Christmas Cheater
by cheegirl

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - the focus here is on the tree while the main subject is the child. If the impression was to have her appearing to wait for Santa or whatever, it would have been stronger if she was the center of focus and let her expression speak as the tree still would have been recognizable. The child appears to be sitting in front of a doorway. This also takes away from your photo in my opinion. Especially since the door appears to be open. I think to make the point it would have been stronger to have her in a corner behind the tree or at least against a solid wall to give the appearance she is hiding OR crop off more of the door, less of the tree and offset the open door factor. If the concept is showing her opening a present which would be early, her hand is not prominent enough in that area to immediately give that impression as the red tissue paper can easily be mistaken for wrapping decoration. Having her feet cut off makes her toes appear to be sticking out of nowhere detached from her. A lesser crop on the bottom may have worked as well. The dark area of the open door is somewhat distracting (see below).

Color - the colors here are across the spectrum and seem to be, for the most part, well distributed over the scene areas. A slight boost in contrast/saturation may have helped to bring out the reds and greens more to help overcome the browns and dark areas in the background.

Lighting - the lighting is done fairly well. No flares or glares. Nothing seems to be washed out or blown out. The weakest part here is the child's head. It starts to get lost in the darkness of the doorway and the lighter wall behind her head in the hallway is light enough to show difference but dark enough to hide detail. It just creates an odd transition area.

Challenge requirements - in my opinion this is the weakest area of the image. It is not clear what exactly she is doing. There is no representation of time of day to indicate she may be waiting in the middle of the night. If she is not waiting, but watching what mom and dad are doing, wrapping presents, etc., this is also not represented but has to be assumed. If she is opening a present which would be early, her hand needs to be more obvious in that area. As it is, you only see, just barely, the knuckles of a few fingers and these you have to look for as she is not the center of focus.

Overall/my opinion - the concept and idea here are very nice. The execution falls a bit short. It is just hard to determine what exactly she is cheating at as opposed to just sitting next to the tree. And then it is hard to determine just exactly how she is cheating since the hand opening the present (??) just is not prominent enough in that area to make that point clear.

Ace Sins
by Blinks

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - the relative perspective - closeness to the hand - is good. The main cards are very centered - only slightly to the left. This may have been offset if the two hands in the background were placed more at a 10 and 2 clock position instead of the apparent 9/3 clock position or if perhaps a slightly different angle - more from left to right - to the cards in hand was presented. Moving the background cards would also help the dead space at the top. There really is no reason for it in this image and it detracts from the subject a bit as it keeps you looking at the background hands a bit longer than necessary to just grasp the aces on the table. The focus is good on the cards in hand, however, the hand itself, which is on the same plane, is not focused except for the tip of the thumb. The processing seems a bit overdone here. I see variation in the white on the face of the cards that is not present in reality. Around the numbers seems to glow a bit while the rest of the surface seems almost hit by shadow. The cards in the background don't appear to be fuzzy due to Dof, but fuzzy due to overprocessing and the same variations in white show up there as well.

Color - most of the colors in this image are well presented. However, the skin tones seem quite red and dark while the surrounding cards are well lit and light.

Lighting - hard to tell with the processing on this image. Looking at the cards in the background, the cards on the right are evenly lit/processed while the cards on the left are dark half way through the spread. The two sides appear in conflict with each other - one is dark and the other light while both are at the same relative depth. Also, again it appears to be processing, but the areas that are of main focus show signs of irregular shading. This processing appears to have taken away from the lighting used.

Challenge requirements - it meets the challenge for the topic. I think though that the subject matter is where it fell short in the voting. The same theme was done many times and voters probably got tired of seeing the same shot over and over.

Overall/my opinion - a well shot photo that got lost in the processing. The uneven 'apparent' lighting on the cards is somewhat distracting. Placement of the various elements could have been spread out a bit more to make the shot more well rounded and even in content over the whole image.

Wildlife Photography
by rayg544

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - nice application of the rule of thirds in this image. A slightly different crop may have made this an even stronger image as well as an overall larger image - more square to bring the image closer to 640x640 instead of 640x480 (cropping more off the right hand side to eliminate some of the trees before resizing.) This would still allow the subject to be in good compositional position. The focus is clear in the image side to side as well as top to bottom - nice aperture control. Also, the exposure time is good. A little longer and the water would have become more prominent in the image as it would have taken on the 'dreamy' look. Any faster and the water would have become a static element. As it is it appears to be more of a 'right place, right time' as opposed to a set-up shot (too bad it is not a real bear).

Color - a lot of colors in the palette of this image. The overall tonal range seems fairly well preserved as evidenced by the shift from the browns and golds of the rocks in the water to the grays of the rocks on the edge; the black of the bear being solid but no other over-dark shadows. A tribute as well to not overprocessing the image.

Lighting - natural light, appears on a cloudy day. The bright spots on the water are not blown out; the dark areas of the image are not hiding details. This demonstrates good overall control of the camera and your position in relation to the scene.

Challenge requirements - meets the challenge requirements quite well. The shot shows a good imagination and good execution. Well done! Not sure why this didn't do better - it is original, has an element of humor, and is a clear shot.

Overall/my opinion - as stated above a different crop may have made this even stronger. By making the image more square before resizing, the end result after resizing would be closer to 640x640. This would have made the bear a larger and stronger element in the scene which may have helped to make it stand out more. Overall this is a well done image.

I'm in
by Nikolai1024

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - the close perspective is nice and allows the viewer to feel they are looking at their own poker hand. The size of the subject to the overall image size is good for this type of shot. Being a minimal content shot, size does matter. Separation of the subject from the background was done quite well. The hand does not appear flat at all. The crop on this shot also works quite well. The angle of the hand into the shot and the location of the hand of cards is good.

Color - nice coloring in the scene. The skin tones look natural; the reds look correct and the black is all black - no fading into gray. Some fading or compression artifact shows on some of the numbers (see below).

Lighting - for the most part the lighting here was done well. The ace in the sleeve is a little bright and the fingertips have a small 'glow' on the edges. The A, K, 9 in the hand, on the card print itself, appears to be at the beginning of being washed out - not smooth like the rest appear.

Challenge requirements - this definitely meets the challenge requirements. However, I also feel this is where it fell short with the voters due to the abundance of the entries with the same topic.

Overall/my opinion - for the most part the lighting is well done. The shadow of the thumb is not too dark to become a distraction. However, some of the texture detail is lost in some places - the sleeve, the skin. There also seem to be some artifacts in the area just above the thumb - hard to tell if this is lighting or compression. Overall this is technically a good image.

Hidden Ace
by davidus428

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - one of the stronger aspects of this image is the closeness to the subject. Gives you the feeling they are your (the viewer's) cards. The focus is spot on and the DoF is excellent - the front of the hands and sleeves is just as sharp as the back of the thumb - the farthest part of the image. The flat black background with the table surface being reflective is a nice contrast. The border is ok, but not necessary. It doesn't add or detract from the strength of the image. The detail here is nice as well. The textures in the weave of the sleeve, the wrinkles in the skin, etc. are a nice contrast to the smoothness of the table surface and empty background. The ratio of subject to negative space is well done here as well. Technically a good image, but lacks some sort of 'pop.'

Color - b/w, the range from black to white is populated nicely by a strong range of grays. As a suggestion, the ace in the sleeve may have looked nice as the only color element. Would have drawn more attention to it and added an element of distinction.

Lighting - very well done. there are no flares, glares or bright/overly dark areas. Just the right amount to give a nice reflection without being overbearing. The detail is not washed out or hidden by dark shadows (the hands, particularly the bottom of the right hand.) The 2 and ace in the hand come off a little bright near the top center of the cards, but no detail is lost and the edges of the numbers are clear and undistorted.

Challenge requirements - this may be where this fell short a bit. The image itself meets the challenge requirements quite well. However, due to the abundance of this type of image in the challenge may have weighed on the voters.

Overall/my opinion - technically this is an excellent photo. Black and white was a good choice for the processing as it allows the textures to really show through. as stated above, I think the only place this fell short was the subject matter.

EDIT: typos

Message edited by author 2005-11-30 09:49:07.

Performance Enhancement
by srdanz

Comment:


I was prepared to give an in-depth critique of this image, however, I see that someone has already given you one with good points, observations and suggestions. If you still would like an additional critique, PM me and I will return to this image.

Message edited by HBunch - removed Critique Club status.

Building
by Antonino

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - the scene here is very busy and cluttered. I am not sure what I am supposed to be focused on. I try and focus on the foreground and get distracted by all the clutter. I try and focus on the mid/background and get distracted by the grain and clutter. Just seems to be no real area to capture the attention. With the already opposing angles in the structure, the cocked angle of the shot adds to the confusion. Having the camera straight would help this a lot. The focus seems soft or slightly off. You did not list the ISO used so this may be adding the the appearance of noise in the shot. On some of the beams the edges are just not clear when they should be.

Color - the palette here seems very muted. Although there is brighness in the background, the foreground seems more dark that it needs to be. The colors seem to blend from half dark to dark and the color is lost. As an example, the trees inside the room can be seen as green, but the color is overshadowed by the general brown/bronze tone of the shot. This may have worked better as a black and white image. This may have allowed more separation within the tonal ranges present.

Lighting - overall this is a dark image. It appears to be inside with no flash and only natural light. Not much to work with here.

Challenge requirements - I think this is the weakest aspect of the image. It is not clear what the element of camouflage is. If there was some single element that stood out as a subject this may become more clear.

Overall/my opinion - this image is hard to look at with the angle of the camera. Too many already opposing lines and angles have now been put at odds with other elements they should not be. The features outside the window could be considered an element for meeting the challenge requirements - camouflage, but they are not prominent enough in the scene to make the connection.

