Big Western Sky
by magnetic9999

Comment:
Love the colours in this pict! (love Montana too). Kollin, thanks for your comment!

Early Fall Fruits
by pitsaman

Comment:
Very nice - congratulations!

Birthplace of Silicon Valley
by JPR

Comment:
Really? This is it? Good idea!

Evil Plotting
by JPR

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hi, Jason,

I'm a bit worried about doing a critique on this photo, as you seem to have been quite frustrated with the voting results. And I think that you are right, the score is low for the quality of the picture. BTW - I wasn't around that week, so I didn't vote :)))

I think that your commenters that didn't see how the picture fit in the challenge might have a bit of a point, in particular if you think the fit has to be "in your face", but I think that you knew that would happen when you entered the picture. I also think though that it would have been easy to imagine a caged bird trying to escape, and that it's worth remembering that pictures don't have to be "in your face" to meet a challenge, that oftentimes pictures that make you think, dream, imagine, are the ones you'll remember. So, I guess I'm being slightly critical of the lack of imagination of the voters.

As far as the picture itself:

Composition: IMO the composition is great. I like the bigger top (or, the crop you chose). I like the grey/white background, I think it works really well here, as do the shadows. The "pose" of the bird is fantastic! To me, besides plotting to escape, he looks like he's trying to hide his thoughts from the viewer. The simple black frame is very good.

Focus/Sharpness: Looks fine to me. I love the slightly OOF feathers to the front.

Light/Colour: Overall quite good, in particular in the front and background. The subtle brown of the feathers is beautiful, as are the greys in the shadows. The black/white/reds of the main focal plane are also beautiful, but they look a tad like they got a bit too much light (did you use flash for this picture?) and lost a bit of detail. I wish the eye were "shinier" or a bit more detailed.

Overall: IMO this is a good picture, interesting to look at, it tells a story, makes you imagine a situation. Taking into account the nature of the voters on DPC, it probably wasn't the best choice for the challenge. But don't worry, scores are just scores, but you do excellent, imaginative work!

Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)
Complaints, questions ... email me.

EDIT (Addition)

2 things I forgot to say,
(1) the title is great!
(2) this picture looks a lot better big than as a thumbnail.

Message edited by author 2003-08-23 12:44:49.

Inside A Lilly
by katlyn

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hi, Kathy,

I was out of town during the "Inside Looking Out" voting, so this is the first time I see this photo. I like it.

Composition: I think your composition is very good, the close crop is excellent. At the same time, for this particular challenge the close crop probably worked against you, because without the context it is a bit hard to see what the little frog is in, what he's looking out of. I like the bowl like feeling at the bottom of the picture. It's interesting that the frog is centered, yet the picture uses the rule of thirds quite well.

Focus: Pretty good. It looks a tad on the soft side, low light probably had something to do with that?

Colour/Light: You used flash, right? The greens are beautiful, but on the frog they look like they got a bit too much light and thus lost detail. I think it's interesting how the whole picture is tones of black to white, greens and a little bit of brownish/yellow. The flash (light) spots on the frog's nose, eyebumps, and right above the head take away a bit from the beauty of the picture. I think that given the circumstances in which I imagine you took this picture, this is actually quite good - it would be great if you could do the same picture under different lighting circumstances.

Overall - a good entry to the challenge, a great pose - good work!

Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)
Comments, complaints, questions ... feel free to contact me

Memories of a Blue Sky
by silverleaf

Comment:
Recent past - interesting idea! The colours of the sky are really threatening! I like it how you got the house silhouette so dark. Good work!

Two Seater
by DennisF

Comment:
Good shot! Good entry to the challenge. I like the colours - the light is just right. ~9

Fun of the past
by vjoz

Comment:
Good use of DOF! Good idea.

Year 2054: A thing of the Past?
by justesme

Comment:
The past, as seen from the future ... neat idea!

RELICS FROM THE PAST
by seabrook

Comment:
I like that sign, "We will buy anything". Good entry!