CD fish
by sarn

Comment:
This image was disqualified from the challenge. Due to the nature of the disqualification, I am not going to perform the critique of this image.

Message edited by HBunch - Removed Critique Club status.

Blue Shed
by bruxer

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ the spatial relationships in this scene are well done. Not too much sky or roadway; just enough building. Entering and leaving the scene at the sides instead of the bottom is a very nice aspect to the shot. The building itself acts to lead you across the scene. The angle to your subject is a nice perspective allowing you to see the building in one sense as a whole and then in another as just a shell. Well done! The shot is well focused and shows a lot of detail and texture in the many elements. The red brick against the smooth steel is a nice contrast. I think this image fell short in the processing area. Sharpening just a bit brings out a lot more detail in the brick pattern and really makes the window frames stand out. It also helps to define the waves and dents in the metal siding. Slight adjustment in levels (the image has a great histogram to work with) really helps to define the light and dark areas and sets up many more great contrasts in the image. This gives the image a lot more depth as well as feel.

Color Γ’€“ A boost in contrast really makes the red brick stand out and develops the blue shades more. This gives the image a very rich tonal range and palette. This also helps to define the textures present.

Lighting Γ’€“ well controlled natural light. There are no overbearing shadows and no distracting bright areas. The exposure was well executed.

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ this may be one area where it fell a bit short with the voters. Although this does appear to be some sort of old plant, there is not really anything that says industrial. The buildings themselves could be any sort of building. There are no fixtures that say industrial. There is no old equipment or stacks or what most would be looking for in an industrial setting.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ this image has a lot of potential and can be much stronger on its own with some post processing. It is a little weak for the challenge, but is still a good image that has a lot to offer the viewer.

Two Flaws In My Collection.
by Peshaw-99

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ the composition is set up very centered.. The quarter is dead center in the image. A different crop to place this off center may have helped Γ’€“ more in line with the rule of thirds. Although this is a collection (see below) it is a theme that has been seen many times and with this one, even with the title and the apparent challenge to find the flaws, doesnΓ’€™t have too much to make it really stand out and grab you. At first the overall focus seems off. Although the edges of the coins seem crisp, the detail of the coins is not. With a hard subject such as metal coins, the image would gain more strength if it was crisp. This tells me some sharpening is all it needs to make all the detail pop right out. There is one penny near the top that is much brighter than the rest. This draws attention to it immediately Γ’€“ even over the quarter. This is in contrast to the rest of the pennies that in general seem a little dark. With some levels adjustment the tonal range in the whole image can be developed more giving more balance to the light and dark areas. A boost in contrast would help to bring out the variations in the pennies colors and add a lot more interest to the photo by bringing out a lot of the rich tones across the image.

Color Γ’€“ the color here seems a little flat. The pennies have a lot of natural color variation and with the added patina of use, there is a wide range of excellent tones and shades that are not as developed as they could be. Using levels and contrast can reverse this nicely.

Lighting Γ’€“ not sure what the light source is here. Appears to be a single source or a flash. The quarter and the one penny seem to be the beneficiary of the light. The rest of the image seems a little dark. This may be due to the pennies not being flat and just did not pick up the light due to the angle they are laying on. A more directed light at an opposing angle to the camera to control reflections may have worked better.

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ although a little weak in my opinion, it is a collection, it is a very common subject Γ’€“ coins. There is just not enough Γ’€˜wowΓ’€™ to the shot to make it stand out and this may have hurt in the voters eyes.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ this could be a much stronger image with a little post processing or slightly different post processing. Piles of coins/arrangement of coins is a common subject (seen in many challenges) and for one shot to stand out it needs some element that is unique or have just the right combination of factors that the viewer is immediately grabbed by the image. With the post processing mentioned in this critique (I downloaded the image and applied) the image turns into a whole new scene with lots of detail, lots of great color variations across the scene and a lot more appeal. The potential is definitely there.

