The Salesman.
by romil

Comment:
*Hello from the Critique Club*

The first thing that hits me with this image is the coloured wall, followed by the menu then the children.

A great slice of everyday life in a downtown suburb of the East, in this case India, if it weren't for the lovely local script this could be anywhere except that Momo etc are not readily available in my local vicinity!

I like the candid nature of the shot the children appear to be unaware of the camera and therefore naturally involved in their own moment. The colours are all very strong, I also like the way the colours from the writing are repeated in the children's clothes. I love the child's too big pink shoes!

I don't know if you've enhanced the children's faces but they stand out from their surroundings in a natural appealing sort of way. The only minor criticism of the children is that the action he is making with the scissors being so close to the back of the child's head make it look as though he is cutting her hair.

Altogether an appealing and natural moment in time well captured, reflected in the votes it received.

Sunday Ride
by Pretzel

Comment:
*Hello from the Critique Club*

I am an avid cycling fan, at present thoroughly immersed in the Tour, so am instinctively drawn to the subject. I love the patterns of the bricks and the window grill but I am not so happy with what should for me be the best part of the image, the cyclist.

My biggest problem with the cyclist may sound contrary to the often sought photographic goal of sharpness but because of the high shutter speed/sharpness he looks as though he's doing a good balancing act. I would have much preferred to have some blurring in the spokes at least to indicate movement, this is just too static for me.

In respect of the challenge, I'm not sure how many voters would have seen your idea of his helmet lining up with the edge of the window as an effective use of the RoT. With a 24-35mm lens you would have probably been able to make better use of the RoT with the window and the cyclist and positioned him moving into as opposed to out of the shot. As it is with the 50mm had you positioned the window further to the right I think you may have improved the end result somewhat. I agree rules are there to be broken and I am always keen to do so but I'm not sure it works too well here especially in respect of the challenge itself.

I hope you don't feel I have been too harsh but this is meant to be an honest reflection on how the image appears to me.

t e m p t a t i o n
by Ja-9

Comment:
*Hello from the Critique Club*

Your image has an immediate and strong visual impact. The dark background helps the flower stand out giving it punch.

I like your choice of aperture for a sufficiently deep DOF to enable some detail in the heart of the flower and yet soften the edges of the petals in the foreground. Like your commenters, the image feels somewhat under-appreciated in terms of votes but perhaps this may be because of that very DOF. It could be argued that a sharper edge to the foreground petals would have added to its impact against the dark background. Using the same aperture and bringing the focus point nearer the front would also have softened the dark centre of the flower where there is little detail anyway. It is an alternative approach that may or may not appeal to you but I hope it may help you to understand that there may have been those who do prefer that approach and consequently marked it down as a result, though the 1s, 2s and 3s do seem severe and unjustified.

I like the soft focus areas of the stalk and leaves and their diagonal, the composition does of course make full use of the RoT and the most beneficial one of the hotspots. The only real criticism I can constructively offer is the bright highlight where the stalk and leaves meet, I feel this would benefit from being toned down and made less obvious. Also the colour saturation whilst it makes it very vivid also feels just a touch on the heavy side leaving it somewhat lacking in subtlety.

All in all, I think it is a very competent attempt that meets the challenge well.

sunset
by sidpixel

Comment:
It's not dust, they're planets! No, even I wouldn't fall for that!

This is what comes of rushing a last minute entry without enough attention to detail, justifiably penalised.

Thank you all for your constructive comments

not so cool
by cutout

Comment:
The loss of detail in the blown highlights and mono are not conveying the warmth I want to feel, good luck

Sweltering
by Ammie

Comment:
I can see what your intention is but for me the blown highlights, flare and composition do not add enough to make me feel the warmth, good luck.

Afternoon Glow
by Paul

Comment:
A lovely image that conveys the feeling of warmth well especially with that gorgeous hair, nice DOF and focus too.

Snuggling together for warmth
by ShutterPug

Comment:
Meets the challenge well, you can see it in the faces of the two outside - can't wait to get in the middle!

warmer by the min ...
by armando_m

Comment:
Great image, conveys the challenge theme well, dynamic and appealing

Ethereal Park
by Samspon

Comment:
I like your viewpoint and panoramic approach but oh, I really do not like the post-processing, sorry. I assume you have deliberately tried to create something unique and original and I applaud you for that but the end result just does not work for me but it may work for others here, good luck.