c o n · v e r g · i n g
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hello from the critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

I am always instantly attracted to reflections so your image is very appealing anyway but this is simply gorgeous Janine. I love your composition with the blank sky corner which just seems to work so very well. I like the minimalist style but the image's real strength is in the reflections themselves and their irregularity amongst all the rigidly regular structure of the building itself. The only thing I wonder is whether a completely bland sky would have added even more impact replacing the cloud reflections of the left of the frame to make it even more uniform.

Congratulations on your high placing, very well deserved.

Smell the Flowers
by sfalice

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

A pleasing image that meets the challenge.

You have distinguished the composite nature of your image for the challenge by quite clearly photographing the flowers in a distinctly different light. They are also very much sharper than the rest of the image which again makes them stand out and therefore self-evident for the purpose of the challenge. Whilst your original image is three lovely ladies, a very pleasing subject, it would be so much more appealing if we could see their eyes and they had a hint of a smile. As it is they don't look very happy or engaged with the moment, indeed they look as though they feel uncomfortable and this somewhat detracts from the effectiveness of it. Having said all that I like the hat and their hair, especially the one in the middle but I think her forehead could benefit from a little dodging just to reduce its brightness a bit.

I would say you have achieved your goal of a surreal image especially given their expressions as though to say well whats wrong with drinking flowers! Well done and thanks for your submission.

quite morning
by jgirl57

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge

Your image is all about the lovely light and a good example of how important good light is for a good image. It conveys a feeling of peace and tranquility very effectively, I like the contrast between the backlit foliage and the darker water and background it works well. The only thing missing here is someone sat on the bench peacefully absorbing their lovely location. However, I feel your image would probably benefit from a square crop, the base is fine but the top is nowhere near as effective as the lower half of the frame. The lower half has much more appeal because of the contrasts and lovely backlighting, at the top we have the exact opposite which I feel is detrimental to the whole end result. I like that you have produced a lovely image without the need to resort to 'artistic' PS filters, well captured.

Thank you for your lovely entry.

The indonesian restaurant
by StickInMind

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge

Well done for spotting the potential from this scene to create something quite unique. The red lampshades are very distinctive in this near mono sepia image, I also like their contrasting square shapes against he round ones above. Your symmetry is pretty near spot on and well justified for the image here. The one criticism I am tempted to make is the vertical cropping, I wish we could see more of the upper windows and lamps, this could have been done with a little sacrifice of the bottom of the frame which I feel is less important than the top of the frame. I am not keen on these 'artistic' PS filters but I can fully understand why you have chosen to use them in this challenge.

Thanks for your original entry

IMG_5654-1_edited-2
by funky

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge
I think it is somewhat subjective to determine what is painterly and what is not and, no doubt, different people will have different views. With that in mind I can easily see a landscape painter lovingly labouring over this scene. I do like that you have created an image that has a certain painterly feel to it without resorting to the use of PS filters. I like the softness and that it is all down to the atmospheric conditions you experienced at the time, together with the detail of the foreground it makes for an appealing scene. The distant mountains are very effective in this respect they have a certain softness that lends itself to the overall end result.

Nicely captured, well done

Leaf bones
by snaffles

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge well

I must confess that I am not at all keen on the use of many of those 'artistic' filters but given the nature of this challenge its perfectly understandable and acceptable in this context. I felt the need to make this confession because what you have produced is more appealing than I would normally have expected though it does seem a shame to have replaced those presumably gorgeous colours with these blues. I think the red of the flames and the intensity of those flames works very well especially in contrast against those blues.

The close cropped composition works well, although the subject is very obvious there is a near abstract quality to it that adds additional interest and appeal.

I commend your intention of 'going against all the predictably pretty images' and coming up with something very original.

Foggy Morning
by jgirl57

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

The colours are the striking feature here, I like the portrait orientation and the way it accentuates the majestic beauty of the trees. The foggy background is working really well to introduce an air of mystery that helps us focus on those lovely foreground trees and yet observe the subdued and misty tree shapes in the background. However, I think you missed an opportunity to improve on this. I wish the manmade objects were not there, the benches, the lamp, the pole and the path could all have been easily excluded to improve the end result significantly. I think there are two approaches to this scene, one to ignore the park and make it more natural, as I have suggested, or to subtly show that you are in a park with, again the emphasis on the natural, but with the distant path and a person and perhaps their dog walking in the foggy mist of the distance. A park is an area to be enjoyed by people and their trappings so I feel thats the way they should be shown if that is the intention.

Congratulations with your successful recognition of the image through the news and google+ and also a respectable score here.

Melting Frost
by Drake

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

I like the close crop of these freshly fallen leaves with their gorgeous colouring and the detail and texture. The thing that is working so well here is the natural side lighting which serves to emphasise the lovely detail. This is a good example of just how important good lighting is to a good photographic result. I have to say that I rather tire of the 'obligatory' drops of water on foliage but again given the lighting they do add to the end result. My only criticism is that I wish the mottled leaf to the right was a little sharper in keeping with the rest of the image. I do love the shadows and detail that result from that lovely lighting.

Well done, a lovely entry.

The first snow in the winter
by Gudjonotto

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

Well, it was fall foliage colours they were after and thats what they have in abundance here! This is a lovely scene that shows the beautifully coloured foliage off well together with the reminder of snowy colder weather to come. Your composition works well with the tree forming a frame for the left of the frame together with close detail of its lovely leaves. The long exposure has transformed the water into the major feature of the image, the silkiness and the contrasts make it work very effectively. The sky lets the image down as a whole but the rest of the image is so strong that we can largely dismiss it but not altogether and I would say that this is probably why it didn't do even better for you.

An excellent entry well done Otto.

Kaleidoscope
by Pangurban

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge

Well, I have to commend you for attempting to inject some originality into the presentation of your entry but I'm sorry, it doesn't work for me. Also attention to the small details is always crucial, your rotation is not level it is leaning to the right and symmetry is important here, your crop is not equal left to right. Having said all that I do acknowledge and welcome your creative vision in looking and seeing beyond the norm that you have before you. You ask if the inclusion of wildlife would have enhanced it, in my opinion, yes it would if it were a normal presentation but in this form, no, I think it would have been a distraction. For this image to work at its best you need a very strict symmetry throughout.

Well done for your originality