OKC: Remembering When Time Stood Still
by postoakinversion

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

First of all, congratulations on your 8th place result. The long exposure has enabled you to create an image with impact that has clearly been appreciated.

For me the sky with its motion blur from the clouds is what gives this image its impact, I also like the startbursts of the lights from the small aperture you have used. I'm not too keen on the wide angle effect on the buildings but I think if you had used perspective control you would have altered the whole image to its detriment. Equally, the more exaggerated an effect is the more acceptable it becomes.

The biggest problem I have here is the amount of overexposure from the illuminated areas. I tend to agree with your commenter that combining separate exposures may have been a better choice or perhaps a reversed graduated filter to reduce the exposure of the lower half may have worked better.

As a stranger, I need your description to confirm that this is indeed a monument, and the time, I assume is not a clock as I thought, but a permanent reminder of the time when the deed was done? So, given all that it obviously fits the challenge well.

All of this is rather academic given your result, well done.

Picture Wall has to be Moved Citizens really Mad at the Mayor
by PaulG13

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

What an amazing location, the world needs more of 'em!

The images on the wall all look fascinating and they're presumably telling something of the local character and history of the place. I like that you have shot from an angle as opposed to a straight on front shot. I wonder if you could have shot from the right hand side with the receding space being filled with the larger side of the picture wall thereby replacing the railing/sky combination with more of the images themselves. Maybe you couldn't get into that position anyway?

The lighting looks flat and overcast thus avoiding overly bright contrasts which suits your subject well, I don't know if you have enhanced the image wall but it is standing out from the rest of the image nicely. I do see this on the front page of the local paper with the headline amendments as suggested by your commenter so yes, it fills the challenge brief well.

I don't know if the original images are mono too but they have reproduced well here, all in all a very respectable entry, well done.

Happy shooting, Sid

a metaphor for falling
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Sadly, an undervalued image worthy of a much higher score than it received. It displays good creative vision and your title adds another dimension.

I am unfamiliar with your post-processing technique but I always prefer to do my mono conversion in PS. Whatever your technique is it has made, what I suspect was probably a mediocre mono image from the camera into a much stronger image.

The problem with the in-camera mono option is that it throws all of your valuable colour data away thus severely limiting your options, in particular colour filters, which is where all of your tonal possibilities are held.

The foreground leaf grabs your attention and lets you explore the other underwater debris nearby, your eye is then naturally led up the boulder to those absolutely gorgeous ripples after feasting on those slowly drifting up and out of the top of the image. You have a lovely, near full, range of tones, with detail in all areas from the darkest shadows to the bright highlight of the ripple.

Its sad that it scored so low but how on earth anyone can possibly justify the sub fours is way beyond my comprehension, they have managed to completely distort the end result, you have my sympathy.

More of the same please, Sid

Aaaahhh
by texdon

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Let me begin by congratulating you on your yellow ribbon, very well done. What's his name, Rip Van Winkle?

It's such a hard life, having to be so cute 24/7/365! You've done a marvellous job of capturing his or her character here so well, the end result an image that is well deserving of the title and the ribbon.

As has been commented already the way you have got nice sharp focus on the nose and your chosen aperture for sufficeint DOF on the head has all worked really well. Although we can't even see the eyes I think the way the light highlights the nose this more than makes up for such absence.

The colours and tones in the fur are all absolutely gorgeously reproduced. You can't help but wonder what dreams your lovely dog is experiencing, makes you wish we could communicate better with them doesn't it.

Well done, woofâ€Â¦ Sid

Fire in the clouds
by Gudjonotto

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Let me begin by congratulating you on your red ribbon, very well done.

You have chosen a tremendous vantage point and waited for an interesting sky to add impact to your image. Your composition is faultless, the range of tones complete and the landscape fascinatingly interesting.

I can understand why the waterfall is the colour it is, absorbing light as it does from the sunset but I do agree with one of the rare questioning comments that its colour is a little off-putting. Although its in the interests of the natural light to accurately reflect what you see before you I might have been tempted to keep it but to reduce its effect. I would probably have also given it a shorter exposure to bring some detail back into the waterfall. I do love the base of the waterfall and the rich blacks of the water fringed with the icy sprayed surrounding grasses.

There's not a lot else I would have done differently here. I know from own experience what fascinating colours there are in the natural landscape of Iceland, I would dearly love to return in the very near future, it would be great to meet up.

