School Teams Push Cart Races
by Heavy

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

Hi Heavy...

This is a nice journalistic photo. It has a nice 'story' to it and it captures an interesting moment in time. I personally believe the desaturation of the reds in this photo 'cheapens' it a bit. It makes this photo appear to be a 'gimmick' shot rather than something that tells a story. My first impression of it is 'why?' above anything else. I don't understand your reason for desaturating the reds. In your mind, how did that 'improve' this photo? Decisions to make changes like this should be accompanied by a strong reason for doing so :)

John Setzler

Consuming the Sky
by mocabela

Comment:
This is a beautiful photo. It seems to make a statement to me that is a bit beyond the normal. = 10

Incense Girl
by PhilipDyer

Comment:
This is an excellent photo :)

Friday Night
by jmsetzler

Comment:

Originally posted by kiwiness: Congrats on the greeny John! This is a rather untypical photo from you, I never thought you would delve into the world of sport photography!

I agree. It is way out of my normal mode. It's been a good learning experience so far. I don't intend to pursue it seriously, but since I have the opportunity to learn it, I plan to get as much out of it as I can...

Thanks :)

Windows to the Soul
by Coley

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

Hi Coley...

How lovely it is to finally get a 'decent' photograph to critique via the Critique Club... You just don't know how tiring it is to do these things over and over again on some of the most boring photos I have ever seen :)

First of all, I didn't comment on this photo during the challenge, but it was one of my tens during the vote. I don't normally care for selective desaturations, but this one works nicely. In so many cases where I see it used, it seems to be done inappropriately. What I'm used to seeing is everything desaturated, including the subject, with some arbitrary element of the photo left in color. It serves no purpose other than to draw the viewer's attention away from the subject. In your case, it forces my eye right to the subject of the photo.

There are only a few minor critiques that I could possibly offer for improving this image.

1. I believe the proximity of the 'mirror' to the left edge of the frame is slightly uncomfortable. I would have probably left a little extra breathing room in that area.

2. The empty space on the right of the frame feels a bit 'wasted' IMO. The face and mirrors are obviously the first thing I see when I look at the photo and the negative space on the right is just in limbo. If the negative space was on the left instead, it may provide a stronger composition with the theory of 'top to bottom and left to right' compositions. You can test this by horizontally mirroring the image in your editing software and see if it provides any additional aesthetic appeal.

3. If negative space was your actual intent with this photo, you could probably enhance that even more by making the subject slightly smaller in the frame than it actually is.

This is an excellent photo... great work :)

John Setzler

Flying Tackle
by arnit

Comment:
Beautiful shot :) = 10

Hat Trick!
by sjonni

Comment:
Excellent sports capture... The action is stopped nicely here and the exposure is perfect. Great work :) = 10

Refreshing Reflections
by mocabela

Comment:
Best of show... = 10

Here's Holland: Clogs, Cheese and ....
by Philos

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club...

Hi Philos31...

I don't believe this photo needs much 'critique'. I can't suggest any real improvements in it without suggesting shooting at some different times on different days looking for the best possible sky for a background. Excellent shot :)

John Setzler

Competition
by Gabriel

Comment:
Why waste people's time? Go play somewhere else please.