Pill "O"/Pillow
by phylsy7

Comment:
Don't like the blown highlight on the L, I imagine you were trying to get the background white or not to show up, but in doing so you caused a more sever problem.

High On Pot
by Zap228

Comment:
You stole my old signature!! hehehe :P

Actually, this is very nicely done, I like the perspective/angle and colors. I would have put the lid down though. ew..

Thai food
by LevT

Comment:
I love this shot, great idea, well lit. the chopsicks picking up the tie are great. i do think it could have been sharper, but hey, I'm picky. 8

Starlight Starbright
by Mansonsdesdemona

Comment:
Merry Christmas from the Critique Club!

I see that this is your first entry and you are a newly minted member. Welcome. :o)

I think this idea has potential, but even at its fullest may not have been a truly strikingly great photograph for this challenge, for a catalog cover that is. Maybe a phone book cover, or postcard shot, or city advertisement, but I'm not really sure how this could have been used in a catalog.

Your composition is fairly well done, resulting in generalized fore/middle/background elements, but the foreground is cluttered with random people that leave the foreground unbalanced. This is a little distracting. Also, the people are blocking the main subject, the water light show. Ultimately, the composition of the shot falls flat.

The colors are interesting, but they lack enough presence to really pop out of the picture, possibly some saturation adjustments could have helped with that. I ran it through Photoshop some and it did help very much. The picture is a little noisy; running it through a program like Neat-Image might help. (a free download is available)

This is a good choice of an interesting subject, combined with a bad choice of angles and positioning of the subject. This leads to an ultimately uninteresting composition. Something that helps me when shooting a well-known subject is to analyze other photos and thing about how that photographer accomplished the end Image. A quick Google search returned these: //www.pbase.com/terraxplorer/longwood_gardens&page=3 which might give you some ideas.

But remember, sometimes it is also VERY good to shoot something from and extremely different angle than has been seen before. With this, possibly very close and focusing on one of the fountainheads with the rest leading off and using some perspective may be just the ticket. Think, large to one side with fountains leading off to the distance. Not sure what the rules are, or how near you could get to do it though.

-Steve

One Way To Paradice...
by all4u

Comment:
thank you for your pretty diversion from the challenge.

Spoonful of Vitamin Bee (Spoon, Honey and a Real Bee)
by davidus428

Comment:
Greetings from the critique club!

This is my first critique for the club and a doosey at that, so bear with me :o)

This photo is wonderfully composed, there can't be many complaints here. The spoon leads you directly to the bee in a thirds cross-section and the negative space leaves you no other perceivable subject to look at so your eyes should stick to the bee and honey.

There is a small problem with a highlight on the spoon handle that is distracting to me. On the flipside of that the bee is too dark. There are some highlights on the bee that bring out some detail, but too much of it seems clipped out. I'm not quite sure what you're lighting was, but it seems like it was a flash direct on. I think having some light at 45 degree angles above left and below right to the subjects. This would highlight the back and wings of the bee, and would (I think) heavily reduce the highlights on the spoon.

My only other complaint would be the overpowering color of the background. Your eyes should stick to the bee and spoon, but I think the background was given too much visual weight with the vibrant purple, and is more distracting than additive to the composition. This seems especially so when in conjunction with the lack of detail on the bee.

I realize that this must have been a decidedly hard setup and shoot. It is very commendable, and possibly amazing, that you got the shot at all. This was an inspired idea and composition and gets a ton of cool points from me. Find a way to light the subject better, and you have a ribbon shot here.

-Steve

Anemone V
by banmorn

Comment:
I love flower macros, good DOF here, but could have included just a bit more at the back and front of the (stamens?) in sharp focus. The colors are great.

Worn
by banmorn

Comment:
wow, absoulutely ravishing colors. not sure if you added them, but it really works well.

poised
by mycelium

Comment:
::least commented photo drive::

I like this but it could have used a bit more detail on the bug, or a tighter crop I think. macro is about detail after all :o). The placement of the subject is great, and I like the reflection.

Miners_Sunset_P5240014c.jpg
by hi131

Comment:
::least commented drive::

wonderfully detailed and contrasty, I'd like to se an angle direct on or 45 degrees with a large shell or driftwood for a focal point. the itty bit of ocean is distracting, make you want to see more but ends up frustrating the eye.