The Crimson Dance of Death
by emtmdh

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi emtmdh :)

Drawing a conclusion of 'rhythm' from this photograph is almost impossible for me, even with the prompting title you gave it. I like the photo as it is composed (could be a little sharper probably) but I just don't think it meets the challenge vividly enough to do well here. Your score probably reflects this sentiment. Some of the comments you received also demonstrate the fact that some subjects are offensive to certain viewers. When this happens, the viewer won't go past being offended to look at the image.

1. Try not to be on the 'fringe' of meeting the challenge.

2. Try to avoid offensive subjects.

Those two tips will improve your score on this site :)

John Setzler

Green
by chugginrail

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Chugginrail :)

Since you didn't provide any details of your own on this photo, my critique will be short and simple...

I do see the 'rhythm' in the repeating patterns in this photo. However, I think the composition would be much stronger if you had tilted the camera to create some diagonals. The image would be more dynamic that way.

The lighting here doesn't work for me. The highlights are too bright for the theme, as I see it.

John Setzler

Rhythm
by Rino63

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Rhino63 :)

Since you didn't supply any details about your photo, my critique will be short and simple...

This is an insteresting study of lines and shapes which do offer some sense of rhythm within the image. The small line in the bottom left corner of the frame is a bit of an eye catcher... that should possibly be removed from the image...

John Setzler

"Use your enemy's hand to chatch a Snake"
by Thai

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Thai :)

Here's some sound advice for you: Never submit an image that is less than 640 pixels on the longest side.

I don't think this photo does a great job of conveying your saying. This photo is also a bit of a compositional disaster. There is a lot of discontinuity in the lines, curves, shapes, and objects within the frame. There is also no reason this photo shouldn't be sharp throughout. It's a bit soft on the left side of the frame.. possibly motion blur from the slow shutter speed or from the shallow depth of field at f/2.8.

Better luck next time :)

John Setzler

moving forward
by jaxsond

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi jaxsond...

This photo scored above average in the challenge. It's a well-executed pan shot. The panning and slow shutter speed created a nice sense of movement in the frame.

Based on your comment, this may have just been a random or experimental photo rather than something you set out to achieve. Experimentation is always good and learning/practicing technique is also. I don't think I can offer you much more critique than you have already received in your comments. Cpanaioti's comment hits the points I would make myself. I don't care for the composition choices here. The technique, however is good, which brings me to another point that I have made in these forums before...

Here on DPChallenge, interesting technique seems to perform well regardless of subject interest. In other words, this particular photo without the panning technique probably would not have much appeal at all. Even with the technique, the photo doesn't inspire me in an artistic sense beyond 'stock' or advertising use, as mentioned in your comments on the photo. It falls into a category of art that has business value, but it's not something I would consider hanging on my wall at home or in an art gallery. These photos seem to do well here though, which I can't offer a solid explanation for. My observations only lead me to believe that, in a community such as this where the majority of participants are novice photographers, visual appeal carries as much weight as emotional impact. Lots of winning photos here don't transcend the eye candy barrier into the realm of emotional appeal. Emotional impact is difficult to achieve, and a lot of novice photographers never attempt it or allow themselves to get wrapped up in the significance of the moment. We get wrapped up in technique BECAUSE it does well. Since they do well, we sometimes spiral into a vortex of unemotional but visually appealing imagery.

On the other hand, mastering technique and camera control in general is an excellent step in the road to success. Those who master both will have better results in whatever goals they set.

John Setzler

Don't Mess With Texas
by seebrown

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi seebrown :)

The 'heron' is definitely a gorgeous bird. They are quite large and make excellent subjects for photographs. We have great blue herons around here also, but they are very difficult to approach. I can't even get close enought to one often enough with my 300mm lens to get a decent shot. They are quite skittish. ONe of these days I plan to go set up in a blind and wait for one to show up.