From Russia with Love
by edmeng

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ the composition of this shot is very well done. Placement of the cameras was well thought out and very nicely executed. Not pointing directly at any of the lenses adds a lot of strength. The wood is a very nice element and adds a very nice contrast between the hard elements of the cameras and the softer wood grains and textures. Very nice aspect of the scene. The focus seems just a bit on the soft side Γ’€“ I find this a plus (intentional?) and really helps to add to the nostalgic mood of the scene. The processing (see below) is also another element that just adds to the mood and the perfect choice. I donΓ’€™t think this would have been as strong if done in pure black and white. The top right hand camera is a little bright, but the camera ID is still clearly visible so nothing is really lost. Overall, very well done composition.

Color Γ’€“ b/w, processed to sepia, I think this is one of the stronger elements of this composition. Pure black and white I donΓ’€™t think would have translated the mood of this shot as well as the sepia does. Excellent choice!

Lighting Γ’€“ not too bright although a little on the bright side. Shadows are well controlled and there are no really bright or dark areas where detail is lost. Placement was well thought out as the reflections all seem well placed/controlled.

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ certainly meets the requirements of the challenge. Strong subject objects that capture the interest right away really help this image stand out.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ there are a lot of subtle elements in this shot that give it a unique look and feel Γ’€“ the wood, placement of the cameras Γ’€“ slightly opposing, the slight angle of the top camera lend to it being more natural as opposed to a perfect set up job. Well done!

COLLECTION
by KRAZY2101

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ the amount of area covered by your shot is good. The relative placement of the subjects is also quite good. They are even throughout the shot while not being crowded or too spread out. I like the mix of base elements in the shot Γ’€“ water, plants, stone wall. The crop may be a little tight on the right side, but the birds are not cut off so that helps it there a bit. The focus seems a little off. This may be more camera shake than focus though, hard to tell. Your relative position to the subjects is nice Γ’€“ not too much above or below. This really works with the combination of birds Γ’€“ flying, swimming, walking/standing. Very nice mix and one of the stronger elements of the shot. The size of the shot is one of the weaker points (see below) and can be corrected. Some sharpening applied to the shot would help to define more of the textures in the scene Γ’€“ the stone wall, reeds in the background, feather definition on the foreground birds and wing detail of the flying birds.

Color Γ’€“ adjustments in contrast and saturation would help to separate the like colored elements. The lighter green of the reeds would contrast better against the dark green water. This would also help with the top standing bird to not blend so much into the stone wall.

Lighting Γ’€“ natural light, dealt with fairly well. The two flying birds appear to be blown out a bit in the white areas Γ’€“ much brighter than the rest of the image. Some of this can be seen as well on the neck of the swimming pelican. Some adjustment in levels may have eliminated this.

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ although this is a nice group of birds, it doesnΓ’€™t really meet the requirements of Collections except in the very broadest sense. It may have lost some with the voters in this area.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ a nice scene that with some adjustments or slightly different adjusts made in post processing could help to strengthen it. I noticed in your comments you said they were small to make the 150k limit. There are many ways to resize and compress an image to make the limit and still have a larger image Γ’€“ 640 x 640. If this is something you are unsure how to do or would like to learn other methods, you can search the forums and find many threads about this. Also, posting a question in the forums will definitely get you helpful responses. If you PM me I will also help as much as I can.

Spoils Of War
by Caitlyn

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ At first look, the image appears to be out of focus. Looking deeper I see that it is more of a DoF situation. The plane of focus appears to be the very back of the image. This leaves the foreground to stand on its own. This may have hurt the image some. Being a little busy in the foreground does not translate well with it being slightly out of focus. It makes it look busy and somewhat separate as opposed to part of the composition as a whole. The uniform being partial is ok, but the sign becomes a bit of a distraction being cut off. It may have helped to adjust your object placement/distance to subject to show the whole numbers at least. There is also a small white patch between the sigh and uniform that could have been removed or objects adjusted to hide it. The only other objects I find distracting are the objects next to the bag at the bottom of the sign. Not sure what they are, but they lack any real definition or indication of what they are which makes them appear as though they do not belong in the scene.

Color Γ’€“ b/w, the conversion overall seems to have been done fairly well. There is a little imbalance between some of the black areas Γ’€“ the uniform appears very black while some of the black/darker objects in the foreground appear to be starting the shift to grays. The whites in some areas appear a little bright, but not overly so.

