triptych final
by hanneke

Comment:
Nice job. Much better than the first IMHO. :-) Good luck!

M.E.
by MamaGould

Comment:
Very cute shot - love the processing! Great job.

Brimham-tree-and-anvil.jpg
by Falc

Comment:
Beautiful capture. Lovely mood you've established.

Bridge Symmetry
by manic35

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First Impression - the most important one:
Well, I scored this an 8 during the challenge. My first impression was obviously a very positive one. With a score above 6.2, the majority of voters must have felt the same way! That being said and upon closer inspection (and after reading the other comments given), I will do my best to provide some constructive feedback. [Next time it might help the CC if you also left some photographer comments regarding your intentions, post-processing steps, etc. - Thanks!]

Composition:
Some mixed messages from commenters on your composition here. I definitely see the symmetry - nice job there. Certainly very strong shapes that compliment each other in a very visually appealing manner. My only real nit with your composition is the apparent slight tilt of the horizon. Whether or not it is actually the case, the illusion is there (at least to me and is one of the reasons I didn't score this a 10). I understand that the left-most support looks perpendicular, but the uphill slope of the wall, the slant of the right-hand support, and buildings in the background throw the rest of the shot off balance. I think with a very slight adjustment to the horizon line, this would have corrected it and increased your already high score. Otherwise, great lines, shapes, etc.

Subject:
The subject matter was right on topic and couldn't have been more relevant to the challenge theme IMHO.

Technical (Color, focus, and light):
There were some differences of opinion again with regard to some of the technical aspects of the shot. Personally, I think that your choice of tones was excellent. It strayed from the normal B/W or duotone, and added a complimentary flavor to the mood of the image. Your lighting control was especially good. I think you managed to eke out a wide range of tonal quality without going overboard at either end of the spectrum. With regard to the color and DOF, I do see that there were some people who would have preferred a different approach, but I view this as more personal taste than whether or not this particular shot was executed well.

To grow its vote?:
Little things as stated above. Personal tastes and a few minor details would have probably landed this a little higher on the scoring ladder (although there wasn't a whole lot more room for it to rise).

Summary:
Great job and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy

Gentle Giants
by jencurrie

Comment:
Beautiful capture. The term "gentle giants" really springs to mind viewing this image. Nice job.

Blue Siberian Iris
by jencurrie

Comment:
I agree with macrothing's comments about the focus. I love the intense color tones - really great job there.

Hummingbird Moth on Bee Balm
by jencurrie

Comment:
Great natural color, focus, and DOF. I agree though about the crop - it's a bit too tight on the top & bottom for my personal taste, but it's tough to criticize such a spectacular capture. :-) Good job.

Living Circles
by jencurrie

Comment:
Great detail & focus - especially difficult through glass. Nice job & congrats on your PB!

Duality
by LeeD

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First Impression - the most important one:
Well, to be honest I was one of the ones who scored this a 10, so right off the bat, you know where my personal opinion of this piece lies. I think it is incredibly powerful, thought provoking, and well executed. That being said and upon closer inspection (and after reading your notes and the other comments given), I will do my best to provide some constructive feedback.

Composition:
I think the placement of the subject and the crop were both good. A couple of people mentioned the differences in the hands and their placement - and I do see where that could have been cleaner. If you had painted her right hand black (in juxtaposition to her unpainted left hand) and managed their placement so that the dividing line matched up, that would have been ideal. Also, the fact that the word PASSION slightly overlaps into the black area (whereas all other words stay within their borders - except LOVE, which purposefully crosses boundaries). These are really pretty minor points, but obviously are/were noticeable and did affect some people's impressions of the work. The only other really noticeable difference in the symmetry is the placement of her head (where the angle seems to be off, causing the line to veer).

Subject:
The subject matter was right on topic and couldn't have been more relevant to the challenge theme IMHO. I think you managed to cross most of the boundaries of motherhood (so to speak) with your interpretation and did so in a manner that not only spoke (literally) to the viewer, but showed your loving relationship to your wife as well. And BTW, including her C-section scar in the image was one of the cappers for me.

Technical (Color, focus, and light):
I think your use of color was creative and well done - it again made your point of the numerous aspects of motherhood and the dual nature of a woman. The blacklight and writing was a cool effect, and although some people did consider the actual lettering to be a bit messy, I didn't think so at all. The fact that the "mother" allowed herself to be touched so intimately by the writer, said something about her nature IMO as well. I think the fact that you managed to eke out detail in black areas against black areas in black light, tells me that your lighting and focus had to be pretty darn good.

To grow its vote?:
Little things as stated above. Personal tastes and a few minor details would have probably landed this much higher on the scoring ladder.

Summary:
I'm really surprised it didn't score much higher than it did, but I do see now what some of the commenters were pointing out. However, I think this was an exceptionally strong entry that met the challenge perfectly and was very well executed. Great job and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy

Message edited by author 2006-01-12 20:26:38.

Creme Brulee With Strawberries
by jrjr

Comment:
Glad to see somebody knows how to create creme brulee the right way! :-) You gotta use a torch!!! Nice shot.