Mommy . . . Daddy . . . What's That Noise?
by scarbrd

Comment:
I should have realized the red bra from this shot. If I see it again it will be a dead giveaway. A wonderful shot, David. Love the light you managed to create with the two speedlights. Expression is what really sells the picture. As always your composition technique is surperb. Nicely done.

Thanks for noticing me.
by LucyT

Comment:
My wife has a very old Eeoyore also, though maybe not quite as old (eyes are different), but the fabric looks the same.

Anyhow, not sure about the comments below. Frankly that, jbridges, really wasn't complimenting the image...

Okay as for the photo, it is a bit lacking. I see what you were trying to do and it was a good idea. A couple of things, the angle is crooked. Sometimes this works, but the subject is too centered in the frame and just seems a bit contrived. Here I think you might actually want everything in focus, well especially the foot. The shadows, which I think was part of the intent here, is a good idea, but they are a little too flat/down and seem like a mistake. If you elogate the shadows or have an additional light source I think this would help tremendously.

It's not a horrible photo, and the idea is great. I love the way the light is a gradient out to the darkness, very nice. I just think it needs to be staged a bit differently.

I must say though, that I really like your stuff in your general portfolio. These challenges can be tough but a good learning experience (espeically for me). Plus, I'm not expert; I get scores worse than this sometimes, so take it for what it is worth.

Cheers, happy shooting and welcome to the club.

GREEN EYES
by LucyT

Comment:
One of my favorites in your portfolio. I like the background going on here. You seem to have a good grasp of basic composition techniques. Just wish the rest of her head was there in this one. Though it isn't that big of a deal. Great colors, terrific contrast, and wonderful lighting. Good lines. A very natural pose and a terrific portrait.

clara
by LucyT

Comment:
Cute dog and an adorable face. Just a couple of things on this one. Generally if you are looking down on the animal either you want to capture just the head or the whole body. You have something in between here. Most people would say to get on the same plain as the dog, that works sometimes but there is nothing wrong with taking a picture straight down. The amount of depth of field is terrific. Good place of the eyes and the face in the frame. Might need a bit more contrast and a little added exposure. Really, these are just minor things. It is a great picture.

Syd-a-roo
by LucyT

Comment:
The pose is cute in this one. In this one though, I don't like the head chopped off. You have most of it anyways, might as well have the rest. The only other distracted thing is the dark left versus the bright right. Usually it does not work very well for portraits. I do like the light hitting the model's left cheeck though. Good control of exposure, contrast and sharpness. Colors pop off very well.

Syd
by LucyT

Comment:
Adorable picture. The eyes can't be that green, can they? Usually people will complain about cropped heads and what not. As long as it is done right I think it is fine. In this case I think it works really well. The contrast is terrific on the photo. Great placement of the eyes and the sparkle in them. Colors are vivid. I actually like the outfit and the hair because it gives good lines/eye movement to the photo. It is a wonderful portrait. The only thing I am not sure about is the saturation in the eyes, it's on the edge for me (meaning nearly perfect or nearly overdone).

California Basking
by noraneko

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Well noraneko, I already commented on this image, so I am going to keep it short (they should implement a skip button).

Let's see:

Composition: Great rule of thirds going on here. The Seal makes a wonderful edge line that makes your eyes move further to the left. The angle of the shot is a plus, it almost gives the seal that "high and mighty" atmosphere which is further exponded on by the closed eyes. The sidelighting really helps this image.

Technicals: Not much to complain about, already stated what I thought below.

Overall: Stunning photo as I mentioned before. Maybe a slight change in title, "King of My Hill", etc... Though there is nothing wrong with the one you have, just throwing things out there. A very special photo.

Louvre
by Rino63

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Initial Impressions: A wonderful vintage style reproduction of one of the world's most museums. A terrific stylized picture that sets itself apart from other tourist snapshots.

Composition: Superb. Great use of rule of thirds on the bottom and the right. This helps with the respective lines throughout the image as there are very few dead spaces. I like how the X forms near the corners of the frame and the nice procession of the couple and child, one in front of the others. Not sure if this was a crop, if not truly wonderful eye for catching the scene in frame.

Technicals: Sharpness is great. Wonderful depth throughout the image, f8 was a good choice here. I like the choice in coloring style you brought in post. The only issue I really see, is the angel halo affect going on around the two closest people and some on the far left. It gives it a kind of wonky feeling. It is not something you notice at first glance, but is pretty evident the more you look at it. However, that is pretty easy to fix in post.

Overall: A wonderful old style photograph that captures the splendors of Paris charm of centuries ago. The style might be up to everyone's standards, mimicking "old" photography styles sometimes get's you low votes from the "artistic" police. This is one terrific photo.

Waiting the Show
by Juca

Comment:
My favorite image int he challenge, because it is not just static dead space. Great lines here, nice yellow suject. Overall a wonderful composition. Highly rated.

Breath's Entrance
by posthumous

Comment:
How do you get 198 out of 197? What kind of dizzying math is that?