Umhlanga lighthouse
by tinkie2010

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

An interesting photo. Rule of thirds is followed well here, but right behind the lighthouse is a busy cityscape, which draws the eye away from the focal point. The saturation does look quite heavy. You want people to see the picture, not the post-processing! You probably could have cropped out everything on the right from the yellow sign on the building to the border and not hurt this shot at all. To be perfectly honest, this looks like a snapshot taken with a p&s.

The aperture and shutter speeds are fine for a shot of this nature, but if you shot at ISO 640 you were likely shooting handheld. Invest in a tripod and don't be afraid to use it. Then you can shoot at f.22, ISO 200 (or less) and leave the shutter open for a few seconds. That will give a greater sense of place and being, not to mention the razor-sharp focus so loved on this site.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Christmas Cactus
by boss351

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Ooh, I had a Christmas cactus for awhile, before I managed to kill it :-) Great colours and saturation, the water droplets look a little odd on a succulent, but add interest. Composition is spare but I'd rather see that than a shot with too much going on. Great focus, nice and crisp, lighting great. Looks like you used a tripod or shot with a very steady hand.

You finished well in a FS, which is notoriously difficult to do well in, so be proud! Keep up the good work.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Belly of Love
by stanmoore

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Interestingly enough, my dad was an OB/GYN, so funny that I end up with this shot to critique!

My main reaction to this shot is great concept but lacking in execution. The hands forming a heart are great, the composition certainly fills the frame (please don't tell your wife that! :-) The rings at almost perfect 1/3s towards lower right are wonderful. Your settings look like you're erring on the side of caution. Low ISO is good, shutter fast enough, plenty of dof. Maybe too much so? I feel here that the voters voted mostly on sentiment, because the photo is in focus and not too bad otherwise.

But I feel what killed this shot is the lighting. It looks harsh, almost fluorescent. My dad used to get all the medical journals and though the photos were very informative, iI know now that they were very lacking in photographic terms! Any light that casts a bluish cast on human skin, regardless of ethnicitiy, just doesn't look right.

FWIW, I would have tried to shoot either in natural daylight or with incandescents, then run a little bit of warming filter over the shot to give it a more natural glow.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Burnt Offering (Tales of an American Dad, pt. 1)
by mpeters

Comment:
Great work, esp all on your own! Congrats!

GO BLUE!
by wdamman

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Overall, the shot looks like something is about to happen - which it is, so there is an air of expectancy. Love details like the crispness of the netting to the right, the banners and the big lightbox/scorethingy. But there is a sense of emptiness, as the bleachers are unoccupied and the ice unmarred by skate blades. Everything looks to be nicely in focus, the stage is set. Now, where are the players?

I think that's why you ended up where you did in the final standings. Free Studies are hard enough as it is, and here there seems to be a lack of a definite focal point. My eye roams from scoreboard across the bleachers to the netting, down to the ice, and back again. There is no place to rest, as it where, and enjoy the shot.

So, by no means a poor shot in terms of execution. Just work a little more on the finer details in terms of concept, and above all, have fun and keep shooting.

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Three Ears
by npasel

Comment:
apart from the barbed wire, great shot of donkeys and their ears!

In Full Bloom
by Senay

Comment:
Very pretty shot, and what a great shot of Rachel! She looks like a sweetie, hope you had a nice mug of hot chocolate waiting for her :-)

Calling out all werewolves!
by sarampo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Joao, what a stunning shot of the big bad wolf moon! Not surprised it was validated, with the moon that big, crisp and detailed.

The setup and lens swap during shooting, all without blurring the image - just great timing and an amazing technique, that clearly works great when done properly. The long exposure also adds a magnificent silky/icy texture to the water, and the soft blur around the bridge's lights adds to the scene instead of detracting.

Just highlights how small and insignificant we really are. Thank you for giving me the chance to critique a shot that should have placed much higher than it did. Great work!

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Theres somthing on my glasses
by hesperia

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I think this is a very sweet photo. Glasses of course are quite fragile, as are bubbles, so a good combo of the two. The settings are fine for this shot.

However, dpc voters tend to dislike glare, and there really isn't much compostion. Image has a snapshot feel to it, which is why you have no comments (albeit a critique, now, and that you finished so low. Mind, you did get 3 10s.

I empathize because I can see what you wanted to do with this shot, and given the nature of the challenge that can be quite tough to do. My advice, as always: keep shooting. That really is the only way to improve. Second piece of advice: feel free to look at the early stuff I shot 3 years ago, when I first joined the site with a crappy little p&s. They'll not only make you feel better and hopefully encourage you to keep trying :-)

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Fragile Gold
by kellyo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Oh my. How do you critique such a lovely shot? *scratching head* I really cannot find any flaws in this photo. The feather cradles the water droplets beautifully, the composition really sets off the difference between the textures. The lighting is perhaps a teeny bit on the orangey side, but otherwise...lovely.

I'm sure IreneM will be tremendously flattered upon learning that she is your inspiration. Well done!

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan