

Comment:
==Greetings from the Critique Club==

Composition
My eye wanders a lot as I study this shot. There are really no leading lines, and there are no points that I can easily focus on. The shadows are dominant and the crop seems a little bit off. I wish I could offer more constructive advice here, but I'm not sure of what I would do to improve this particular composition.

Camera Technicals
The histogram is probably acceptable, but the harsh lighting makes this a higher contrast picture than I think would work best. Softer lighting would have made this a more "sensual" image, I believe.

Post Processing
Here again, the overall result seems a little more harsh than optimal.

Challenge
You've very clearly met the challenge description. I doubt there was much question about that, as the use of shadows emphasize it.

Overall Impression
To me, this is a confusing image to look at, and the subject is hard to define. However, as a bit of an abstract, it is well done and technically good. It creates more questions than it answers, and it leaves me questioning what the photographer is attempting to communicate. I did not vote in this challenge, but probably would have given this a 6 or 7.

I hope you find these thoughts to be helpful and constructive. Keep up the good work! This is a good score.

Juniper Bonsai in Early Morning Fog
by deepfrog17

Comment:
==Greetings from the Critique Club==

Composition
The overall choice of composition intrigues me because it's not really centered, it's not rule of thirds, but it's only slightly off center. I think I would prefer the horizon line just a touch lower, but that's just my initial impression.

Camera Technicals
Overall, the exposure is good, but the overexposed highlights create more contrast than I think is best for a "fog" picture. Fog would be best presented in a slightly "flatter" exposure, I think.

Post Processing
Seems well done, but the abundance of green destroys the "fog" mentality a little, so maybe desaturating or using selective color might allow the fog to be more dominant.

Challenge
I think it's clear you met the challenge, and the use of directional light enhandced that very well.

Overall Impression
My single biggest negative thought is that I don't "feel" the fog. Perhaps it was not dominant and wasn't intended to be, or it was difficult to bring it out. However, once you put that in the title, I really expected a more "foggy" image.

I hope you find these comments and thought to be helpful and constructive; they are simply expressions of my opinion and are not intended at all to be harsh or overly critical. Thank you!

Primitive
by ltaylor

Comment:
==Greetings from the Critique Club==

Composition
I really like the layout of the shot. The horizontal line at the far end of the porch breaks up the flow a little bit, but obviously it was beyond your control.

Camera Technicals
You've obviously benefited from the point&shoot capability for extremely deep depth of field, even with a large aperture. With an SLR, this shot would have a tremendously different appearance at f/2.8. This does work well, and you've got a great exposure. The shadows are there, but there is detail as well. The lighting is nice and even.

Post Processing
I think I would have desaturated the greens just a little bit, or used selective color to change the tone from that bright green that digital cameras so often substitute for the real green of nature. The green is just, well, in a way "wrong" for the tone of the shot. It distracts me. Muting it in some fashion would have really improved the shot for me.

Challenge
I don't personally think of log cabins as architecture, but I would not have voted you down for that. This comes across well as a "building", but not as the creative work of an architect. That's just my personal definition, and you may have suffered some from others thinking the same way.

Overall Impression
This is a nice image. It makes me look twice, but it doesn't seem to have a clear "subject", just a lot of nice objects in it. We don't see quite enough of the building to really get a feel for the "architect", but we do have a good idea of his construction methods. The distraction from the green hurts this image more than anything else I see.

Not a bad score, but a very nice image. Keep up the good work.

Please feel free to contact me by PM if you have questions. These are just my thoughts and impressions and are meant to be entirely constructive as opposed to insulting. I hope you find them to be beneficial and instructive!

Twinkle, Twinkle
by ericwoo

Comment:
Nice colors, nice starburst. It's a little distracting how the path of the cars just ends in the middle of the picture. It has a good balanced feel though, but the colors do need a touch more pop - IMHO.

Baited and Ready
by ericwoo

Comment:
I really like this shot, and I like the way you've treated the colors. This is a style of PP that I want to learn to do better myself.

'Til I'm Blue in the Face
by nards656

Comment:
The entire face being blue seemed too "cliche" in itself. We've seen that. Besides, I only had washable markers, not body paint.

Ever tried to draw on your own face in the mirror? Besides, I SUCK as an artist :)

Thanks so much for the comments.

Far from the madding crowd
by Brin

Comment:
I wouldn't have thought this possible in basic editing, but you have done a tremendous job. Congratulations!

Up, up and away
by ericwoo

Comment:
[[Trading Post]]

EXCLLENT use of light and congratulations on the finish! Not really much critique to offer except that the sky color is a little bit dark; however, it still works very well.

Staccato stilled; bass line lingers
by Melethia

Comment:
[[Trading Post]]

You have done an excellent job with everything I see here - composition, color, exposure, processing, and so on. I think your score only suffered because the subject isn't intensely interesting.