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 otto22

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

glowing
by Ja-9

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge

A nice natural scene of this lovely time of year, your composition is very appealing and I like that the road is a natural feature too and not asphalt it blends well with the scene as a whole. The trunks of silver birch are always a treat in any scene and this is no exception. The colours and the light are major elements that are working well in your image. I wasn't very keen on the lack of detail to begin with but its slowly growing on me, I like that in the main you still have some detail in the tree trunks. I love the black elements, the branches and features on the trunks I find them most appealing against the rest of it.

Well done Janine with your high placing, another successful entry.

Aurora bow
by otto22

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing landscape that meets the challenge.

Ah, those good old Northern lights, they always work well and this is no exception, what a gorgeous framing arc they make here. The landscape is well chosen and interesting and the cloudscape adds more interest too. I find myself, however, drawn to the bright light in the right half and the way it is illuminating your subject, at first I thought it was the midnight sun and realised immediately, no, its the wrong time of year for that. I'm assuming its a strong light you have placed there to illuminate that part of the scene? It's the base that whatever it is that is holding my attention trying to work out what it is. Because of this it is losing some of its effect on me I'm finding it too distracting, but for all that it it is still essentially an excellent panorama.

Congratulations on the ribbon, well deserved.

Maple Leaf
by clickodak

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

A lovely image Marcel, the way the light is highlighting the centre of the leaf works well against the darker background. I like the smaller leaf and its colours and shadows against the larger leaf it works very well to distinguish it. I generally like the composition, though, unlike your commenter I would be inclined to crop some off the bottom right at the point where the bottom of the stalk's step joins the left side of the image, I find the gap below it too distracting for the overall result. The other thing is that the top left of the large leaf is losing a little sharpness and given the nature of the subject it is really desirable to retain the sharpness throughout the leaf.

Well done for spotting the potential here a very good attempt.

Forest Floor
by sfalice

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well.

Your image has some lovely shapes colours and textures that as one of your commenters has pointed out has a resemblance to dancing flames which gives it another dimension, very artistically done. I love the backlit brighter leaf towards the top which gives it all that burning feel and all of this is accentuated by the lovely base with its twisted shapes supported by the dark vein like structures. The whole composition feels very dynamic as though we are witnessing a brief flickering moment in time.

Your lighting is good with a combination of backlighting and front side lighting it has enabled you to bring out all the detail well. The subtly dual coloured soft focus background works well too.

Your image has lots of appeal and I'm pleased to see that it has been received so well here though those sub 5s are completely unjustified, you can't please 'em all can you? Well done Alice.

Not a Diva
by snaffles

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge

This is a very accomplished pet portrait, everything that needs to be is nicely sharp against a suitably soft background. The lighting is good and even and brings out all the important details in her. I find the colours and textures in her eyes a little disconcerting, they feel a little spooky. When I compare the two sides of the image the left feels a little washed out, I would love to be able to see those whiskers more, as clearly as I can on the right, and the pinks too. I also find my eye keeps getting drawn to that long hair in the right ear, I think it would benefit from being cloned out.

This is one you can treasure for the future and it's good to see your lovely image has gained a respectable score from the voters here, well done Susan.

bluebird
by posthumous

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An interesting image that meets the challenge

I am not familiar with Cutout's work but a quick look at his front page suggests that your image fits the challenge. It is an intriguing image that holds the viewer and demands a longer look to work out the reflections, shadows and original detail that makes up the whole. Although it is massively overexposed it works in an appealing sort of way. The toning suits the subject well. I have had to look long and hard at the bird itself to work out its rather strange posture as clinging to the wire of the fence and looking over its back towards the space it is in.

It works well and has been favourably received here by your voters, well done, Sid

The steps to her apartment
by Pompouspete

Comment:
Hello from the Critique club

An appealing image that meets the challenge well

What a lovely portrait of a lovely girl in a lovely dress sitting on lovely steps! All the colours work really well together, apart from the brown supports for the steps, given the lovely blend of the major elements together I may have been tempted to recolour them to something closer to the steps but its a minor point really. She is a very attractive lady and looks delightful the way she is dressed she has a lovely smile and those ruby red lips are so enticing.

Your focus is where it should be on her face and the DOF has everything that needs to be sharp nicely covered with softness helping her to stand out from the background. The steps above her are leading to the unknown that intrigues us and keeps us interested but still focused on her.

It all works well and was respectfully received by your voters, well done, Sid