Hands playing Classical guitar
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations for your high placing with this most appropriate image for the challenge.

Is this a self portrait Marcel? If so, you are a multi talented man, well done. This is an excellent image, your chosen aperture is creating a nice centre of focus on the playing hand, the composition is very good with a nice diagonal running through the image. I know you do concern yourself with composition and have asked for help in the past, have no fear, you most definitely got it right here Marcel, it works perfectly.

I like the lighting and the mono processing it works very well here. There is an argument for making the chords hand the centre of focus which I think would also work very well, but the argument is equally strong to do as you have done as this is the hand from which the sound emanates. The few minor blemishes on the front of the guitar would benefit from some processing attention but its certainly not a major issue.

Well done Marcel, this is an excellent entry in every respect, Sid

Ready or not...
by AndreiD

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A great candid moment that meets the challenge well.

What a lovely moment you have captured, it really captures the essence of childhood innocence and fun at play. Your composition is spot on with the girl in the foreground keeping her eyes closed shut and counting to tenĂ¢€Â¦ but the real essence of this is the girl in the background hurriedly searching for the best place to hide, really nicely done.

What is not so good is the softness throughout which given your shutter speed I would say is attributable to camera shake. I think ISO 1600 would have given you the sharpness that would have given the image the impact it lacks through softness. The strong black shapes in the background, in particular the one just in front of the girl would benefit from being muted down with some dodging just to make them less dominant and competing for attention.

A very nice shot, I like your poignant comments too, thank you for a lovely submission, Sid

~ Christmas Berries ~
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very seasonal image that meets the open challenge well.

An appealing image that reflects the festive mood of the time of year (not long to the next one!). I scored this a 7 at the time and would probably do so again, it still has the sort of appeal that goes with the season.

It looks as though you have included a texture layer to give it a bit more uniqueness as opposed to a straightforward shot, and it works because it does make it the sort of shot you will take a second look at. The composition is good with the berries coming in at an angle from the corner, the diagonal works well. Although I like the background it is a little confusing and may have benefited from a little more DOF.

A rather belated Merry Christmas! Sid

Blue ice
by otto22

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A lovely landscape suitable for this open challenge.

Your wide angle perspective suitably emphasises the lovely vivid blue ice in the foreground in a totally dominating way which works well. The wide angle combined with the aperture has resulted in a huge encompassing DOF appropriate for the image. These blues really are blue! There's nothing to add really its beautiful.

I see I voted high at the time, it still looks good to me, Sid

It is meal time
by tigerluong

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing nature study that meets the open challenge.

Having commented and voted highly I get another opportunity to comment in more detail about your entry! I still like the subject and the way you have captured them but with closer inspection there are also aspects of the processing that I am not so keen on.

I assume you have used flash here which has blown highlights on the edge of the birds beaks and detail on the adult bird. Although you have used a low ISO there appears to be significant noise which is most unexpected it is probably a result of processing which has left quite an unnatural look.

I repeat I do like the subject, given your technical details your camera must have been very closely positioned to them assumedly triggered remotely? I'm sorry you didn't do better with this image but I have to say I think the processing let it down in the end. Thanks for your entry and good luck with your future entries, Sid

Transient Pod
by HUETH

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting wildlife capture that does not meet the challenge.

I am saying that this does not meet the challenge from the point of view of the voter who would not have the benefit of your comments that explain this has in fact been taken during the golden hour. Regardless of the fact that technically it meets the challenge its important that your image alone should convey the feeling that it conforms rather than depending upon a written explanation.

As regards the image itself, its lovely to see what, for me here, is a very rare sight. Judging the size of the three whales it feels like a larger (mum) whale with two younger ones? The plumes also seem to suggest that. With regards to the composition, I think you could have improved it by excluding the rather boring sky, especially as it does not hint at the golden hour, it is not adding to the image at all, I would prefer to see more water instead.

Given your comments about the dismal light, which must be disappointing to have to experience on a regular basis, I would suggest that this is probably one challenge that ought to have been bypassed, your image would probably have fared much better in an open challenge. Thanks for your submission, Sid

a feast of light
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An alternative approach that does not meet the challenge.

I'm imagining this the way it would normally be taken with the dog in sharp focus and the background trees soft and, to be honest, preferring it as I would expect it. I'm all for an alternative approach but it has to have a meaning this does not convey your meaning to me at all. The theme of the challenge is the golden hour, the sky that can be seen through the trees and the harsh shadows on the dogs face and the angle suggests that this was not the case, it feels more like a midday sun.

I do like the foreground grasses and the way the light is illuminating the blades, I also like their soft focus, I think without the dog this may have worked better. But, the dog is the obvious focal point, spoilt by the deep shadows on his face but equally by the fact that he is restrained by a lead when I want to feel his dynamic energy bounding freely through the lovely grasses.

I have been fortunate to critique other images from you, as you know, and I do like your alternative approach that often gives us added value but this one doesn't work for me, sorry, Sid

Ready to fly? Varoooom
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A fairly pleasing portrait that meets this open themed challenge.

A portrait of a child at play that in itself will naturally have appeal to most viewers, and it does but there are several things about it that set it apart I assume intentionally but it doesn't work that well for me.

The moment you have captured is one that feels more posed than natural and his expression does not convey the sort of pleasure I would hope to see in this situation, there seems to be a degree of apprehension in his face. He is too central in the frame I would prefer to see him further to the left but I think this side on viewpoint could have been improved upon with a change of position looking up the seesaw towards him with him against a much less distracting background. Talking of which the chosen aperture has given you more DOF than is desirable for this composition.

The thing I have the biggest problem with is the processing, and again I assume you have deliberately chosen to present it in this way but I don't know why. I find it much too contrasty and grainy. I can only assume you have tried to emulate an old box brownie type of snapshot? This would make it a lot more understandable if you have and is starting to make a bit more sense to me now. Together with the other aspects I have commented on it feels as though you intended it be interpreted much more with the snapshot theme in mind, in which case well done.

As you can see that interpretation was initially lost on me and I'm sure, most of the viewers here, but well done for approaching it in this manner, (if you have), Sid

Catching a cat (nap)
by RyanW

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A cute portrait that meets this open challenge.

A lovely engaging image of your pet doing what they seem to do a lot of, though your clever title conjures up visions of the dog chasing and catching cats in his dreamy slumbers. A good title is, I think, an essential element of the image and what the photographer had in mind when creating the image and is helpful to tell the viewer more about the image as a whole, so thanks for that.

I do like the image as a whole, I like the shallow DOF which enables us to focus on his head with his body in nice soft focus. What I am not so keen is the harshness of the light, it is forming a contrast on his ear that is too intense for the rest of this lovely peaceful soft light that enhances his fur, this small patch I'm afraid, does not, for me it detracts from the image as a whole.

I'm sorry you didn't get any comments during the challenge, I hope this helps, Sid

Crossing the Bridge
by RedIrish

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An engaging candid portrait that meets this open challenge well.

She looks a confident lady at one with the world and herself, a good opportune capture, well done. I like your composition with her walking into the frame but there is perhaps some 'dead' space above her that could have been replaced with a lower shot to perhaps generate a little more interesting view of her. She has a very dynamic pose that suggests she is a girl who knows where she is going, I love her red hair flowing in the breeze.

Your exposure is good and the perspective and DOF suggests this was taken at your maximum aperture for the focal length which is very appropriate for the shot. T~here's nothing you could have done about it but its a shame the bridge itself is in some need of maintenance. All in all a nice well executed image, well captured.

Thanks you for your submission, Sid