Wood Print
by NovaTiger

Comment:
Great concept! Nicely toned.

lust for emotion
by gorefiend

Comment:
Wow - excellent idea, very well executed. Love the dreary, gritty, sad feel - focus is just right where it should be. Great lighting. Back to bump - you're one of my top two - good luck!

End of Subject
by Pegasus

Comment:
I just came back to this - the notes are nearly as good as the shot! This remains one of my favorites in recent challenges. In fact, if it's not already so marked, I shall have to rememdy that situation. Really, really a wonderful piece of work and one of which you should be very rightly proud!

Cat
by LERtastic

Comment:
Wonderful detail, gorgeous colors!

The Rockhouse
by dallasdux

Comment:
Very well seen and captured! Quite pleasing compositionally. Did you try running this through just a bit of noise reduction? (Neat Image is available in a trial size via the web - I'm not very good at using it, though.) It might smooth out the color noise in the blue water.

Stereotype Fools
by shalrath

Comment:
You find the most interesting locations! I like the light/silhouette aspect. Kinda cool with the curvy effect from the fisheye, too.

Freedom
by Blue Moon

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

What a perfectly titled image! First thing I though of when I saw it (and before I read the title) was a sense of freedom, joy, and sheer abandon. In this aspect, you truly got your point across!

I'll start off by saying I think this is a better photograph than the score and placement indicates. That said, here at DPC free studies are often the most difficult to score/place in with shots that require more than a two second viewing and aren't visually stunning at first impact. And *that* said, I personally believe free studies are for DPC'ers to submit what they like best, not what they think the voters will like best.

You've received some good comments. Perhaps a slightly different crop would provide a bit more balance - something a bit closer to the rule of thirds, with the dog slightly lower in the frame. I agree with Posthumous that I like how the dog is captured along the line of the foam - that's visually pleasing to me. I do like the sepia treatment (but know that I'm very fond of monochromatic schemes for nearly everything), particularly the warm tone of it. I also believe simple is best when it comes to processing, which may not necessarily be the belief of the rest of the voting audience at DPC. With a shot like this, though, simple processing maintains the simplicity of the emotion - in my opinion - and you've done that very well here.

Overall, I see this as one of those reasons we all like to shoot sometimes - to capture a "moment" - and I think you've done it quite well. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via PM.

Anemone IXB
by banmorn

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Yowza! How's that for an initial reaction? And may I add that you're not insane - you're a genius when it comes to flowers.

First thing I did after reading your comments was look for the color original - it is indeed a lovely picture but I very much prefer the black and white presentation. Your conversion is excellent - there's nothing flat about this. It's delightfully rich and the center practically glows. As with most of your work with flowers, your ability to harness light and capture the fine detail throughout the range truly make this outstanding, particularly in the dark petals. In fact, when I look between the two (color, this one) the conversion actually enhances the velvet feel of the petals.

Score and placement are quite good for a flower in a free study, but it's the score from commenters that's most telling - these are the people who really stopped to look and appreciate this photograph.

I'd love to offer some form of constructive advice but really none is needed here. It's been a pleasure to draw this to critique!

Feel free to contact me via PM should you have any questions.

Icarus Descending
by Skip

Comment:
Awe and then some. The two do indeed make an excellent set, too.

Bandana Princess Day 12
by sherpet

Comment:
Great haircut and really nice bandana they gave her - she looks quite regal indeed!