H.O.B.
by wmprkg

Comment:
if only you knew what H. O. b. really meant...nice image

Leeds Welcomes Back Kaiser Chiefs in Millenium Square
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
Hello fron the DPC Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective: the balance in this shot is perfect. On one hand you are drawn right into the crowd and their enthusiasm. On the other hand you are drawn to the building in the background which gives it its political sense. Well thought out, even though it appears a spontaneous shot, and that is exactly what gives the image its strength. Your message, via title, is expressed perfectly and captures you instantly. Your angle of approach to the shot lends a real interesting element of apparent movement without motion blur that works well.

Color: well preserved colors throughout. The bright colors in the bio tubes in the foreground, that are so well captured, compared to the muted night colors of the background is very well done. Both retain their strength and present the local subjects perfectly.

Lighting: top half: very well controlled exposure to preserve and not distort the detail and gradations. Bottom half: extremely well controlled exposure for the foreground. The difficulty in balancing a dark background and a bright foreground (flash?) is so well done that both the top and bottom work not only together, but probably separaely as well.

Challenge requirements: very well met. Your message and intent is clear and well executed. I could picture this on a cover - rag or mag - very easily.

Overall/my opinion: at first glance you are drawn to the foreground, eliminating the background. But in the context of photojournalism, you are forced to look at the whole image and take in the combination of scene and headline. This image takes you to the exact point you should be at when viewing such a photo - the mood at the time - both sides. Very well done composition and and extremely well done image!

Homelessness on Rise Among Women
by aberration

Comment:
Hello from the DPC Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective: this was a hard one for me. I like the composition as it is. There is a lot of force in this image. I could definitely see this on the front page of a paper or a cover of a news pub along with the title you have applied. This is one of the stronger elements of this image. But as a commentor said previously, eye contact would have added a real strong emotive force that would have been hard to argue with. Your idea is strong and very well portrayed, but it could have been stronger with other elements attended to (see below).

Color: you didn't list processing details so this is a bit hard to critique. I don't know if you were going for the muted look to emphasize your point or if it is a shortcoming in processing. My opinion is that the colors could use a boost in saturation and contrast. They all seem flat where it appears that the only really flat color is her jacket and the building in the background. Overall it appears that the colors are muted and somewhat hovering around the same curve in the middle of the grayscale.

Lighting: well controlled natural lighting. Between the material of the bags and the items attached to her shoulder strap there was a lot of potential for flares, bright spots, abberations. None of these exist. The small white spot on her jacket still holds a lot of detail. This is a stronger element of this image and carries it, but color is a downfall (see above).

Challenge requirements: one of the stronger elements of the scene. Your message is clearly conveyed and there is no room for ambiguity/misinterpretation. The composition lends itself well to a front page image in that the subject and the message are both well contained within the frame. Very well done and good eye!!!

Overall/my opinion: you have met the challenge requirements very well.
It could use some work on the colors and processing end. But that should be easy to overcome. The hard part you seem to have down fairly well - subject, environment, composition. It would be stronger with eye contact, but as is is still a strong image.

... canal colours ...
by GuGi

Comment:
Hello from the DPC Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective: this is an interesting image for many reasons. Being totally abstract in composition, there is no point of reference for comparison. But that doesn't hurt the image. I think it is one of the stronger points. The reflection is very well placed in the photo and as such makes you look all the longer trying to figure out what the reflection is of. By the time you figure it out you are so caught up in the colors (see below) and the soft designs that you are absorbed. Very pleasing shapes and designs and your angle of approach helps to strengthen that aspect. Very well done!

Color: very well developed and preserved colors in the image. The contrasts are strong and not distracting. The balance between light and dark colors is very well done. The range of colors is great and one can find pleasing tones all across the image.

Lighting: nice control of natural light - good choice of time of day as well as exposure control. Nothing seems blown out and nothing seems too dark. All delineations are clear and crisp.

Challenge requirements: as a Free Study the boundaries were off. A brave choice to enter such an abstract image. But it fits the challenge well as it allowed you to obviously express an artistic side while not relying on processing to achieve it. Very creative image.

Overall/my opinion: very strong abstract image. A real nice overall balance and composition. I like abstracts to begin with and this I find very pleasing and interesting to look at. Even for an extended period of time. At first I was a little distracted by some of the tendrils of reflection leaving the image at the bottom, but when viewed critically, they really don't have an impact at all. Very well done image!

Distant Peaceful Current
by rickhd13

Comment:
Seems a little bright and lacking contrast/saturation. Perhaps a polarizer or different exposure combination would have helped.

De- Parting Couple
by love

Comment:
Having a bit of a hard time with this one...her face is off - too bright/blurry or the combination makes it appear almost featureless. He is lost into the background. The main focus seems to be the back of the truck which also has some problems - grain, blown out plate. Then the title...seeing as how this was mentioned in the challenge description specifically, this is being shoe-horned in as it really isn't three words but two with one of them being split to fit.

Teathered blue boat
by kari1

Comment:
looks a bit oversharpened, but I like the composition...

Tetanus
by Zigomar

Comment:
hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective:
Composition is very well done. The ends of the barbed wire cut almost exactly at thirds lines which places the subject at a very appealing angle to the eye. The placement of the barbs is also very well done. The angle of approach to the shot seems well placed. The background is solid to the theme keeping distracting elements out of the shot. Well done. Appears a bit grainy in the green, but not distracting or taking away from the image. The DoF is interesting though. It appears your main subject is the spider on the wire. It may have been stronger if both the barbs were within the DoF (obviously including the spider) which would have set up a sort of 'trapped' element to the shot. Overall composition is very well done.

Color:
The colors are very strong and consistent in the shot. The variations seem natural and not forced by processing. Both the main colors are very strong and well preserved throughout the image.

Lighting:
This seems to be a weaker area to me. The setting seems totally natural but the lighting doesn't. The bright spots on the wire take that element away. Some appear to be due to oversharpening, others appear to be either direct light or flash that when coupled with the DoF of the shot seem out of place. A softer light on the wire may have helped.

Challenge:
Definitely met the challenge criteria. The color scheme is simple yet effective. Two strong colors that complement each other well. I like that you chose rust as opposed to a more general red color. The tonal contrasts are stronger and less harsh to view. Well done!

Overall/my opinion:
The DoF being a strong point for this composition is also a weak point. I really feel it would have been stronger with both barbs in focus. The composition is very appealing and the balance is well placed. The spider adds an element of 'surprise' to the shot that could have been better served if it was not the only focused point (that and a little of the wire in front of it). Also, if you meant to focus on the spider and not the barbs and just use the wire for the color, a different angle to bring the spider into a more prominent position in the shot would have helped. Overall a well done composition with a lot of appealing qulities.

Crystal
by rox_rox

Comment:
What's great about this shot is it looks completely natural. Great use of DoF and natural lighting. Her skin tones are perfect. Maybe her face could be a tad sharper, but the overall composition is very nicely done.

medpc.jpg
by deapee

Comment:
Oh yeah, let us not forget the expression. Added to favs. I like this!

Message edited by author 2006-05-06 22:59:05.