Mississippi Riverscapeby
RiderGalComment: Greetings from the Critique Club };-)
Initial thoughts
Beautiful and unique shot,definitely meets the challenge, could be just a wee bit brighter.
Composition/ Content
I really like what you've done with the sidewalk, rails and lights leading off to the distance. As I stated during the contest, I think the jet trails really add to this shot. Their curvature seems to give the whole picture a sort of "roundness" to me that adds to the movement into the distance. I think you could have moved the tree a bit to the right by cropping but would have lost some of the trails which I like so much. The positioning of the first light is dead on.
Background
It really bugs me that you got ticky-tack comments on the horizon being the horizon being tilted. You are going from a flat river to land. If it wasn't higher, the banks of the river would overflow! The lamp is straight up and down so the horizon is not tilted! The bridge in the background is perfect.
Camera Work - Technical
Focus seems to be a bit soft but I think it works here. I assume that this was a hand-held shot and you had low light so it would be tough to be absolutely sharp. A tripod and a slightly longer exposure would probably do it.
Digital Processing - Technical
The one thing that bothers me about the shot is the people or person on the bench. They look nice there but I can't see them enough to even tell for sure if there is one or two. A little bit more light and/or exposure would probably have done it. There are several things you COULD have done crop-wise, but I think it is just about right. This shot may have benefitted from a border of white surrounded by black to bring out the awesome colors even more.
Fits The Challenge
This may have been the reason you didn't finish higher. Even though I feel it is a landscape shot, apparently not everyone thought it met the challenge criteria. To each his own.
My Opinion On The Photo
I originally scored this shot a seven but it was a borderline eight in my book. I think that it meets the challenge well but could have been improved a little to finish even higher than it did. There was some really awesome competition this week. I admire your work, good job, and keep it up!
I would be happy to talk further about this shot if you would like to contact me.
DougPaz
Photographer found comment helpful.
