The tool shed
by glennc

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that the shot feels a little flat.

Technically this is good. Composition is good given the subject, exposure seems ok if not a little overexposed (the clogs seem a bit bright), processing could do with some more contrast though. I like one commenter's suggestion of speia - the subject does look like it would benefit from that treatment.

Artistically this is a nice shot that meets the challenge. Nothing is level in the frame and that works in this instance to give us that old wonky garden shed feel.

In summary this is a good shot but was never going to get a 6, it just lacks the pizazz for DPC voters. In any case, it's a shot to be proud of.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Spring Fern
by Ja-9

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the nice intense greens.

Technically this is good. Great DOF. Composition allows the eye to flow through the frame well. Exposure seems good. Processing looks natural.

Artistically this is not bad, the shape of the plant forms a pleasing shape but we do get taken to the OOF bit at the end, I'd prefer that to be in focus. There are some dark lines in the background that it would have been good to eliminate if you could (place some plant material over them perhaps?)

In summary a nice shot that was executed well. I do wonder if a few voters knocked you down for the subject being a plant (an extension of a flower)?

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Purple Tiger
by enesoz

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are of the vivid colours.

Technically this is ok, good detail, composition works and the subject is nicely balanced.

Artistically this is good but it just boils down to a close up of a flower. It's hard to be artistic with close ups like this though.

In summary a good shot that would have done well had the challenge not said "no flowers".

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

The Garden Keeper
by patio127

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that I have one like this in my garden!

Technically this is good. Composition is ok, DOF good, background nice, exposure good.

Artistically this is ok but a little blah. It's really a garden statue and nothing else so it's hard to get artistic. I do find the gazing ball reflection slightly distracting.

In summary an ok shot, scored what it deserved, hard to improve other than a tighter crop to focus us on the detail in the statue rather than the statue in situ.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

langham lights
by alexgurley

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that that shot is too small in size and too busy.

Technically this could be improved. Always use the 800 pixels available to you for an entry - make sure the longest side is that size otherwise your shot looks small and voters will get a negative impression right away. Given the fountain is the focal point composition is slightly off as it is centered vertically in the frame (cropping off some at the bottom would have removed some distracting flowers and solved this). Exposure is difficult in these situations and you can see the fountain seem slightly overexposed while most of the garden is underexposed.

Artistically this has little for the DPC voter to like. It comes across as a "snapshot" and DPC doesn't vote them high. Perhaps if you had made the fountain more prominent in the frame, used a tripod (maybe you did?), and used a slower shutter speed to get a "dreamy" feel to the flowing water.

In summary an ok attempt at night photography but it is a hard thing to master. Keep submitting, don't let negative comments get you down, and keep the composition simple :)

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Hot N Cold
by garfield

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are "oh, some old chilli peppers".

Technically this is ok. Composition is good with the stalk being a good line to lead our eye along the chillis. The background is not distracting. DOF seems to be used well.

Artistically is where this shot falls down. The snow background is not isolated from the subject much so we find ourselves looking at that a lot. The chillis lack a certain something to make us go "wow, cool" - maybe it's the lack of "pop" in colour as one commenter suggested but maybe it's that they are dead but the overall shot doesn't show us the drama and emotion to go with that. Perhaps if you could have got a different background or some dramatic lighting/processing?

In summary an ok shot that wasn't far off a 5. Some good elements to build on for future entries. BTW, congrats on your first entry - learn and you'll be improving soon!

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

We like to be out, in the real garden
by amateurboi

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this is a picture of a flower which is opposite of what the challenge asked for.

Technically this seems to be soft with no area in sharpness. This may be on purpose to give the "through the window" look you were going for? Other than that it's not bad technically, composition is good with great lines to guide us from flower to flower. Exposure is good with the bright areas just being held back from being overly bright.

Artistically this is very good. Nicely processed to give a "dreamy" feel and the use of the softness heightens this.

In summary this is a nice shot that would have scored quite well if it hadn't been totally against what the challenge wanted :(

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Irish Dancing IS Fun!!!
by signal2noise

Comment:
Great title :)

Femmina
by Rino63

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this has a great style to it.

Technically this is good. The lighting is good, composition is great, DOF is used well.

Artistically I have to agree with many of the commenter's that the nail polish bottle is more of a distraction than an asset here. If it weren't in the frame then we'd have a great line being formed with the legs and the shoes but we now have an "L" shape for our eyes to follow. The shot tells a great story, or at least it let's our minds create a story and that's what you want from a shot, something that engages the viewer.

In summary a great shot that has potential to be even better.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry

Into my dad's shoes
by sekarmalathy

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

First impressions are that this rocks - it'd make a great poster!

Technically this is well done. Composition and POV are great to provide enough emphasis on the shoe while not allowing it to overwhelm the shot. Your lighting is superb (I wish I could master lighting like this) and the unnatural processing works here. Viewing this with the watermark is a shame as it does detract from the shot but them's the breaks.

Artistically this is great. The POV used gives a great sense of drama and scale. There are some distractions that I'd have cloned out. Just below his right eye is something (from the glasses?) that makes me think he's got boogers! Also, the reflection in the left lens is a huge distraction from both the subject of the shot (the shoe) and the overall feel of the shot.

In summary a great shot that was worthy top 10 material.

Feel free to PM me if you have any queries.
Gerry