butterfly_1871.jpg
by LKMote

Comment:
Beautiful focus & DOF. Really like this shot - beautiful colors too.

butterfly_1872.jpg
by LKMote

Comment:
Also a nice shot - the highlights are a little bright in this one though.

butterfly_1873.jpg
by LKMote

Comment:
Nice shot, but the angle is a little odd. Not sure it puts the butterfly's wings in the best light (so to speak). Still, good focus and a nice capture.

butterfly_1876.jpg
by LKMote

Comment:
The motion blur doesn't work as well here IMHO, but the bottom butterfly is gorgeous.

butterfly_1878.jpg
by LKMote

Comment:
Very cool motion blur. Never seen a shot quite like this - great capture!

Dark & Lovely
by RUEDISCHMUTZ

Comment:
*Greetings from the Critique Club*

I've already commented on this image, but I'll try to illucidate further...

First of all, I scored this image an 8 in the challenge. Secondly, I'd like to say that I believe it met the D&L challenge both well and in a unique way. I also think that the title you chose actually hurt your score.

The "Dark & Lovely" monicker suggests an intimate familiarity with the model (IMHO); I could go into an extensive diatribe about the title, but will acquiesce to the most hospitable use of the words...

IMHO, the model is both "dark and lovely" - and aptly named. I think the photograph has a lot of merit on a number of levels.

Composition - excellent. Great crop, as it leads the viewer into the shot well.

Focus - very good - nice and sharp. Good DOF too.

Color - great tonal range. Vivid without becoming unnatural.

She reminds me of Eartha Kitt (I think it's the eyes). Very good capture. Nice work!

EDIT: For my own stupidity...

Message edited by author 2005-09-11 13:32:14.

Board Room
by rasdub

Comment:
I really like the contrast depicted in this shot, but I'm not sure that the B/W composition does it justice. The skateboard community is all about color and breaking the rules of the "norm". While this is an interesting shot in B/W, I don't feel that it really gives enough credence to the spectrum of humanity that it represents. Yes, it provides a great deal of variety in form and contrast, but I don't think it conveys the colorful life that it is attempting to depict.

Just my 2 cents... It's by no means a technically inferior shot, I just think that it could be enhanced both visually and metaphorically with more color.

Duck & Lizard
by Mark

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First, let me say that I think this met the D&L Challenge topic just fine. Second, let me say that I'm not sure that the idea you had in mind was adequately conveyed to the majority of viewers (I could be wrong).

Composition:
The composition is fair IMHO. You've opted for a generally centered approach, which can be quite effective if used sparingly and well. I'm not sure, however, that either were in the forefront of your thinking when selecting this approach (at least it does not seem apparent to me upon first impressions).

Focus/DOF:
Focus and DOF are both okay, but not tack-sharp or saturated with pleasant bokeh. It almost seems like you decided at the last minute to enter a shot and were frantically searching for something that would satisfy the requirements.

Lighting:
Your lighting is pretty good, except for the glare on top of the duck's head.

Overall, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't appear to me on the surface (or upon further examination) to be a well-thought out shot. It's really not bad technically, but seems to lack a central focus or combining element for the disparate subjects (other than their proximity). The blue screened TV is a distraction (as another commenter mentioned) and the pose of the lizard seems more forced than impromptu.

These are just my humble opinions, however, and should certainly be taken with a grain of salt. I'm by no means an expert on anything, I am just "calling 'em as I see 'em". I do hope that this feedback is in someway useful. It's honestly not a bad shot, I just think it could be a lot more than it currently is.

Jimmy

Dead Legs
by hsteg

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club*

[I had just typed out my entire response before losing it due to my Internet connection being dropped - GRRRR] Let's see how much of it I recall...

First, I think that this is a really cool shot and meets the challenge description well. Second, I think that with the details about how you killed the spider, you might receive some "not so happy" comments from those viewers in the PETA camp. :-)

Composition:
I think that the centered/slightly off-center presentation actually works well here. I'm not sure that the white background does the subject justice however.

Focus/DOF:
Your focus is good, although not tack-sharp. I think the image would benefit from a litte sharper focus, but more importantly, a larger DOF. The shallow DOF actually detracts from the image's clarity and impact IMHO.

Color:
You've got some great tones in the spider herself, and I think you could capitalize on them even further by increasing the color sat and reducing the backlighting/increasing contrast. A little burning might not be a bad idea either.

Overall, I think that this is a very strong shot (and was a strong entry in the D&L challenge - I scored it an 8). Nice work.

Grunge Baby
by Konador

Comment:
Daggone dude - this is good! Really outstanding grunge. Not overstated either. Great job.