Ghosties
by photokop

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique club*

A spooky image that meets the challenge

I like your different approach in choosing three portraits and compositing them together like this. The actual execution of it is rather lacking in finesse but this is one of those rare occasions that actually adds to the end result. The way the right ear of the middle portrait overlaps the first one is an example of what I am referring to, the cuts are all ragged but again the way they are appearing out of the black has let you get away with it because of the nature of the challenge. I like that you have used the diagonal for your composition it makes it more dynamic.

Good idea, well done. Thanks for your submission, Sid

Folly
by Pangurban

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique club*

An appealing image that meets the challenge

As you say, a beautiful location. The lighting is very harsh and difficult to control but I think -1EC would have given you a better result it would have saturated the colours more and lessened the effect you have identified of the blown sky. You have done the right thing to reduce the amount of sky in your composition but I think you could have gone further and eliminated it completely in favour of the water. I do like the one calm patch of water that reflects perfectly the folly this really adds impact to the end result. Personally, I would have preferred to see some human interaction here, it would also given it a sense of scale.

Sorry you didn't get any comments during the challenge, I hope this makes up for it. Thanks for your submission, Sid

Fireworks in fog
by otto22

Comment:
An appealing image that meets the challenge

The fog has added another quality to your image by softening the bright glare from the fireworks and the lights and the water reflections add yet more interest to the image. I particularly like the fog halos around the lights and their reflections, your composition in placing the fireworks to the right has enabled them to balance each other with the blue blue lights mimicking the fireworks shape, good 'seeing', well done.

As regards the challenge brief of f8 this is probably not the best way of making the most of the aperture, for the purpose of the challenge I think it would have been better to show its use through DOF. The choice of subject, there is nothing here to identify with f8 or f16 they would both look similar.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

divided landscape
by posthumous

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique club*

A landscape of limited appeal that meets the challenge.

The f8 aperture and your chosen focus point has enabled you to get good DOF to the foreground with some softness in the background to the left of the image in particular. The exposure could have been better controlled, you have some significant areas of overexposure in important areas of your image, particularly on the left and the bark of the foreground tree.

I can't help but look at this and feel for the lost opportunity of a much more interesting and effective composition. By placing the tree in the middle the way you have it just blocks my way into the rest of the image and then I feel frustrated that there is so much of interest in the left that hasn't been exploited. By placing the tree on the right you could have made so much more of the water and its reflections and transformed this into a much more pleasing image.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

Take Us To Your Leader
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique club*

Congratulations on your ribbon for your excellent entry that meets the challenge fully

Thanks for the interesting notes, I hope you have fully recovered from what must have been an exhausting trip! What an excellent choice of subject very well executed from all aspects, it makes a fascinating high key subject. Your viewpoint has enabled you to recreate a very effective artificial symmetry that with your most appropriate title makes for a completely new subject matter in its own right. The leader at the front has a distinctive identity that separates him from his followers all of whom together with their shadows make a most appealing and fascinating image, I like it a lot.

I'm very pleased for you that it has been so well received here and deservedly so, well done, Sid

The Lizard King
by PGSadri

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

This is a great working combination of freezing the action with flash together with motion blur of the longer exposure and it works really well. There is a lot of room at the top and that awful bright light on the right of the image that is not adding to the end result I think a different composition cropping near the top of his head and more of the lower half would have improved this. He is also very central I would have moved him to the left and hopefully bring in more interesting detail from the right. There are some obscure out of focus highlights in front of him that are distracting. I like the mono presentation, there is a good range of tones.

Thank you for your submission, apologies for the delay, Sid

Day Dreaming
by Catherine_B

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

I get the chance to comment again! Your comments add another dimension completely you must all be very thankful for her successful recovery. So, following on from my previous comments, I don't know what lens you were using but if it had a wider aperture it would have been better to use it and soften the background down. The focus is a little on the soft side too, sometimes autofocus doesn't nail it as well as manual providing you have good eyesight, so it might be worth tweaking it sometimes during the shoot.

I think it might have been nice to try portrait orientation to reduce the background elements and get the reflection of her face and lovely eyes in the table. Talking of reflections I think the exposure is a little on the bright side there are some blown highlights amongst the reflections so a little -EC would be wise.

Thanks for your lovely entry and apologies for the delay, Sid

I Told You, They Know How To Swim.
by nevets426

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

A great action capture that has frozen the moment well. The flash has added an extra vibrancy to the image. Given the pleasing dark background it would be a lot better without the distracting lights and reflection, I think these would improve the overall impact if they were cloned out. I can see your reasoning behind the amended title but the new title only really means anything if you've heard the quote which I haven't and probably many others here haven't either. This is probably reflected in your score nd helps demonstarte the importance of a suitable title.

Thanks for your submission, apologies for the delay, Sid

Natures Harvest
by stuntman

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

What beautifully marked crabs these are, far too lovely to kill or eat! As regards the image itself, I think it lacks any impact it just feels a straightforward record shot of a box of crabs and thats it. We don't need to see any of the box itself by homing in on one crab with crops of the others filling the rest of the frame you would have been making something that can be much more appreciated than what you have here. There is some lovely detail on the crabs backs and the gorgeous colouring of the legs is just crying out to be emphasised.

Thanks for your submission, apologies for the delay, Sid

The Dance
by Mark

Comment:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An appealing image that is assumed to meet the challenge.

I get the chance to comment again! I like that you have captured a natural moment in your dance the way you have it makes the image far more special and meaningful than a posed shot. The sky is very colourful and adds a lovely backdrop to this romantic scene. This sort of exposure will always be difficult but I think I would like to see the foreground and sea brightened up a little at the same time making the figures true silhouettes. Correcting the tilt as I mentioned before is also essential to complete the image.

All in all a nice scene that just needs a bit more tweaking to increase its impact, thanks for your submission, Sid