Old Locomotive #6200
by Dim7

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club,

I'm nervous, I also live in Ottawa!

Composition: Strong, clean, well framed; the perspective is great.

Focus: Very good. Same for DOF.

Lighting / colours: Quite good. The blacks of the locomotive and the whites on the wheels are beautiful. The white sky is not the best choice here, a clear blue sky would have been nicer (I know, what can you do about the weather).

Challenge: Meets the challenge without problems.

Overall: It looks somehow like an "old" picture, even though it isn't. The locomotive looks very strong. IMO, even though it is a good shot, the locomotive just is there, not moving, and it almost looks like a picture out of a history book (not that that's bad :). The white sky hurts. BTW, it probably would make a decent postcard.

I looked at your profile, and you do good work. I love the pictures of your dog. Keep up the good work!

Ursula I Abresch

Come Visit the Mer Bleue Bog in Ottawa!
by ursula

Comment:
THANK YOU for the comments during and after the challenge! All are very much appreciated.

~Ursula

My Type Of Transportation....Lowered To Perfection
by Chuckie

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

Your entry meets the challenge. The photo is a bit grainy, the white of the truck, in particular, doesn't look too good. Focus, also, is a bit soft. You might want to work on that. The cars in the background, the white parking lot line, and the car (?) popping up over the truck to the top left are distracting. I think that, to show off this truck, it would be a better idea to have it be the only subject in the photo.

As a whole, this entry is more like a personal snapshot than like something to hang on the wall. Even though the picture may be interesting and meaningful to you, there isn't much of interest for others here - nothing much that "sells" it.

Take care,

Ursula A.

UP&DOWN
by Pep Ventosa

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

I remember looking at this picture during the challenge and thinking, "What?!?". Looking at your portfolio, it seems that you often like to use different perspectives? Looking at this picture again, what strikes me the most are the beautiful colours, not the "daring" perspective.

This is an interesting entry. The strange perspective is definitely what hits you first. The curved yellow street lines at the bottom of the photo make the whole thing look even stranger. The picture is clear, in focus, the colours are excellent, as is DOF. But you know all of that.

As for improving the photo, I wish the Jeep were not there. Otherwise, I don't know, it looks fine to me the way it is. In some ways, though, it's more like a "snapshot" than like a picture you'd want to hang on your wall. Also, as far as the challenge is concerned, even though it meets the challenge, "transportation" is not the first thing that comes to mind when I look at it.

Keep up the good work!

Ursula A.

Hitching a Ride
by Paige

Comment:
From the Critique Club

Hi, Paige,

First impression: From the title I thought you meant the little Barbie in the top right corner was trying to hitch a ride? It looks like a setup (but I read your note that it isn't). It's really neat how you "caught a moment" in this picture.

Composition: B/W is a good choice. The picture is put together quite nicely. I very much like the inclusion of the sidewalk line (the diagonal line); it adds movement to the picture. The thin black border complements the picture well. The grease spots are somewhat distracting. I'm wondering about the choice of running the left handlebar into the top left corner of the picture - makes my eyes go away rather than into the picture. Maybe a slightly different crop? Something to try.

Focus: Very good, with the exception of the Barbie doll - she is slightly out of focus, and, during the challenge, I remember thinking, "If she is hitching the ride, she should be in focus".

Lighting: Very good. The star on the shiny handlebar is beautiful, my favourite part of the picture. I wish Barbie wouldn't have such a prominent shadow though.

Challenge: No problem meeting the challenge.

I've been looking at the other photos in your portfolio - you take some excellent pictures, I especially like your B/W work. This picture's a good addition to that. Is your little girl (she's beautiful!) getting tired of having her picture taken (my kids are)?

Keep up the good work!

Ursula A

Old Glass
by matt

Comment:
I think this is a good try, but the photo would be better if it were straight, the lighting better, and the focus sharper. I like the red of the window frame, and the colour of the bricks to the right hand side!

Campari
by Thomas

Comment:
I like this entry, and I particularily like the two b/w border. IMO, for a shot of this kind everything has to be just so, perfect, completely straight, no shadows on the white background - and this one isn't quite there, almost, but not quite. I also think that a plain glass might have worked better than an etched glass. It is, though, one of the better entries in this challenge. (7)

Yellow Glass
by joanns

Comment:
This is my favourite entry in this challenge, even though, when I look at it, "glass" is not the first thing that comes to mind. The colours are just beautiful. The lighting is perfect. My only 10 this time around.

Black and White
by Jean

Comment:
Very good entry in this challenge. B/W is a good choice. The only thing that bothers me some is that the second from left glass looks like it's dirty, or has a watermark?

Looking Out
by sagestudio

Comment:
Is this "Umbrella Boy"? This is one of my favourite pictures for this challenge. It's a good shot - the colours are very nice, the hand on the window is almost transparent. I hope you do well. ~9