Scottish Highlander
by Denise

Comment:
Great shot Denise! Congrats on the Top Ten.

Evening Light
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Beautiful! Nice work Robert! I love the flow of the scene - I get a very distinct counterclockwise flow and it just appeals to me greatly for some reason. I can almost feel the breeze blowing.

cross-eyed painter
by Sebi

Comment:
WOW! Very powerful image and a very bold statement! Well done!

Collioure
by jjbeguin

Comment:
All I can say is WOW! I had not looked at this challenge until this viewing and this image just hit me full frontal and dead center! Such a dichotomy and analogy and even a nice symmetry all at the same time. Very well done! The processing is spot on and the subject matter could not be better. I love the water gnat in the back ground...perfect!

Tightrope Dancing
by Denise

Comment:
Congrats on the top 5!! Great photo!

on edge but ready for the challenge
by gzjamal

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective: The balance between subject and 'negative' space is well proportioned. The crop is everything here and you chose well. The angle of perspective is spot on as well as it emphasizes the intended motion of the bug. Caught on the edge and appearing ready to take off your timing was excellent. The image it gives me in my mind is that the colored wings are just for show and to bulk up the bug as the real bug underneath is small in not very imposing.

Light: I think you have achieved a nice balance here as well. The reflection/highlights on the wings are bright enough to allow some clear definition but not too bright to distract. The scene as a whole is even and free of hot spots or dark distractions. well done.

Color: the background is neutral enough to allow the color of the bug to stand out and provide a bit of pop to the image. Colors appear to be true to natural and not forced or processed into submission. The good lighting for the scene seems to have abetted here.

Challenge: This is where my format falls away from form...the challenge was asking for a specific reaction from a specific viewer. I cannot answer for that. However, from my perspective it may not have been enough as a single bug may not have enough impact to achieve the desired or intended result.

Overall/my opinion: Although I appreciate your photo for the quality of and control over exposure you have demonstrated, I feel for a small boy one single lady bug may not have been enough to raise his spirits. I certainly applaud your effort and contribution to the challenge and perhaps I am wrong - he may have loved the bug more than any other for all I know - it just did not hit me as the most exciting in the group. Since the photo is good quality, this may be why it scored lower in the group.

UNTITLED
by Allen1634

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club! I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective: The subject for the challenge leaves few available options for a perspective so the compositional elements should be stronger in comparison to off-set that limitation. Here, the focus of the photograph has to be the drops where your effect takes place otherwise it is just an out of focus picture of a face card. Here is a weak point in your composition I feel. The area of effect is so small in relation to the image size it lessens its impact.

Color: the colors outside of white appear ok. But just ok. Seems a boost in saturation and a correction to the white point to bring out the whites would have helped in this area. It appears to look like it is 'dingy' - like a white tee shirt washed with the dark clothes does. (Hope that makes sense)

Light: there is no notes on your image so I have no idea how you lit the shot. However, it does appear the light just is not bright enough. Brighter would have helped bring out the whites and allowed a faster shutter speed to help with focus and clarity in the drops.

Challenge: As the challenge description went this certainly meets that requirement. However, in a challenge such as this creativity matched with near perfect execution is necessary to place well. The out of focus drops - or more correctly the image reflected in the droplets - and the less than adequate lighting takes away from the execution and the composition adds to that loss.

Overall/my opinion: I feel that a tighter crop around the drops would have been much better. The background would still clearly be a playing card and the reflection would support that. I think the reversed reflection is where the strength of this shot lies, better focus and perhaps closer camera placement would have helped to emphasize these small areas. Even larger water drops would have helped in this regard. I do applaud your attempt at this shot in the kitchen sink with the faucet dripping though.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions feel free to contact me for answers.

Left Behind
by Denise

Comment:
Wow! Very well done Denise. I love it!

Pulp Fiction
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Such an exquisite entry with the vision and creativity of a master! Well done Robert!

A Souvenir
by Art Roflmao

Comment:
Bravo!!!