CymbalFace
by nonni

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - The concept behind this shot is interesting and a good one, but the composition itself has some distractions: the bright flare on the cymbol obscures the eye of the subject. Not being visible takes strength away from the superimposition. There is an element in the background on the right - lower right to cymbol, that becomes a distraction since the reflection on the cymbol appears to follow it and it creates confusion as to what exactly it is a part of. Without looking closely for a length of time it appears as though there is something off to the right and there is bad light reflection. A closer look shows it appears to be a drumstick with motion blur. This ambiguity adds to the distractive element. The portion of chin/neck that falls below the cymbol also is somewhat of a distraction - it is separated from the rest of the subject by the flare on the cymbol at the point it falls off the cymbol. This leaves it somewhat detached from the rest of the imposed image and kind of hanging there. The focus on the cymbol is good and clear - the machining on the surface adds a nice element of texture.

Color - the color tones here are represented quite nicely. The cymbol as a canvas has a nice synergy with the skin tones of the superimposed face. It would be stronger if the background was all dark (see below) and there was nothing to compete with the color balance between them.

Lighting - the level of light is good. Overall not too bright to wash out the cymbol's texture, but not too dark to create dark lines on the ridges on the surface. There are two flares on the cymbol that because of their placement in relation to the subject matter are distracting. If the cymbol was against a completely dark background to isolate it this would add strength. The distraction to the right (object in background/drumstick) lightens up the one side taking the isolation aspect away.

Challenge requirements - at first glance it is hard to tell if this is one or two sources of light when looking at the cymbol (the flares). It takes a few seconds to reconcile the different planes of the two areas and conclude they are from the same source. In the end though, it meets the requirements.

Overall/my opinion - this could be a much stronger image if the distractions were not present and there wasn't so many elements that have to be figured out. I think this is where it may have fallen short in the challenge. Voters probably did not take the time to see everything present and appreciate the technical aspects. I think they were hit with the distractions and moved on. It is a fairly minimalistic image that gets a little 'busy' because of these distractions.

Autumn
by canyoncat

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective – the perspective in the two outside panels is very nice. It appears as though you split one image down the middle. If not, good job in lining them up as the branches on both sides appear at the same heights. But I like the split image concept better as the perspective from front to back is identical in both shots. The center panel, while an excellent shot, just seems a little close/large for the distant perspective shown in the outside panels. This takes away from the feeling that the squirrel is part of the same tree. Perhaps if it was cropped so the squirrel wasn’t so much in the center it would help. The focus and clarity of the three panels is very good. The balance of negative space to subject space is well done.

Color – very nice balance between the gold’s and yellows of the two outside panels and the browns and grays of the center panel. Sets up a very nice contrast and division between the panels and allows for a smooth flow between them. Especially the darker left to lighter right concept.

Lighting – all areas of this image make excellent use of natural light. Good camera exposure control has allowed the light to work to advantage in this scene. The center panel, area just to the left of the nut, seems a little too dark and some detail is lost. However, the lighter side of the nut helps to keep this from becoming a real distraction.

Challenge requirements – a true triptych image. This meets the requirements nicely. I can even get a story of sorts from it as the onset of autumn signals the squirrel to fatten up. I wonder where he got the walnut thoughâ€Â¦

Overall/my opinion –an excellent composition overall. I would like to see the squirrel placed higher in the panel, but in the triptych being centered works, especially since it is the center panel. It almost becomes busy on the right with all the shrubs, the strength of the tree draws you away from that though. Well done!

Gentle Green
by tonyv

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective – two things hit you first when you view this image 1) the panels are not of equal size and there seems no reason for this the way it is set up now; 2) the center stem of the leaf is deliberately cut by a dissection line. If the panels were not of the same size, but the center panel contained the whole stem, this would lend sense to the different sized tiles. Even a diagonal division would have worked here if it matched the stem angle and would have placed more emphasis and strength on the divisions instead of them becoming a distraction. This also would have helped since it is a single image with not really much to grab you except for the natural lines/symmetry of the subject itself.

Color – the natural color and variations are preserved quite well in the image. The texture of the leave allows for a lot of subtle streaking in the green giving more contrast and giving it more depth in the transitions. The bright side of the stem provides a real nice contrast being more yellow and allows more definition of shape come through.

Lighting – hard to tell what was used – natural/flashâ€Â¦nothing is overbearing or blown out. There are not bright spots, flares or dark shadows to contend with. Along with the color, the two strongest elements of the image.

Challenge requirements – in the broader sense, this meets the challenge requirements for triptych. However, I feel it falls short here due to misplaced divisions and panel size discrepancies. Also, there is no apparent story or concept, just portrayal of an object. This makes the division into a triptych more critical to get right.

Overall/my opinion – as a single image this would be a nice abstract or macro shot. The detail and focus are good with good control of the lighting used. The natural lines and texture of the leaf are strong elements and could carry it by themselves. I think trying to make this fit the triptych challenge was not the best choice the way it is divided. A wider center to include the whole stem with equal side panels or angled dividing lines to be parallel with the stem. There are certainly other possibilities. The image has potential, just needs more attention to the details.