American Pride Flyin' High
by purpletroll

Comment:
It would be nicer if the flag were not partly rolled up; also, and I don't mean it disrespectfully, but how does a pict of an American flag fit in with speed?

Dusty Roads
by Sonifo

Comment:
Hey, congrats Sonya!!! Beautiful picture! I love it.

Hay Now!!
by Yomi

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hello, Jeremy,

First impression: Nice colours. I like the sense of movement to the lanscape. It is off-centre, but it doesn't really meet the challenge "head on".

Light: Seems fine to me, even though I suspect that if you would have taken this picture either earlier or later in the day you'd have even better texture and colours. The hay in particular looks very bright on top, and very dark on the sides.

Focus: OK, but it seems just a little oversharpened?

Composition: I agree with Mariomel below that taking out the hay would make it a stronger image. Nothing is centered in this picture, and yet, the off-center aspect does not come through very strong. The hay is too small and too far to the corner to be a strong center of attention.

Overall: Nice picture, but probably not the best entry to "Off-Center". Keep going!

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

Seeing visions
by mbardeen

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hello, Matt,

I get another of your pictures to critique. That's OK, I like your pictures (although I'm not sure about the graphs you've been posting - they, the graphs, lack a certain emotional appeal :) Anyway. I'm trying to be "funny" and (as my kids would say), "You're not good at that, mum."

About "Seeing visions":

First impressions: it's a good entry to black on black. It looks spooky. I liked it a lot during the challenge, but I had just a little trouble putting the picture and the title together. I mean, I can see the "vision", or, the pict looks like a vision, but during the challenge I remember thinking, "who is seeing visions?".

Technical: No problems. Lighting, focus, everything looks fine, or at least as I imagine you intended it to look. I like the post-processing, very nice. I really like the texture/colours of the cross, it looks rounded, and very stone-like. The cross is my favourite part of the picture.

Composition: Also no problems, except for what I mentioned above about the title. I like the placement of the objects, and all the black around them. I think no border is a good choice in this case.

Overall: Good shot. So, why didn't it do better? I don't know. This was a very confusing challenge, rather misunderstood (or not understood). I think it was very difficult to pick winners, and this picture, even though good, probably didn't hold the viewer's attention long enough. It takes a moment to figure it out. I think what I'm trying to say is that this shot is maybe a bit too subtle for its intention? I'm not sure.

Anyway. Keep going! By the way, what is Theoretical Ecology, and how is it different from studying just straight Ecology?

Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)

Fountains Abbey
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
Your first ribbon!!! CONGRATULATIONS! Excellent job.

When all has been said and done
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Congratulations! Very, very beautiful pict.

Life is too Short
by arnit

Comment:
Good low key entry. The blue smoke is just beautiful. ~8

When all has been said and done
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Very beautiful! I love the light coming from the side, the hand on the glass, de folds in the shirt. One of my favourites.

Reach for the sky
by brentg3

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hello,

My first thought on this pict: You should have added a worm!!

Nice image, and pretty good entry to the "Off-Centre" challenge, although, as a couple of your commenters below mention, it looks more asymetrical than off-centre.

The colours are beautiful, in particular, the sky is fantastic, although the reds and yellows are also just beautiful. I think it is quite amazing how you got all the flowers in focus, those to the front and those further back (f8 helps). I don't see anything really wrong with this pict technically, it's well done.

This photo has a very strong vertical feel to it, so much so that IMO the viewer's eyes tend to fly out of the picture. One thing that catches my attention about this pict is its "outer worldly" quality, as if this kind of flower were not from this earth. I can't tell how big (or small) the flowers are. They look so still, and stiff. I am just wondering if somehow including some other detail would make the picture more "manageable" to the mind, more appealing (if that's what you want). It's funny how this picture is in many ways quite similar to the winning shot in the challenge, yet that one caught many more people's attention. Weird. I guess the worm does it.

Anyway, I hope this helps a bit. Take care,

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

Retro Glow
by eloise

Comment:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB (the official critique :)

Hello, Eloise,

First of all, I agree with your commenters below that the two light spots are probably lens flare. It's a pity you couldn't edit them out for the challenge.

First impressions: The off-center nature of this shot is, IMO, off-center to satisfy the challenge, not because it adds to the picture. You are too far away from the subject.

Light / focus: It's difficult to take good night pictures, especially with a not so good camera. The yellowish cast is harsh. The focus seems off, nothing in the picture is crisp and clear, but the photo is not sufficiently "out of focus" to create a foggy or nightly/ghostly mood (something like that).

Composition: This is where IMO your picture suffers most. You need to get closer. Did you start with a larger image? IMO the shot could be cropped a long way and possibly be better. You also could straighten the lamp-post, parallel to the side of the pict. Also IMO, this particular pict would work better either in b/w or colourised. I played around with your pict a bit (hope you don't mind, and remember I'm starting from a small image) and am sending you result by email attachment (I don't know how to put it in here).

Overall: Not a bad idea, but the execution could be better. Keep going! If nothing else, you do have a lot of "spunk"! Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)
Complaints, comments, questions ... feel free to email me.