Inside the ice cave
by otto22

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An amazing natural scene assumed to meet the challenge.

What an enormous ice cave this is and our perception of it is hugely enhanced by the essential addition of the person to give it all a sense of scale, it then becomes something quite staggeringly phenomenal. If I hadn't had the wonderful experience of Iceland and its amazing colours I would be bound to question that it really was this blue, but with the benefit of that experience I can easily imagine that this is how it really is.

I am amazed at how much light there is in there, you have been able to stop the lens down for a larger DOF and at ISO 100 you are still only ½ a second. If you have used any artificial light then you've done a masterful job of it because it looks 100% natural to me, so well done if you have. It's really quite captivating all the amazing folds and shapes and textures there are in the icy surroundings, I hope to see this or similar one day soon.

Thank you for an amazing image Otto, Sid

Window shopping
by Pikkel

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A natural portrait, assumed to meet the challenge.

Your portrait has a lot of appeal, in particular for the natural moment you have captured of the girl looking longly at the tempting goods on display. It also conveys a desire to be out of the cold environment and in the warmth of the shop. Her clenched hands add to this feeling too.

Your exposure is on the plus side which also helps convey the whites and therefore the coldness of the scene and the falling snowflakes are the final essential ingredient that makes it all work well together. I like that we are able to see the girls reflection in the glass together with detail inside.

The top right feels as though you have added a white gradient to the upper part of the image, you may well not have done but it does feel a little unnatural in comparison with the rest of the image, perhaps it is just the snowfall.

Anyway, well done for such a high placing in this tough challenge a well deserved result, Sid

Guiding Lights
by Neil

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations on your top ten placing for your landscape that is assumed to meet the challenge.

Your lens has really emphasised the rocky foreground so that the unique nature of the rocks becomes a major part of the image. I like your use of the puddle to reflect the buildings too, it works well. The suns rays are also a nice element that adds to the overall result.

I know I am in a minority here but I am not keen on the HDR processing, I prefer a more natural looking exposure. I am pleased for you that it has been well received and has done so well especially given the competitive nature of the challenge, well done, Sid

Home Work Balcony
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A good still life that fits the challenge well.

An interesting take on the challenge and an interesting composition. I like the focus on the spirit level bubble together with the hammer on the same focal plane at the other end of the image, it works well. I like the way the spirit level recedes into the background, though the background itself does have some distracting elements.

The exposure is good throughout I like the natural light and the way it is lighting the hammer in particular. I find the red within the spirit level aperture frustrating because I think it may well be a drill, in which case it adds to the story the image is telling but it is too out of focus to distinguish what it is, because of that it now becomes a distraction. As it stands an increase in DOF would also bring more of the distant background into sharper focus and therefore more distracting still so I think it would be better to place the drill, if thats what it is, in a more prominent position in the foreground.

Thanks for an interesting and worthy submission, Sid

Sunset in Tanzania
by tigerluong

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very appealing sunset assumed to meet the challenge.

What a grab shot! In itself it is a very appealing shot of a lovely location in a good composition. I like both the left and right of the image and the position of the sun.

Like your commenter I have a problem with the sudden transitions they feel unnatural to the overall detriment of the image. You would undoubtedly have had little detail in the shadows and to get it back it looks as though you have pushed the curves beyond normal limits. I am having problems reconciling the feint red trees I am seeing between the silhouetted trees on the right, this may be down to selection problems.

Is that really the colour of the sky? You are in a part of the world I have never experienced and this may well be the case but those, like me, who haven't seen skies of such intensity are bound to ask the same question and unfortunately it may well affect their reaction to it, lovely as it is.

Thank you for submitting an appealing image, Sid

r e f l e c t i n g • p o o l
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting shot assumed to meet the challenge.

A great composition of an interesting location. Well done for looking for the puddle and reflection to add that extra interest to your image and placing it in one of the hotspots to complete your composition. The colours and patterns of the rocks are what make the image stand out and you have made these a major element of your image to good effect.

For some inexplicable reason I have problems with the buildings, they feel like cutouts that have been added after, I know they haven't but that's how they feel, particularly the nearest red building. It's a shame because it is an appealing image but the feeling is so strong it is detracting from my overall appreciation of it. I can only assume its down to the processing, it feels as though its somehow lost its natural look.

I'm pleased for you that most people here appreciated and enjoyed it, scoring well in a highly contested challenge, well done Janine, Sid

Hot Magma
by GUTomek

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A unique shot assumed to meet the challenge.

There can't be many of these shots made last year! A fascinating view of something that most of us never have and probably never will see in our lifetimes. The amazing patterns that the flow has cooled into are quite compelling. I like the splash of red of the hot magma against the drab grey of the rest of the image, I also like your placement of it on one of the thirds hotspots it works well.

The only thing I would like to comment on is that the corners are a little soft. This is presumably your maximum aperture, if so, I think stopping down to f8 would have given you sharper detail throughout even at the same ISO setting.

A very good and interesting submission which did well for you in probably the toughest challenge of the year, well done, Sid

The Spark
by DigiFotoBuddy

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very striking portrait that is assumed to meet the challenge

A good and striking portrait such as you have captured here is all about the eyes, the confident eye contact that has that sparkle in it, and it's here in abundance. I also like your diagonal composition as opposed to a normal straight on portrait it has created a much more dynamic feel to the image as a whole.

I wish the background was more uniform without the bright area immediately next to his face, perhaps it might be an idea to dodge it a little just to reduce its impact. Other than that there is nothing further that I would alter about it.

Thanks for a great submission in a very challenging challenge, Sid

Ethereal
by ilka

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A very competent image that is assumed to meet the challenge-w

This is a very well executed image that has a lot of appeal. You have very effectively countered the biggest challenge you were faced with, that of reflections off the glass, by using the rubber hood you have completely overcome it and produced something of quality. An apt title sums up what I like about the image, the incandescent hues against the translucency with the black background all work together very effectively.

Even though you are at presumably maximum aperture you have still got a good DOF here that captures all of the body detail well. I like your commenters remarks and concur with them fully. I think because we are more used to seeing a jellyfish in a top down posture we are thrown by the angle here, not that it doesn't work but perhaps a rotation may have secured an even better score.

In an another appropriate challenge this would have placed very highly indeed but in this challenge you are up against a lot of high quality entries but you still did well, thanks for a great entry, Sid

FIRST SNOW
by HUETH

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A landscape assumed to fulfil the challenge brief

Given your description I would say you have achieved your goal with the chosen scene. There are, however, a few things I would like to talk about in order to help you try and improve upon your end result.

First of all your image is smaller than it needs to be which would inevitably go against you with the voters here so always try and make the most of your image through the challenge dimensions allowed.

Your image has all of the qualities you were seeking, isolation, solitude and loneliness being ways of expressing the same thing this location does seem to fulfil that objective. Decay is also represented with the roof of the building, and all of this against the purity of the snow which is unfortunately greyer than pure white snow needs to be. As your camera meter is always designed to give an average result for the average scene (18% grey) it will inevitably underexpose the snow and need brightening up in post processing. The problem here is that you will need to select just the snow as you already have over-exposure in the sky so you cannot simply give more exposure throughout.

Your composition could be improved, the building is very central, it would have a lot more impact of you had used the rule of thirds for placement of the building. The whole scene feels as if could benefit from more contrast it is a little lacking at the moment. There is vignetting which may be deliberate but I think it would be better without.

Thank you for your submission, I hope my comments help, Sid