If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out
by el3radii

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Decent shot of a sunrise. Shooting directly into a strong source of light like the sun is never easy, so you managed well there with the tones you got in the sky. The shot is not overly post-processed.

However...this does have a very flat snapshot feel to it and the composition is quite weak. There is a passing nod to the rule of thirds, but you must pay more attention to the other aspects of composition.

Finally, this is a photo of the sun, in a moon challenge, so it's always dicey to swim against the tide to that extent!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Story Bridge - Brisbane
by jaysvette

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Very pretty shot, looks like a postcard (in a good way). This got a 6 from me during voting.

Technical: Impressed by your discipline in shooting cityscapes with a set criteria, ie long exposures and f.16. Composition is a bit safe but effectively shows off the bridge and glow of the lights and reflections - I don't doubt that you knew exactly what you wanted to get. Pp looks to be nonexistent, always a huge plus for me.

Artistic: Nice tones and vibrant colours, help convey the feeling that Brisbane is a happening town.

Overall: Pleasant shot, makes me want to walk across the bridge to see what's on the other side! You got mistaken for vlado, nothing to sneeze at, and [user]GIs boy[/user]. Good company.

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Landing Pad
by bcenu

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Had Roz not entered that Robberfly shot, I would peg this as one of hers. Gave you a 6 during voting.

Technical: Great capture at 1/60th, and with a fairly big lens to boot. Very well done, especially as insects can be quite skittish! Interesting texture on the leaf, too, and nice bit of bug bokeh. Say that 4 times fast :-)

Artistic: Nice ambient light, OK comp, lots of room for bug to fly into. Extra kudos for not only shooting handheld but also doing minimal (if any) pp. Hats off to you!

Overall: If this is how a handheld shot of a bug in flight of yours looks, then Roz may have to look to her laurels :-) Great work, keep it up!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Waiting for the spring
by Rino63

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Used well, fisheye and wide-angle lenses really enhance a photo with just enough distortion; too much and the effects are cartoonish. Congrats on erring on the side of caution. I gave you a 6 in voting.

Technical: You shot with a nice ISO of 100 and a good aperture for depth, so wondering why such a fast shutter speed? Even handheld you could have pulled this off at 1/80, possibly less. Ah well. Leading lines are great, the ambient light helps to wash out the naturally dull tones of the wall/sea/sky and draw the eye to the boat. Love the pov, would like to see any outtakes, especially if you shot more from the right and possibly further down.

Artistic: Only reason I can see for a sub-6 score here is probably because the boat only appears to be out of commission, as opposed to actually being unseaworthy. Otherwise, a slightly tighter crop on the left, and I think you would have scored a bit higher. I like the couple in the background, they add an element of story - have they just arrived by the boat? Are they about to escape with it?

Overall: A very pleasing shot, if you are able to return and shoot this boat again, please do so. Keep shooting!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Oh. Again . . . ?
by Insomniac

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Ooh, I get to do this one! I gave it a 7 during voting and am very glad I did. Still makes me giggle looking at it. Don't know why I didn't give it an 8.

Technical: OMG there's a shadow on the wall!!!! AAAAAHHH!!! Ok, now that that's out of my system - nicely lit, great undistractng set, colours are nice and pop well, love the little flip of hair covering her eye. PP not obvious, always a bonus.

Artistic: HUGE kudos to Telma and Filipe! Her expression of 'Oh, am I getting any tonight?...nahhh' and his expression of 'Nahhh, leave me alone woman' are just absolutely wonderful. My only nitpick is the hunk of green on the covers, is that meant to be money?

Overall: Still very funny, and clearly the majority of commenters think so too. And you got an honourable mention and considering that humour is a very subjective topic, you clearly struck a nerve. Well done!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Message edited by author 2010-01-21 22:39:04.

My Window
by posthumous

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club! *waving* hello noble leader! ;-)

Initial impression: A bit busy, but interesting.

