Winter Trees
by jab119

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) – From your title, your subject was the bare trees of winter. The photo shows that. You had three sight lines to choose from – viewed from the left tree line, from the center, and from the right side. I hope you took all three. I’ve tried similar shots, and found that an off angle sometimes looks better. I find that the centered view is the best when there is a subject or target at the point of convergence. I don’t see it here. But this center line works ok – and you have everything well centered. I also like how you got close to the ground for the shot.
(2) BACKGROUND - I like how you chose a fair amount of negative space at the top. It works very well.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – The near trees are in good focus. The far ones are a tad blurred. I’d recommend a smaller aperture, say f/11, and a tripod.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – The only minor change I see would be to crop out the small white paper centered in the foreground. I question whether this would have worked better in B&W. The green grass is “not winter” with the leaves down.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – A good photo which could have been improved (I think) with a different choice of shot angle.

Jim msp

As The River Turns
by spiller

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) - Overall, I like the composition of the shot. From the title, your subject of interest was the curve in the river. Good choice. It is nicely located off center to the right, where the flowing water leads me. I also like the line of the far wall, sloped down and to the right, drawing the eye to the bend. Personally, I like the rocks in the foreground; I disagree with those that did not. They add another element to the river, and they add texture.
(2) BACKGROUND – Generally good. The use of a polarizer might have added to the sky – made it more blue.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Looks good. You would have gotten a sharper picture with a smaller aperture (f/16?) and a tripod.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – No recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – The main item in question, in my opinion, is the time of day you took this. I liked the contrasting sunlight and shadows. However, your main subject, the river bend, is in the shadows. If you had reversed the time of day (i.e., am instead of pm) and gotten the bend in the light, you would have greatly improved this. I wouldn’t like to see it taken at noon; the shadows work well. They are just reversed.
BTW, with the light & dark, and good textures, did you try converting this to B&W? I think it would be a good one.

Jim msp

Two Tribes
by albright1

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) – When I first look at this photo, my eye goes to the centered camel. Then it moves up to the background, moves right to the camel master (?), and finally to the left to the visiting couple. The people on the sides balance this out well. If I could have placed the young lady, I’d like to see her closer to the center & the camel. I like the variation in color here.
(2) BACKGROUND – Good. A bright sky, but that’s the way it is.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Very good. Girl’s pink sweater is a tad bright from the low sun.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – No recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – A great photo, and technically meets the challenge well, as the couple are “in a strange land” for them. But they are not really the main subject here. That doesn’t detract from the quality of the photo, but it might have affected the way some saw it as precisely meeting the challenge. (I’m guessing here, how else to explain the 5’s?)

Jim msp

Lonely Ol' Night by John Cougar
by spiller

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) – Very good composition. I like the way the trees frame the scene. The curve of the road is nice, adding to effect of drawing me into the photo and heading for the sunset.
(2) BACKGROUND – Very good. While you may have taken the shots, I would like to see a slightly darker sky for comparison. It might bring out the feeling of loneliness a little more.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Very good. I see no recommended changes. Good choice on the portrait format.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL - Very good. I see no recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – Quite good. As I said above though, my first reaction to it is that the sky is a tad too light for the mood you want to convey. Still, a very good photo.

Jim msp

Flight of the bumblebee
by dadas115

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) – Excellent. The bee is perfectly positioned, with “empty” space to fly to.
(2) BACKGROUND – Great; perfect use of short DOF.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Excellent. I don’t know how you set this up, but I’m impressed. If I were to nit-pick, I’d pick on the reflections on the body. But I don’t necessarily know how to change this for a live shot of a bee flying.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – No recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – One of the best live flying bee shots I’ve seen. You should feel really good about this one.

Jim msp

Eggs, Catapillar, Cacoon, Butterfly...Repeat.
by JDMT

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) - Generally very busy for a photo. The title does make me look for the various elements. But I have too much to look for, no one subject to grab me. Your key elements are very spread out.
(2) BACKGROUND – The wall in the back is a good choice. Good color, with no structure to it.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – The lighting is too uneven - a little too bright from the right side. The rest of it seems ok. A good choice of aperture, so DOF is good. Looks in focus to me. The cocoon is soft, so might appear out of focus to some.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – no recommended changes
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – I think you picked too hard a song title to produce a great picture. You have all the elements present, so technically you have it – it just becomes very busy to look at. You got the “circle of life” here, but its hard to see it.

Jim msp

Skybird
by rcrawford

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) – I really like this capture. Though you got a few negative comments about the bushes (trees) in the lower left, I disagree. I think they help add balance to the overall shot. They also give some perspective that would be missed if they were missing. If they were bright red (or something) I’d agree – but they are not. I also love the placement of the bird against the sky-cloud boundary.
(2) BACKGROUND – Excellent. Everything to the right could be considered “negative space”. Well done.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Excellent. Did you use a polarizer?
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – No recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – I really like this. The colors are great, and the bird is very well placed in the photo.

Jim msp

I've Got You under My Skin
by 'Pong

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) - Great colors, and the “burr” works well centered. Assuming it’s a burr (it could be other things), it meets the challenge well.
(2) BACKGROUND – nice complimentary color, and nicely out of focus – good DOF
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Main subject is out of focus. A few of the appendages are in focus, though. A smaller aperture would have helped here to get the whole thing in focus. The background is nicely out of focus.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – No recommended changes.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – Since I’m not really sure what I am looking at, I expect the main subject to be in focus. It is not, and really hurts this. The colors are great though.

Jim msp

a resolution waiting to be broken
by shedonist

Comment:
Critique Club Critique
(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) - The idea of the scale and weight loss is clearly a New Year’s challenge for many people. However, this is a photo with everything “centered” (feet & scale). This tends to make it uninteresting. I don’t think B&W helps.
(2) BACKGROUND – OK. The floor does not distract from the photo.
(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL – Good. I’m not sure that B&W is the best format for this. There is really not a lot of contrast; certainly no mood in evidence.
(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL – Nothing to suggest. Everything looks fine.
(5) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO – A good symbolic photo, but doesn’t draw me in. I can’t say that it gives me a lot more than a “good shot” feeling. On the other hand, I don’t have any great suggestions as to how to modify it. I don’t think color would change my opinion a lot. Maybe if you added a “Goal = 175” paste on sign.

a resolution waiting to be broken
by shedonist

Comment:
"duplicate"

Message edited by author 2003-01-13 20:59:28.