More of the same! Regards Sid

New Dungeness Light Station
by HUETH

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Your image has immediate impact with the buildings standing out from the rest of the desat image. In respect of the challenge it conforms with the desat elements.

I strongly agree with your commenter, your composition could have been greatly improved by moving the centre of interest on the upper third and reducing the amount of bland boring sky to just above the top of the lighthouse in preference for more of the foreground.

I also think you lost an opportunity to make more of the desat part by making much better use of the mono tones to given it even more impact through the use of a fuller tonal range and contrasts. A couple of other minor points, I think the yellows ought to have been subdued and timing wise it would be great to see the full coloured flag blowing in the wind.

I think your image works because the coloured areas include so much white they could still be part of the desat elements. I think desat works best when the coloured areas are kept to a minimum and although there is fair amount of the image retaining the original colour that is the effect we have here because the dominant colours are fairly minimal and they're broken up.

Happy shooting Sid

A Glimpse into Poverty
by headlesspiderman

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

There is an air of mystery in your image but your intent is not obvious to me. In respect of the challenge any desat will enable you to meet the challenge so it has achieved that.

You have made a conscious decision to compose your image in the way you have which is sort of effective but I think this is a case where the rule of thirds may have been better certainly for the brolly. I'm all for breaking the 'rules' but it has to be done effectively and I'm not sure it is here.

You have chosen well with the brolly it adds interest in its own right but even more so with the desat background. The grill in the wall breaks up the expanse nicely, without it the wall would be very bland and uninteresting.

If there was some human element it would greatly improve the image and give it the impact it lacks. I have to be honest and say that I don't understand your title in relation to the image. Titles are very important to give your viewer more of a clue as to your motivation or intention behind the original image.

I also don't understand your sole commenter, he appears to approve of your image yet only scores it with a 1. Having never yet come across any image that deserves such a low score I just can't understand why he has done this.

Happy shooting Sid

Do Not Ride Toward The Light ...
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
I would be happy to draw and comment on this through the critique club if given it, so I will comment on it anyway, hope you don't mind.

The foreground bike is obviously the one you have selected for the thirds with its windshield nicely placed on the hotspot. There is deliberate over exposure hence the title, most of us will avoid it like the plague but it is very effective here in helping to emphasise the foreground. You also have some blocking in the shadows which again might be deliberate in blending two extremes together?

I commend you for having the courage of your convictions, the image has a special appeal to you and you correctly anticipated a low score but stood by your choice, well done.

I am MAN!
by Phocal

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

The quality of your shot adds impact to the end result.

Like you, I am no fan at all of desat but that is the challenge you were presented with so in that respect any desat would meet the challenge.

I see one of your commenters has suggested leaving the whole bird in its natural colours which would probably be the natural approach, especially as they are such a beautiful bird. I sense that you have decided to try and do something different with your selection. Reds are a naturally vibrant colour anyway but when isolated, as here, in a mono image it has an overwhelming impact. Also, the beak is getting a little bit lost into the background I think it could benefit from the background being dodged to make it stand out more.

I like the birds pose and the diagonal of the twig on which it is perched. The choice of aperture has isolated it nicely from the background though I think the brighter patch below the bird would probably have benefited from some burning in to help it blend more with the rest of the background but that is a minor criticism.

I assume from your title the red throat signifies that it is a male bird?

Happy shooting Sid

Age Desaturates
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appropriate choice of subject for selective desat which obviously meets the challenge well.

I think there are a couple of ways in which the image could have been improved, the main one being the composition itself, the main thing is its just too central. It would have been better to have placed it on one of the thirds, most probably the left third.

Also it is too dominant, if you had shot the barn from further away you could have included more of the landscape and placed it on one of the left hotspots, dependant on whether you were to emphasise the sky or the landscape. Because of the nature of the challenge anything that is desaturated will stand out and therefore become more dominant, this is already the main feature of the image before desat and now overpowers what is left of the landscape to its detriment. You have some lovely greens and blues these ought to have been given a lot more emphasis through your composition.

There does seem to be some inaccuracy with your desat in that there appear to be traces of the original colours in the wood at the bottom left wall and also at the top on the edges of the roof. There is also evidence of sensor dust in the sky.

Happy shooting Sid