Waiting to be gelded
by gulielmus

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that does not meet the challenge.

Even following the very loose definition provided by the challenge brief your image does not feature any bokeh at all and therefore does not meet the challenge requirements. See the Wikipedia entry for a definition of bokeh. It is very often misrepresented and I'm sure yours is not the only entry in this challenge that fails but for my own understanding of it it requires a shallow DOF and specular highlights.

The image itself has an appealing subject matter but no bokeh, I see you have used maximum aperture which is good for achieving bokeh but it needs the right background such as sunlit water for example. A soft focus background is not in itself bokeh it is merely a soft focus background, for true bokeh specular highlights are needed to bring out the quality of the lens itself. A good lens will produce highly desirable soft focus shapes that add another element to the overall effect.

I hope this critique helps your understanding, Sid

Search Nectar
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A well executed image that does not meet the challenge.

Even following the very loose definition provided by the challenge brief your image does not feature any bokeh at all and therefore does not meet the challenge requirements. See the Wikipedia entry for a definition of bokeh. It is very often misrepresented and I'm sure yours is not the only entry in this challenge that fails but for my own understanding of it it requires a shallow DOF and specular highlights.

Your entry fails in several ways, there are no specular highlights just a plain black background which is completely the opposite of what is needed. A larger aperture is normally preferable though this is also dictated by your distance to the subject, the closer you are, the shallower the DOF.

The image itself is good in terms of DOF, lighting and execution but it simply does not fit in with the challenge, that is not to say it couldn't have done but the black background would be the first thing to go. Replaced by a natural background of a pool for example the ripples and sunlight on the water would have given you the specular highlights needed, the resulting bokeh is then very much lens dependant on your lens with some lenses producing more pleasing bokeh than others, its all down to the lens design and number of aperture blades of the lens. Good bokeh can be a very desirable addition to an image that can transform an ordinary image into a spectacular one.

Sorry Marcel, I know you will accept my critique in the manner it is intended, to help you better understand, Sid

Tempest
by sfalice

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An intriguing image that meets the challenge.

Very creatively done, I can see you had a lot of fun getting this to where it is. What is it? Who cares, it is very different and therefore has its own impact as a result. It feels like a family of aliens, dad on the right mum on the left with their two siblings, all sharing a moment together. The most intriguing elements are the glass 'heads' of mum and dad, in particular the blue of mum and the red blob of dad but also the reflected arched yellowish shape too. I particularly like dads pose its really quite dynamic.

The technical aspects are good and appropriate, you have a full DOF with good detail throughout. The plain red background works well especially with the blue lighting. The textures are coming out well. It all works very well. The title I'm not so sure about, tempest is not the feeling I get from your image, for me its more like 'togetherness'.

Its nice to see an entry that has been created purely for your own pleasure regardless of the anticipated reception from your voters, I think it deserved a lot better but that was not your motivation anyway. Thanks for your submission, well done, Sid

Shoes and Laces
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that meets the challenge well.

Shoes and laces do indeed go together and indeed they are not the same so well done with the idea. The composition is excellent I like it a lot, it shows everything off very well, we have all we need of the shoes with an emphasis on the laces with their lovely twining in and out of the shoes and together.

The lighting is good and uniform throughout with some nice tones too. The texture of the laces comes out well with a great choice of aperture that enables you to get just the right amount of DOF. It looks good in mono.

I think the score is fairly representative for the image, well done Marcel for a very good submission, Sid

Fire and Ice
by shadowdoc31

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that meets the challenge well.

This is a great idea, well thought out with a lot of your personal creativity coming through and generally well executed. I have to agree with one of your commenters about the blue and the red lights, I would like to see the blue light shining through the cubes from the base against the red flamed backdrop filling the space behind. Perhaps you may already have tried this and decided against it? I don't know, but it feels to me as though it would have added a lot more impact to your image.

Regardless of how the image scores here you have come up with a great idea, well done. Thanks for your submission, Sid

written in sand
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the critique club*

An interesting challenge that meets the challenge.

This is a fascinating and very appealing abstract with the change of colours you have made its origins even less obvious but nevertheless still an interesting image. It's certainly frame filling and I like the graininess of it but the patterns themselves are quite absorbing. Its unlikely this sort of image would ever appeal enough to the voters here to ribbon but I like your creative approach.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

The Fisher's Priceless Family Portrait
by WonderDude

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the critique club*

An interesting image that does not meet the challenge fully.

I find the idea that you still have your childhood toys quite appealing and your crop has enabled you to fill most but not all of the frame and the areas where you are not filling the frame are more detrimental than beneficial to the image. The bokeh whilst normally desirable in this instance is quite distracting given the nature of the challenge but the worst area is that on the right which has no place in the context of this image. I think a square crop of the figures on the left would have worked much better than this it would have filled the frame more effectively without any of the aforementioned distractions.

Perhaps a little -EC would have improved the exposure in reducing the highlights and also saturating the colours more, though the pastel shades are themselves quite attractive.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

Apple Picking in Fall
by clickodak

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the critique club*

An appealing image that meets the challenge.

Your composition is very good, I like the way you have gone in close with good DOF on the apple and the hand together with the soft focus background of the abundant apple crop. It tells us that the apple is ripe and ready for picking which identifies it with the Northern hemisphere's season. The empty patch of blue sky is a little dominating and would probably benefit from some cropping. The exposure is good and the colours and detail look good too.

All in all, a very good submission Marcel, its a shame it didn't get any comments during the challenge, I hope this makes up for it, Sid

ambush baby
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the critique club*

An appealing image that meets the challenge well.

I see her! Is she looking for her lost black halo? This works well for the challenge in mono, she is well hidden amongst the foliage, I love that here eye is illuminated by the sun and looking towards you, it works well. You have a lot of blown highlights from the intense sun but eliminating those may have also eliminated poor Sofie, and we don't want that do we! I think a better solution would have been to go back to portrait format and crop the path out completely, I think this would have improved your score too.

Nice one Don, thanks for your submission, Sid

Hydrangea Reflection
by Pangurban

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the critique club*

An appealing image that does not meet the challenge.

I find your image attractive but in terms of the challenge the subject and your title is so obvious that there is no element of surprise that should be associated with something obscure. We should be made to explore your image to find the hidden subject that is obscured in some way. I do like the reflection and the ripples and the shadows its all very appealing. As you say, it is very bright sunlight but I think you have controlled the exposure well, there is good detail throughout.

I'm sorry you didn't get any comments during the challenge I hope this makes up for it, Sid