Looks Like I'll Be Late Again
by JamesDowning

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I'm surprised this image hasn't been given a posty - it looks just like the kind of thing Don would go for! Ah well...personally I would have cropped a bit on the left to put the sun at a third. If a longer exposure had been possible, that would have blurred the vehicles on the left, adding a little blur and a sense of motion.

I like it because it does catch the mundanity of the morning commute. There is a universality to this shot which usually appeals. All I can think is that the blown sun/fog were seen as too glarey and thus put people off. And let's face it, DPC loves saturated colours or multitonal b/ws, relatively muted colours have a much tougher go of it. Even more so in a Free Study entry.

Overall a good effort, please keep on shooting and entering!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

σιρόκος (Sirocco Sand)
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I love the swirly moving textures here, looks like white down or blurred fabric. I especially like that you chose to damn the torpedoes and enter a shot that you knew wasn't likely to do well, but which you liked :-) The graininess does add to the feeling of grit and softness / delicacy, an interesting juxtaposition. Bet it would make a nice print.

Overall a very underrated image, but am glad to see a hefty dose of 6s...so some of us got it!

Feel free to PM me

Susan

bird on a wire
by disassociation

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a shot that needs a little more work. As it stands, it looks like a snap, and a mere snapshot simply doesn't stand much chance in a FS. The bird is dead-centred in the shot and the hard shadows detract from the very decent capture. The wire adds some dynamism to the shot, but that's it. As a Nikon person too I am often frustrated with the noise, and this could use some NR. That, and a little saturation to bring out the hues in the bird would have helped a bit.

Hope this critique has been useful. Meantime, please keep on shooting and entering!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

A Room With a View
by CaptainJack

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Very nice atmospheric photo, I also love shooting in old barns, sheds and the like :-) Good tones, nice long exposure and tones. In terms of horizon, I find it best to do what you seem to have done here, and ensure that the horizon of the focal point (window) is level. Trying to get the rest level will drive you crazy. I feel the centredness of the comp is a weak point, having it offset to one side would make it much stronger.

Also, beware the pp trap. It's too easy to go overboard with pp, especially tonemapping, and I hate to look at a shot and see the pp before I see the photo. I would definitely do no more than what you've done here, unless you are going for a more cartoony image.

Overall a pleasant shot that finished well, so keep up the good work!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

The Last Straw
by Darren_W

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Nice metaphotical use of the proverbial last straw, or at least last straw standing. Love the silhouettes in the bg of other round bales. Nice comp and light, would have liked to see a slightly longer exposure and/or smaller aperture to bring out more detail. A tripod would come in handy too, for such shots like this.

Overall a very pleasing shot, please keep on shooting and entering!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

Juxtaposed
by GDriver

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a shot with tons of potential, I just wish there was some sign of life to bring it all together and animate it. It looks like a stage set with the planking and looming buildings, we're just waiting for the actors to appear. You made good use of the lighting available to you; I'm guessing you used a tripod (or were able to hold really, really still) for this shot. If you're able to, try and reshoot on an evening when people will be around. Set up your camera on a tripod, stay with a small aperture and set the timer for a good 30 seconds or so. You should get all kinds of cool blur and ghosts as people stand still, move and walk through the frame, because IMHO that's all that's missing.

Overall very nice work, do keep on shooting and entering!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

Die Moriskentänzer
by tome

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a fascinating shot of such a simple subject. The composition is very straightforward, the shadow interplay is fascinating, and all lead the eye back to the figure casting them. The figure almost looks like it's about to come to life and leap off the pedestal, all the more to usher us into the hall where history was made. Nice and sharp too for what appears to be a handheld shot.

This is one of those shots whose final score makes me wonder what on earth the voters were thinking....and if I knew the answer to that, I'd have more ribbons than Judi and gyaban combined!!! All I can think is, if this had been a real dancer in this pose, and the lighting was the same, you'd be at a much higher score. Sadly not this time round, but please continue to keep shooting and entering.

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

The Pier.
by romil

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a fantastic shot of a very historic and, going by the comments, sentimental location. Great use of a long exposure, the light id great, the comp, leading lines and dof and pov are all spot on.

So why did it finish relatively low? IMHO, it's the lack of a living being in the shot. Even in silhouette, with just a random stranger (or even yourself) or a couple, strolling along, a seagull perched on the railing...it just cries out for someone to be shown appreciating the pier. You could have used a remote, or set the camera's built-in timer, which would allow you to scurry into place. Even a slightly blurred figure or a ghost, with a longer exposure, would have done wonders for this shot. As it stands I would have given it a 6 - but with just that little bit extra, human/bird/whatever...it would probably be an 8.

Hope this critique has been of help, and if you are able to reshoot, go give some of the suggestions a try! Won't hurt.

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

Curve
by justinpyle

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a lovely shot, you have a great subject and shot it from a good pov - right up alongside the building itself. The light is perfect, nice and soft, taken early enough in the evening that we can see what looks like Venus just hoving into view. The tones are great and balance each other and offset the solidity of the building. I would love to go and shoot this place myself! Nice light touch with the pp, always a big plus in my book.

As I didn't recognize your name I looked at your profile and see that you are very new here. I think you have a lot of untapped potential, I do hope you continue to shoot and enter challenges. And as a helpful aside...it really wouldn't hurt to tick off the 'Photographer found comment helpful' boxes, especially if they offer constructive criticism or praise. I've been here a long time and have noticed that people who complain about not getting comments are often those who fail to acknowledge them in the first place. So, while I'm not saying you HAVE to tick off each box every single time, you might want to think about the message you're sending by not doing so.

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

feathered glory
by posthumous

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Looks like an ibis in the Florida swampland got spooked by a photog from NJ with an L-series lens ;-) I do like the chaotic sense of fleeing here, it is a breath of fresh air after the usual perfectly sharp bird-in-flight shot. I wish there was a bit more of the story or sense of place visible - if not for the telltale bill it would be tough to see that this is a fairly exotic bird. Also do wish it were in colour, the amount of blur makes you search for the birdie, which is fine...but as always, just my humble .02 cents CDN.

Feel free to PM me,

Susan