1400°C
by gaurawa

Comment:
this is such an amazing image. very well done, and great score. :)

Camp Fire
by jacolo

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon, and I'll be looking at your photo today

the first thing that jumps out at me about this photo is the blowouts in the fire. it's rather hard to shoot fire at a 5.6, and with a shutter of 1/15th it really allows too much light in w/ such a hole aperture. i think if you would have stopped this to about a f/12 or so, the faster shutter speed would have possibly been ample to catch the red/orange tones from the flame w/out blowing it out. i would mess around w/ the AV mode and the TV mode on your camera, i have the XT and still learning things daily. keep on shooting! you have some great shots in your portfolio

the background is also rather cluttered. i'd try messing around w/ a few different angles, for it seems like you were either standing looking down somewhat for this shot.

great attempt, and not a bad score at all. keep on clickin' away w/ that great camera and ur shots will continue to get better :)

good luck w/ your future challenges!
-Jon Rowe

HOT CHOCOLATE
by hotpasta

Comment:
Hello, from the Critique Club. I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today. :)

i like this shot, but personally i think there could be more done w/ the lighting and background. the first thing that jumps out at me is the flat lighting. the colors really don't come through, and the blowout from the window i'm guessing in the background and the smoke kindof don't set themselves apart from each other. it's a great idea, though, and you received a nice score. i think the background takes away from the image.

overall it's nice, and a great photo. keep on shooting.

good luck on your future challenges!
-Jon Rowe

Bad heat
by LevT

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, my name is Jon Rowe and i will be looking at your photo today :)

This image is amazing, and i don't see how it didn't finish higher. it's a very well done, grungy feel, and i feel it really portrayed the image you were trying to, or what i feel you were trying to. the worn fingers, the perfectly exposed light, very nice.

i like how the apex of the spoon is right on the top third line, and the fire on the intersecting lines. i just love this image. if i had to nitpick the only thing i would say is to clone out the blow out point on the inside of the thumb, next to the lighter, but that's just personal preference. in my honest opinions, this should have scored higher, but it's still an amazing score for an amazing image.

keep shooting

good luck on your future challenges.
-Jon Rowe

Firery Hot
by SherwinJames

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

This was one of my favorites from this challenge, very nice job. the composition is great, and i really like the use of lines in this. you really bring the view from the bottom up, and right back down into the mysterious shadow behind the pepper. the vapor lines, fantastic. i don't have anything to add to this, the blown out highlight even works. :) adds that glossy look that i'm guessing you were going for.

this was a very nice image. great job!

good luck on your future challenges.
-Jon Rowe

Hot 'n Spicy
by Breeee123

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

This is a great shot. i really enjoyed this, captures the moment well. i like the intensive setup you went through on this, paid off well. 6.3102! great score!

the only thing i can even possibly think of to nitpick on this is the blown highlight on the back ridge of the pan, but it really does not detract very much. i like the "heat" red coming from the bottom, as well. very well thought out image.

well done.

good luck in your future challenges :)
-Jon Rowe

Fire Walk With Me
by goc

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

I really like the composition of this image, it brings the eyes in to the well focused end of stick, back out, to the sides, and back in from the top. very effective use of space and lines.

the dodging and burning you did on the ashes is great, and you did a good job of not overblowing them, which can be hard sometimes w/ the exposure of DorB.

the only nitpic i see is the highlight blowouts in the flames, specifically in the top of the image. possibly a ND filter or faster shutter speed could fix this, just mess around with it.

regardless, this is a very nice image, and a great score. keep up the good work, and keep shooting.

good luck on your future challenges:)
-Jon Rowe

Hot Pot
by dabidejpn

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

The composition on this image is spot on. i really enjoyed this, it really, with the red hugh, shows the portrayal of heat well.

i believe a 2degree Clockwise rotation would have done well for this, for it seems to be pointing downhill to the left. it still works, only personal preference, still a fantastic image. the only other thing that really sticks out to me is the hotspots on the front white part of the kettle, as well as on the lid and up to left corner (which could easily be cropped out)

great image, with a fantastic score. steadily getting up there to that 6 score, and i see a ribbon out of you in no time w/ the progress you're making. great job, and keep on shooting.

good luck on your future challenges:)
-Jon Rowe

Subterranean Magma
by landcamera

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

Being from southwest arkansas (magnolia) I will have to visit this, looks very inviting. i really enjoyed this image. it really portrays the topic well, but i feel like the blown highlight in top right center in front of the man's nose is too much. a faster shutter cold have been used i suppose.

the young man was the focus point, i'm guessing, for he's in great focus. the rock is what the eyes come to first, being the brightest/biggest point in the image. i really like this, great composition, great flow. maybe cutting a little off the top to where the top of the rock leads you out of the picture frame, and then back in with a slightly tighter crop from the left could help a little.

overall, great image, with a great score. i really like this.

bravo, and good luck on your future challenges :)
-Jon Rowe

Texas Heat
by bgslaw

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club, I'm Jon Rowe, and I will be looking at your image today :)

Great challenge to enter something like this in. I LOVE the composition of the peppers in the shape of the Texas. Me being from Arkansas (SOOOEY) i found this quite amuzing, and such a great use of space. great creative flow here.

as stated earlier by others, i think the only thing really wrong w/ this is the lighting. it's a rather "flat" lighting, which doesn't give any contrast whatsoever, leaving it with blown highlights and rather harsh shadows. you can really work with things like this for not very expensive at all. when i first got into lighting, i purchased a set of halogen work lamps at wal-mart for around $30 (came w/ 2) and it came w/ a nifty little stand, with a swivel mount. they were great, i really liked them. just an idea, you can mess around w/ some types of diffusers over them, just be careful w/ the heating, for they get very hot. that will give this the soft lighting this type of shot really needs to make all the darks/mids/highlights really pop.

once again, this is a great image, and very well placed. good score, and leaves room for improvement for the next challenge.

keep on shooting, and good luck on your future challenges :)
-Jon Rowe