Devastation
by GolferDDS

Comment:
Abandoned building? Where's the furniture? :-)

CRW_9617_web
by kirbic

Comment:
Lizard camouflage is amazing (goes for most of them). Good job of spotting this one, and getting a photo. The ones I've seen are usually pretty skittish and camera shy. :-)

Tropical Storm Isaias
by vawendy

Comment:
The person (and pier) really add a sense of scale for this image. Those waves are very impressive in size. Nice flow and feel to this with great placement of elements within the scene - very well balanced.

Whatever the weather
by Neat

Comment:
I really enjoyed this image. Very nice fit for the challenge. Can't really tell if it's snowing or raining. I'm going to say snowing (looks like peeps are bundled up a bit).

Some of what I like about this is the feeling of being there. The choice of comp and focal distance is right on the money. Last thing is the processing choice; the sepia toning is perfect for this (would have been way too busy in color).

Anyway, wanted to drop by and mention that I liked this. TTYL

Stormy
by MargaretNet

Comment:
Congrats! This was my top pick for the challenge. Love the wide angle and the obvious weather event unfolding in front of you. That's what this challenge was about IMO.

From above
by docjonny

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First, let me say congrats on a very respectable 6th place finish in a strong field of images for this challenge.

You did capture some nice lighting with the late day (or early day) shadows. The colors are also close to what you'd find on the complementary colors scale (orange & blue if I remember correctly).

The foreground to center line of shadows below the ridgeline add a nice leading line element ... right to the peak. The clouds even lined up for you in a supporting role. :-)

One thing that is difficult (or was for me) is to determine a sense of scale for this mound of earth.

While this is indeed a pretty image I think the competition of mountains, lakes, trees, were just strong enough to keep your entry down a little.

Best of luck in your future entries! Look forward to seeing what's up next.

Regards,
Barry

Hiker Overlook Chiricahua National Monument
by Refleckshuns

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Ok. So how ironic is this. I was your only comment on this image prior to this coming up in the Critique queue. I'll dive a smidge deeper than my pass thru during the challenge.

I really like the color tone that this sunset / sunrise presents. You've captured it well.

The inclusion of the sun on the edge of the frame is a nice touch as is getting some soft, diffused star burst. The small bit of flare does not distract IMO, however some others may not feel the same. Flare in an image is somewhat debated. Higher scoring images will usually not have too many 'conflicts' ... the flare may have brought a few lower votes.

Having a person in your capture is a bonus and well considered.

The biggest things that hurt your entry from a scoring standpoint are:
- the big fat sensor dust spot. Those can be easily cloned or removed with a healing brush in post and it's legal to do for challenges.
- noise. A lot of noise in this image, which is a little surprising for ISO 400, although you don't list what camera this was shot with. Again, this could be cleaned up in post legally with several noise reduction tools.

In a nutshell - nice comp and location. Some post processing choices likely kept this from rising in score.

Best of luck to you. Look forward to seeing your future entries.

Regards,
Barry

Max
by grahamgator

Comment:
You know what's funny? I'm quite familiar with the phrase "turtleneck" and have owned a few shirts of that style over the years, but until now, I had not visualized where that phrase actually came from. OMG! I love it. ... and thanks to Rich for making me look (his comment). In the FWIW column, I gave this a 7 during voting. Surprised it didn't make the Top Ten or better!

Last trip
by kyagudin

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First let me say I've enjoyed looking at this image. It's a interesting and lovely part of the world to travel in. I look at those 'monuments' and can't help but wonder how long they've been there and what did this place look like 1,000 or 20,000 years ago.

As for the image particulars; it's a well contemplated composition with a nicely balanced scene. The road lends a leading line element into the valley in a good way, although with an abrupt ending.

That ending begs the question; what was going on down there? The red tail lights are moving so well and then end in a smudgy blur. Did the vehicle stop? Was it full of tourists stopping for a photo op? The lights could have stopped for any variety of other reasons I suppose - will we ever know? For me, this piece of the image is a large part of the story. The scenery is still beautiful, yes, but the intrigue is in those red lights.

Now for the challenge theme. The 'light' in this case appears to actually be the tail lights. Yes / No? I say that as the title implies it with 'Last trip'. However, when I read the photographers comments you mention trying to capture the last bit of light on top of the rocks. So, the car was a happy bonus? :-)

All of the above banter aside, this was again, a very strongly contested challenge with some very good images gracing the front page. I think most viewers / voters were expecting 'light' to play a stronger role in the image subject context (as least I was) and honestly, I think this image did quite well overall given the competition.

I've enjoyed spending some time with your photo. Look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

Regards,
Barry

What?
by Phocal

Comment:
Greeting from the Critique Club!

First, this is a lovely image. Tack sharp where it needs to be, with great contrast on color and surprisingly pleasant bokeh effect considering this was shot at F5.6.

Honestly, I really think what held this image back from a higher placement was the challenge it was entered in. Put this in a Free Study or an Animal / Wildlife based challenge and it would probably be on the front page. The Top 10 and beyond is pretty much all landscapes for the National Parks challenge. It was a challenge full of beautiful images with very strong competition.

Would I change anything on your image? Nope. I'm not seeing any flaws really. It's a keeper - just not the right challenge.

My apologies if this 'Critique' falls short of expectations. Hard to see anything obvious to point out from a technical standpoint.

See you in the upcoming challenges I'm sure. Good luck!

Regards,
Barry