Lighting Γ’€“ this looks like a flash shot or at minimum a single light source. This is one of the strongest elements of the shot. The scene is evenly lit and nothing is obscured by dark shadows and there are no bright spots/glares. Well done!

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ there is no doubt this meets the requirements. A unique choice of collections to portray.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ in my opinion this could have been a much stronger entry if the focus/DoF was adjusted a bit. I think this may have played a role in the voters acceptance of the shot. The collection itself works off a strong topic and the image would have contained a much stronger emotive force.

Silcion Mountain
by linda12201

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective Γ’€“ I think your distance to your subject is pretty good, but there is too much image to support it nicely. Being so far away you lose a lot of the structure detail, but you gain the nice view. Perhaps cropping off the left side of the image and maybe a little off the top before resizing would allow an overall larger image (closer to 640x640). On the right side of the image the buildings are cut off. However, there seems to be a break between the buildings just in front of the white stack. Cropping between the buildings would allow the one to be complete while eliminating the one that isnΓ’€™t. I am not sure about the grass in the foreground. Perhaps if sharpened a bit more to show more of the detail would help it as an element of the shot. But as is it just seems to take up the bottom of the picture with no real purpose. It is not necessary to show your distance. The focus front to back in the image is done well. But again, a little sharpening would help to define the details of the building.

Color Γ’€“ the colors are very vibrant in this image. But some of the white areas look artificially blue (to the left of the steam, on the hill in the background to the right. Perhaps it is just the way the sun is hitting the snow near those areas making the shadows look that way. The saturation might be a little high Γ’€“ the red staircase for example.

Lighting Γ’€“ natural light, most of the image appears to be in the same light with some areas in shadow. The steam has a large bright spot on it I find a little distracting. The detail though is still present in most of the image Γ’€“ the trees on the hills. Some detail is lost though in the confusion just in front of the plant.

Challenge requirements Γ’€“ for industrial it meets the challenge requirements well.

Overall/my opinion Γ’€“ as stated above I think a different crop may make this a stronger image as well as some sharpening. A pet peeve of mine, but may have hurt you some with the voters Γ’€“ the spelling error in your title. Gives the impression you donΓ’€™t really care enough about your image to spell the title correctly.


Message edited by HBunch - Fixing CC glitch.

Silcion Mountain
by linda12201

Comment:


Message edited by HBunch - fixing cc glitch.

boudoir
by nolock

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective - there are some subtle elements in this image that help it work - the lines in the floor, the geometry between them and the corner of the bed, the shoe crossing an intersection (on purpose? if not, nice accident). The focus seems a bit soft - I am assuming you were going for this as it suits the scene quite well. The top of the drapes is a little bright, perhaps cropping lower a bit would remove that and not hurt the image at all. The angle of approach to the subject is quite nice - not directly down, a smooth approach from a short distance. This really works well here. Allows the subject items to have a lot more definition. The edge of the bed is also a little bright. Not sure what could have been done there. It isn't really a distraction, but it does stand out in stark contrast to the overall yellow hue to the shot. Obviously I have no idea how hard it would have been, but perhaps if the bed was moved a bit, the subject items could all have been in the reflection from the window. I like them being off the corner of the bed though.

Color - the whole image has a yellow hue or tint to it. This doesn't hurt the image and helps to set the mood. The black and red of the subject items stand out nicely against this.

Lighting - it appears to be natural all from the window and is well controlled. Except for the areas pointed out above as being bright, the whole image is evenly lit. The detail in the bedspread is not lost and the grain patterns in the floor are clearly visible. Well done!

Challenge requirements - certainly conveys the concept of adulthodd and there definitely are no adults in the shot. Meets the challenge requirements nicely. No question what you were going after.

Overall/my opinion - for a minimalistic setting, the mood of this shot is strong. Based on your description you were able to translate your idea to this image quite well. I think the area that weakened it with the voters a bit is the overall yellow. But, in my opinion, good image and well done!

Pointe Shoes
by angela_packard

Comment:
So glad this won a ribbon. Very nice composition and well done photo. Despite the fact I can relate to this on many levels, the presence of the subject is strong and very well presented. Well done!