Technical: Ah-ha, the askew/leaning house IS indeed the tipoff to a wide-angle lens having been used! Lighting a little harsh with the glare on the right, composition a wee bit on the random side. But for me it culminates at the house, so eventually it leads somewhere :-) The multiple reflections are interesting and keep you looking for more inside them, like a Gordian knot that needs cutting. 400 seems to be a pretty high ISO, as does 1/320...but who am I to argue?

Artistic: Wide angle glass is fun to play with, innit? I might have suggested pushing it even more to emphasize the bordering-on-funhouse feel.

Overall: Some time ago my parents gave me a sweater for Xmas with a completely haphazard design on it, in colours that suit me. My mum explained it by saying 'It reminded us of you, dear, slightly crazy but nice.' Sooo...yep, guess that says it all about this pic. Slightly crazy but nice.

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

When the ticking stops...
by Hussar1812

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Very clean, professional-looking shot. Good work.

Technical: Appreciate the detail you put into explaining the set, helps me see what you planned to do. Really like the lighting, comp and the leading lines here. Surprised that you shot at 1/800 - quite fast for a stationary studio shot! Even handheld, with a VR reduction lens (I have the 18-200) at 1/60th you probably would have been fine in terms of focus.

Artistic: More of a straight studio shot than one endeavouring to tell a story. However, it's very straightforward and simple, and I strongly believe in less being more. And I'm not the only one who likes the chain emerging from dots of light :-)

Overall: Well done on a high finish in this challenge. I like the fact that you did very little if any pp. Keep doing what you're doing. And don't be afraid to put a tripod to work!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Rolling no more!!
by maguero

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: I love subjects like this, rusted/broken wagon wheels slowly rotting into the ground. I gave a 6 during voting based on this sentiment.

Technical: 1/250 seems awfully fast to be shooting a stationary subject. Even handheld, you should be good to shoot handheld at 1/60. With a tripod, you could have closed down the aperture quite a bit and then slowed the shutter down for more dof and detail. Composition OK, more could have been done to make the wheel the dominant element.

Artistic: Quite a lot of stuff over on the right where not much is happening, feel that it is competing with the wheel for attention. I would suggest a closer crop, perhaps a more frontal view of the wheel.

Overall: A very promising shot. If you can, go back and re-shoot from different angles. See what you come up with.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Memories of Yesteryear
by Cuttooth

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Too much foreground, too little car.

Technical: Looks like a handheld shot. Nothing wrong with that, but if you see this car every day, you may be able to see more interesting angles to shoot from, with or without a tripod. DOF could be deeper, shutter a little slower (aka hint: tripod!) PP good, not overdone, helps the colour pop.

Artistic: Not bad, but could be so much better. The wreckage should be dominant and here it looks dangerously close to being an afterthought. Even just shooting from a squatting position, and shooting slightly up, could have added some interesting persepective. If your tripod won't let you get close to the ground, take a chance...hold your camera on the ground, aim it up, and shoot blind. See what you got, adjust accordingly, try again.

Overall: I can see what you want to get, but you have to take more risks. Change your pov - get on your tummy, your side, your back...concentrate on filling the frame a bit more with the subject. And never hurts to ask permission to go in and shoot, just ask nicely and smile sweetly. :-)

Hope this helps!

Feel free to pm me with any questions,

Susan

Under Pressure
by toddw62

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Initial impression: Oh dear. Someone didn't like the reading they got! :-) I gave this one a 5. Why? Read on...

Technical: This is where you did very well. Small aperture, long exposure on a tripod, using a terrific macro lens (I've shot with it on a borrowed Canon), the lighting is very well done, all in focus.

Artistic: Composition is a little on the safe side, I would have liked to see a victim err, patient being subjected to its use...even in its broken state. Just something to give it a little extra push from being merely a technically good pic, to one that is technically good yet also tells a story.

Overall: Respectable finish and score. You're definitely on the right track, just try a little more on the artistic side and imbuing shots with a sense of what's going on, and I think you will do very well.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan