Steel Life
by Morry32

Comment:
Wow, I love this! It is really beautiful. You deserve a much higher score for this image.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
by fernandacapibaribe

Comment:
Fernanda, hello from the Critique Club:

I imagine you probably were disappointed with your results. I hope nevertheless continue to enter challenges - it's a great way to learn.

First impression: A very peaceful image with a beautiful clear blue sky.

Focus is good, if you flip the image (back to normal). As it is (upside down) it looks as if it were out of focus (because the reflection is not as sharp as the actual buildings.

Aperture/Shutter Speed F5.6 seems like too large an aperture for a landscape image. IMO, you could have used F8 to F11 for this image, although it probably would not have made much of a difference. The trees have no detail, they look like dark masses; it is difficult to capture detail when there is this much contrast between sky and land. The traditional method is to use a gradated filter. In digital you could use contrast masking to increase detail in selected areas. Contrast masking is allowed in advanced editing. If you wish to find out more about it, there is a lot of info on it in the thread about landscape photography.

Composition: It usually is not such a good idea to place the horizon line right in the middle of the image, dividing it into two equal parts; it makes for a static image, without much life. The horizon line does not look straight (it is slightly tilted), and that's quite distracting in this kind of an image. Flipping the image is interesting, but it tends to draw attention to the weaker parts of the image and diminish its stronger points. The large dark tree masses to the left and right are a bit much compared to the buildings - they don't really do anything there.

Meeting the challenge: Without the title, there is no way that there would be a connection to the challenge, and even with the title the connection is somewhat weak. There is no recognizeable "Lucy", or diamonds. There is a lot of sky. It's not a strong enough connection to sell the image for the challenge.

Overall: This is a peaceful image with a beautiful blue that brings out the warm tones of the buildings. I think the location has a lot of potential to create some beatiful, interesting images.

I do hope the critique helps in a small way. I hope to see more of entries from you.

Take care,

~Ursula

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If you have any further questions, comments, or complaints, please send me an email.

Across the Universe
by Rino63

Comment:
Greetins from the Critique Club.

My first impression of this image is, "Why didn't it score higher?" It's a beautiful, artistic vision, good presentation.

Technicals: Focus and exposure look fine to me. I really don't think there's anything to improve here.

Composition: Great use of space; beautiful implied story. As one of your commenters below mentioned, maybe turning the globe would be something to try, although I personally think it's better this way. I like the added border, but some viewers might find it distracting.

Meeting the challenge: It meets the challenge topic, although it could be argued that the earth is not the universe. I think, if anything, the photo is a bit too subtle for the average DPC voter - you sort of have to be "in your face" for an idea to sell here.

Overall: I really like this entry, and find it difficult to believe that it didn't score higher. I was looking at your other images in your portfolio: you do beautiful work, delicate, subtle, I really like it. I hope to see more of your imagery.

Hope this helps.

~Ursula

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If you have questions/comments/complaints, feel free to email me.

Eleanor Rigby - Waits at the Window Wearing a Face that She Keeps in a Jar by the Door
by Aeroglyphics

Comment:
Paul, hello from the Critique Club:

First impression: I love this, although it also looks a bit "dissonant" or disconnected because of the jar/face.

About the image:

Focus is excellent. Absolutely no problem there.

Exposure is good for the rocks, foreground, jar, and girl. As you mention in your comments, the image is dark (at the top left). I looked at this on two monitors, and even though the image looks lighter overall on my laptop, the area behind the girl looks black on both. As one of your commenters mentioned below, I wonder if keeping a touch of detail from within the hut would have been preferable, just a big, like a hint of what's behind the girl. But the exposure for the rest is perfect IMO.

Composition: Very well done IMO, excellent use of the rule of thirds. The white border goes well with the image. The jar/stand is the one discordant element - the placement is fine, but it being there is sort of strange, and counters the dark mood of the picture otherwise. The jar/mask look almost comic, like a little cartoon thrown into an otherwise very moody image. I am not sure how well that works. In a way, it makes a beautiful image into something you're trying to fit to the song. I love the sweep of the rocks, and the girl's expression is just right.

Post processing: Looks to me like you did an excellent job. I like it that even though you applied draganizer, it is not so heavy as to make it look like a "draganized" image. The colours are beautifully muted.

Overall: A good entry for a hard challenge. You got a good score. Your score probably suffered because the image somehow didn't "connect" with a lot of viewers.

I hope this helps.

Take care,

~Ursula

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Comments/questions/complaints - feel free to email me.

Don`t try this at home
by geewhy

Comment:
Haven't cows heard of Kleenexes?

"Got Seed?"
by ShutterPug

Comment:
Funny! Looks like one of those postcards with funny captions.

"Tomorrow Never Knows"
by Zigomar

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

On first impression I am so very surprised. I did not realize that a place like Belgrade would have slums. I've never been out of the Americas, and I always assumed that European cities did not have slums, or poor people, or discrimination - I guess I should have known better.

About the technicals of the picture: Your focus is fine. 3.5 aperture with 1/250 secs seems to have worked in this instance, although you're right, it would have been better to make this image at a lower ISO (you could have used a lower shutter speed with it, same aperture).

Composition: Again, I see no problems with it. It is what it is, a beautiful but very sad image. Sweet in a way, but bittersweet in my opinion, the boy to the left looks both curious and apprehensive, the other child looks so normal. The brown tones with patches of pink and green are quite beautiful IMO. I think moving slightly to the left to eliminate the two little yellowish object right by the pole would be good.

Post processing: I think you used Neat Image or some other digital noise remover software (probably because of the graininess of ISO 400). I don't know if it shows up on your screen or not, but on mine, the noise removing has created these areas that are just too smooth to look real (for example, on the tarp behind the boy and on the ground). These smooth patches are uneven, and sort of destroy the textures in the photograph. I am not sure, but an image like this one might look quite good "grainy".

Overall: A good entry, and a good score to show for it.

Keep up the good work!

Ursula

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Comment/questions/complaints - please feel free to email me at ursula-abresch@shaw.ca

Miss Understood
by roadrunner

Comment:
If this is your second favourite, I'd like to see your favourite - it must be really, really good.

Love this!

(Words are) Flowing Out Like Endless Rain Into a Paper Cup - "Across the Universe"
by Lorene

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I am so glad I got this image to write about, I love it! It's always easier to comment on something you like. The only problem is that I think the image is pretty much just right the way it is. Hmmmm.

Anyway.

For the technicals:

Focus is right on - the cup, drops, and "rain" are all nicely in focus, while the sky is soft in the distance.

Exposure - F8 & 1/250 sec seem to have worked just right here. If you would have wanted to get a more streaky background (traces of water coming down) then you'd have to use a lower shutter speed (1/60 or so), but then the drops in the air would not have been as clear. There is a series of flower images made in front of a sprinkler, at 1/30 to 1/60 shutter speed, backlit (that is, sun, shower, flower in that order) that look absolutely beautiful - maybe you've seen some of them.

Lighting - seems just right to me also.

Composition - Just something that comes to mind, there are few square images that win at DPChallenge (I don't know why). I like your composition quite well. Maybe it would be worth experimenting with placing the cup at the bottom right, so that it looks like more of the rain is actually flowing into the cup (right now, there is a big area to the right where the rain isn't going anywhere so to say). The slightly blurry area at the bottom right might also have thrown off some viewers. But I like the cut as it is.

Meeting the challenge - this is probably the area where your image suffered most. The lyrics read "flowing out", yet the image has a feel of "flowing into". The image does not convey the idea of rain very much - that might have hurt. You did really well though, a top 20 finish at DPC with your 4th entry is quite an achievement.

I am looking forward to your future creations. Congratulations again on an excellent entry.

~Ursula

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If you have comments/questions/complaints, feel free to contact me.

Sparkling
by Dax-

Comment:
Wow, Bea, this is just perfect! I missed it before somehow. You're so good!