Q: Is That A Cheese Bagel?
by GeneralE

Comment:
That grain is out of this world. It looks like your bagel is being lifted to the heavens as an offering. I wonder what your prayers are for if you're offering up a cheese bagel.

While I think the grain is so bad that it's become cool, the lighting isn't quite bad enough to become cool; it's still just bad. The hand is completely blown as is part of the bagel. There's no detail anywhere worth looking at really. The blacks are black, and the whites are white. Not much in between to keep someone interested other than that killer "sky".

i
by dahlin

Comment:
As hard as I tried I couldn't figure out how this fit the challenge in the slightest. It just looked like a blatant shoehorn. As I come back to the image to comment now I see the little "i" at the top of the sign. I still don't think it fits the challenge much, because while it is a letter so are all the others on the sign.

As for the image itself, the composition is interesting and keeps the eye moving in a good way. The snow is a lost cause as it has virtually vanished into a see of detail-less white as has the sky. There's actually a point on the roof where the sky and snow become one. Could be a neat effect in a photo, I just not in this one as it looks unintentional.

The Fluorescent "O"
by lukepeter

Comment:
I gotta say, I hate the "negative" processing here. It doesn't add anything interesting and just screams, "Hey, I found the negative filter on my camera!" We've all done it and at some point thought it was cool, but then we look back years later and cringe.

untitled
by jmritz

Comment:
While I see the connection to the challenge, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The quality of the image reminds me of the quality I would get off my flatbed scanner 10 years ago (not good). That's a whole heck of a lot of grain. I understand that grain can add mood to a photo, but it adds nothing here.

The most interesting part of the photo is the top of the hand below the knuckles.

Drink up!
by rmudd

Comment:
Sure, there's letters on the bottle, but I don't see how you have intended to create letters in any way. The framing is really tight on the right, but I like the depth of field choice.

rock
by photosubmit1

Comment:
I don't see a connection to the challenge. The photo itself is washed out. I'm assuming the subject of the photo is the building in the center, but you've titled it "rock". Looks like a beautiful place to visit.

Looking Through the Wet Window
by ScooterMcNutty

Comment:
Some of this was already mentioned, but I'll list what I don't think is working even if it overlaps.

1) It's a Freestudy. We all quickly learn that folks are unusually tough when voting in such challenges. I think most people subconsciously compare photos to each other when they vote. Entrants bust out their vacation photos and other killer unique stuff and decent pet photos get brutalized.

2) It's a cat photo. People hate cats (not me!). I think the root of that hate for pet photos in general is abundance because of convenience. It doesn't show much effort usually. People want to know you worked hard. You hiked for 5 hours up the tallest mountain, you got up at 2am to drive to a far away obscure place to watch the sun rise, etc. You see a ton of pet photos, because it's "easy". You've got to stand out somehow, which is tough. Looks like you were standing in your kitchen. Didn't even bother to change out of your pj's and slippers. Maybe even shot one handed while holding a cup of cocoa while your poor kitty was stuck outside. You cruel human! Hm, I've gone too far maybe...

3) The processing isn't natural. The average preference of the masses is a natural look at least when it comes to colors. I learned this personally, because my dad is a purist and typically doesn't really like much of what I do. There's a market for artistic editing, it's just not big at DPC.

As kind of a side note, I've noticed photos that have that color overlay feel or a really obscure subject tend to do better in sets rather than stand-alone. What may not make sense by itself suddenly becomes clear when there's a whole portfolio of that particular style. The photo itself may not make sense, because it's like looking at one piece in an entire puzzle. Is this your particular style or were you just playing? From what I've seen it's not your style. Could it be you entered an experiment into a Freestudy? Think people picked up on that?

4) You knew your highlights were blown. Voters eat that up, especially when the blown areas dead center. You did do a good job of trying to bring those back, but it still became a big chunk (almost half) of your image just filled with detail-less white.

5) I'm a little torn on the distant look and wet window. As a cat owner, I know my cat gets pretty upset with me when he's out too long in the rain. He comes in grumbling (which is hilarious) and doesn't wait for me in the hall on the way to the kitchen like he usually does. He's clearly not amused with me. Anywho... I think that's what I'm seeing in this photo, but I don't think anyone else sees that, because it's not obvious. With the blown highlights maybe the sun came out, you can't see the rain, he doesn't appear wet, etc.

6) If the above isn't the intent of the photo, what is? Why did you shoot through a wet window? Was it for texture? The "texture" really wasn't apparent except the drip running down the left side and the area at the bottom. It could add supporting interest, but in this case the intent isn't clear.

shining under the spotlight
by AllenP

Comment:
Great lighting, pose, and composition, but that window in the upper left is frightfully distracting.

Remembering Our Best Friend 'Niki' Golden Labrador
by BrianR

Comment:
I rather like this and am surprised that no one commented on it. At first I thought maybe it was more than one light source, but realized it was the light from the lantern throwing on a wall. The light on the wall looks like windows, which makes this feel like you're in a temple of some sort. It's even got a misty feel to it. A wonderful tribute.

Don't Stop!
by Tiberius

Comment:
This is one of those cases where there's nothing wrong with the image, it just suffered from the viewers not understanding the connection to the challenge. I had no idea what I was seeing at first glance. The more I looked at the image the more I felt I understood even though I still didn't totally understand the significance of the objects. I kind of got it, but wasn't positive.

I gave you a 7, but that's not to say that the voters were in the wrong entirely. Part of the weekly challenges is to make the viewer understand what you're showing them even if it's something they don't normally see. You say this image won a local contest, and I have no doubt it did because it is lovely. Actually, as simple as it sounds, just tossing "Kung Fu" in the title somehow would have brought you up a fair bit.

Message edited by author 2012-01-24 01:03:30.