Sound of Freedom
by marinajoe

Comment:
That is a beautiful picture of Liberty! The lighting and framing are absolutely perfect. Shows great detail to. I like your take on the challenge. I wish you the best of luck in the challenge. 10 in my book

Not so loud
by Crafty Sue

Comment:
Oh, yes...I can relate. Those kind of beings CAN make a lot of noise. I like the action of the hands. Nice family snapshot and looks as if they had a lot of fun posing for it. I think it would have portrayed noise just a little better if the kids would of had their faces more toward the camera to see their expressions.

Vroom Vroom Vroom Vroom
by Gotchya

Comment:
If I'm not mistaking, this is the exhast system of the car. Wouldn't the vroom sound would come from the engine? Also, something about the colors in this picture just doesn't seem right. I do like the refections of the pipes. It is well focused and does make a somewhat abstract-y photo.

Vibrating Fiddle String
by sagestudio

Comment:
Very nice...definately meets the challenge. I like how you were able to portray the vibrating string as it is being played. Nice touch. Focus is excellent. You picked up the lines well in this well used instrument. 9 Good luck in the challenge.

Bird's song
by Chiqui

Comment:
I really like the lighting and of this photo. It is crisp and clean. The duotone is fitting. I feel it meets challenge. I only wish I could see more of the face of the performer. 8 Good luck in the challenge.

Tiffany Rosebud
by DougPaz

Comment:
Greetings From the Critique Club
By CLarson557

Hi Doug!
I'm going to start off by saying that I have truely enjoyed studying your photography this morning. When I do critiques for the club, I go back to other pictures the photographer has done to get a feel for him/her as a whole.

Since you have been submitting to DPC for a long time, you have a lot to look at, however you might consider taking advantage of the portfolio feature of this site. I would have liked to see other photos you might have taken outside the challenges. I was impressed with your unique subject matters and camera techniques. You definately have a good eye. Also, I enjoyed the photos with one or both of your kids. They are adorable!

With that said...onto the task at hand.

Challenge: The red and green of the flower definately fits into the challenge. However, I do agree with some of the comments that the yellow color dominates the photo and takes away from the main subject.

Composition: I do kind of like the way the top of the lampshade fades out of the picture, but for this challenge, I think that a tighter crop on the flower would be more appriopriate to get rid of some of the yellow. I think I would have liked to see the subject (the flower) not so centered in the photo. I've noticed that you do have a tendency of centering your subjects, however, with "Three Square" and "Checking the Radius", I think you did do a good job of using the rule of thirds. Using this rule on the flower in the lamp and maybe giving it a different angle, I do believe that it would be more dramatic and interesting.

Technical: I do believe that the technical aspects of this photo are its greatest strength. The lighting and focus is perfect. The dreamy-ness of the frosted glass is nice and the colors are beautiful. The DOF is great. I like how it shows the curvature of the lamp.

Overall: I know this sounds a bit dumb, but when I first saw this photo during the voting phase, I thought of the Wizard of Oz and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". Therefore, in my eye, my attention went more to the yellow and then, lastly, to the red and greens in the flower. I voted this as a 6...slightly higher than average because of the good technical aspects.

Once again, I've enjoyed this study and I hope you find it helpful.
Connie

Cheesy and Crunchy - Orange on Blue
by StevePax

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club:
By CLarson557

Hi, Steve
By the way, I would like to congratulate you on your highest rated photo on DPC. You are developing a good eye for photography.

Composition: I like the corner placement of your subject and the Cheetos are nicely arranged on the plate.

Technical: You have good DOF and focus here. You picked up the texture of the Cheetos as well as the ridges in the plate. The lighting is apporpriate. My only complaint might be with the reflection of what appears to be you taking the picture showing up on the lower left part of the plate. Slight distraction, maybe, but I'm just trying to pull up something. So, very minor.

Challenge: The vibrant orange and blue colors, of course, meet the challenge perfectly. Nicely done.

Overall: I agree with a couple of the comments below...that this picture could very easily be used in a magazine ad for Cheetos. It is fun and appealing. I feel as if I could reach in the computer and pluck a cheesy snack.

Good luck in future challenges. Will be anxious to see what you come out with.

Orderville Canyon
by dsidwell

Comment:
MMM...I like this! The lighting and focus is perfect. Shows nice depth. I feel I could walk right into the picture and follow the trail through canyon. Great texture noted in the rocks.

Pigeon
by GolferDDS

Comment:
I really like the lines and shadows in this picture. The coloring is fitting. It's just something about the lighting that gets me. Perhaps just overexposed? Also, it would have been nice to see the pigeon more in focus.

I'm Ready For My Close Up
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
I just love the texture you were able to get of this guy in your picture...not to mention the expression. The lighting and coloring is great...in fact everything about this photo is excellent as far as I'm concerned. 10+ Good luck in the challenge...hopefully I'll see you in the top three