This photo didn't score particularly well in the challenge. Only one of your comments was critical and it was regarding the focus. The image does seem just a tad soft, but not terribly soft. I believe that the environment was more of a factor in the score than the softness. The background is bright and contrasty rather than smooth and subtle. I know you have no control over that, but it still plays a role in the viewer perception of the image. In a free study, you really need something that is absolutely perfect in every way to stand out from the crowd...

I can't draw a conclusion on your title and how it integrates with the image either... It's not supportive of the image and it gives no insight (that I can determine) to your theme...

John Setzler

Gay Marriage: Adam and Steve
by Sunshine86

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Sunshine86 :)

This is a type of photojournalism that is less popular than most other types. This is called a photo illustration. Photo illustrations differ from most other forms of photojournalism in the fact that they are contrived rather than candid. Most reputable photojournalists have these images labeled as photo illustrations in print as well. The cut line with the image will have the context followed by "Photo Illustration by John Doe." I notice that a couple of your comments don't see this piece as photojournalism. A more mainstream type of photojournalism may have fared better here on DPC. Everyone likes to talk about being 'outside the box' but when they vote, they don't give that much leeway from their own interpretation of the theme.

As for the image itself, it does support the theme you chose to represent. I think that it could have been stronger though. When I first looked at the image, I had to look fairly closely to catch your theme. The fact that there are two people in the photo is not dominant in the composition. In a photo illustration, or any photojournalistic image for that matter, the theme needs to be dominant and jump out at the viewer. As I look more closely at your image, I can see that you have dodged out the ring area on the hand to draw attention to it, but it's not a strong enough focal point within the context of the entire image to make your point with strength. If you wanted the ring to be the center of attention, it may have been worthwhile to do a photo that focused on two men's hands rather than the embrace. This theme has lots of possibilities.

Photo illustrations are a lot like still life photography. Since the photographer has all the control of the scene, situation, and lighting, There should be no issues that come up short. Everything should be perfect, and there is no excuse for it not being. Personally, this is one thing I take into consideration when voting or critiquing a shot of this nature. The technical standards are much higher in this situation.

Subject choices also play a role in the results you get on this site. There are some subjects that touch nerves and create reactions that have nothing to do with the image itself. You always have to be prepared for those votes...

"I know the background bothersome- but i got to a point where I did not want to mess with it anymore."

Giving up shouldn't be an option. If you commit to the task, you should give it the time and effort it deserves. If you fail, you may want to consider not submitting it. If you aren't completely happy with the result, how would you expect anyone else to be?

John Setzler

otherside of the traintracks..
by surfwakeskate

Comment:
** Critique Club **

Skipping due to no photographer input on the photo...

John Setzler

Untitled
by Tej

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Tejinder :)

I agree that the black spots on the photo are annoying. When shooting for a basic editing challenge, you have to take those things into consideration. Regardless of the rules, the image you present has to be at its best. You can't expect the voters to be lenient on an image because the rules did not allow you to finish the image properly. It's unfortunate, but it's true.

This is one of the few high key images with a completely white background I have seen that I actually liked. The photo is a nice study of shape and contrast. Even though it is done in 'negative', I believe it's actually hard to tell that it's negative. I can look at this image and see it either way. I'm not familiar with the inversion process using curves, primarily because I never invert images.

The voters seem to like the image. 5.9 is a good score these days. The only critical comment you received follows along the same idea as in my last paragraph.

Nice work :)

John Setzler

Reflecting
by moniepenny

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Moniepenny :)

This is an intereresting scene and the silhouetted ducks really make it work nicely. Your subject standing on the pier is visible but he's too dark to really stand out enough to be 'noticed' on a site like this where the photo probably gets very little viewing time. The composition is nice, but I would have probalby framed out the skyline at the top. Personally, I don't think it's adding anything to the theme and it's creating an eye-pulling contrast away from the subject(s) of the image. That tree line is also pretty soft. Maybe some additional depth of field would have improved that area. I see that your camera doesn't support that level of manual control though... When you are limited by the camera, you have to work within it's strengths. I have a camera similar to this (S410) and it does make nice photos :)

John Setzler