Brazil - Rhythmic Epicentre
by Konador

Comment:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

COMPOSITION
I agree about the centered composition. It does show the pattern nicely. I might suggest showing more of the green though. It sets up a nice contrast with the yellow and blue, and the yellow diagonals lead the eyes out that side of the picture. It just seems to feel off-balanced to me. Maybe the white area with text needs to be further over to the left, leading more into the picture, or something of that nature.

TECHNIQUE
Great focus and lighting. I cannot think of anything I would do to make this a better shot, technically. (A lot of help I am, huh?)

OVERALL EFFECT
This is a great idea, but I am afraid some viewers might not catch the pattern quickly because it is not blatantly obvious that that is the "rhythm." Technically, it is an awesome shot, but it does feel a bit unbalanced to me.

A Whisper of Sunlight
by Gotcha

Comment:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

We meet again!!

COMPOSITION
The composition of this shot is very strong. The faces on the left direct the eyes into the shot, then the face on the right directs it up and to the right, out of the frame. I would suggest at tighter crop on the right, but I am afraid that might make it a bit tight, and thus it would feel unbalanced. A tighter crop at the bottom, though, and maybe more at the top wouldn't hurt, I don't think, unless there was soemthing up there you didn't want us to see.

TECHNIQUE
I like the dominance of the color in this one. It meets the challenge well. The softer focus of it adds to the overall effect for me, though I am sure there are some that might not like it. There are some places with a touch too much noise, I think, but I am not sure how you could fix it without losing too much detail elsewhere. Maybe use NEATIMAGE, or some equivalent, with the lowest possible settings. The couple of spots that are almost blown out look like to me that maybe you oversaturated a bit, rather than exposing improperly.

OVERALL EFFECT
This shot has a spiritual, mystical, spooky feeling to it. It reminds me of pictures/artwork that are used to illustrate mythology books. My first thought was lost spirits coming out, or trying to come out of hades. I believe haunting is the word I am looking for. This is a haunting picture.

Once again, you have done well. Congrats

clown & a dead soldier
by kenbo

Comment:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

COMPOSITION
You have chosen a very interesting combination of subjects here. The horizontal bottle makes the scene very stable, while the clown adds some "motion" for the eye to follow by being vertical. The clown is straight, but the bottle is not. Maybe if it were tilted to be obviously off the horizontal it would be more effective.

TECHNIQUE
The reds and yellows are very complementary here, and "tie" the picture together, so to speak, because "dead soldiers" and clowns normally don't go together (as far as I know, anyway). The focus is a bit off. I think a tripod would have helped that tremendously. If you were using a tripod, perhaps get a remote control OR see if the camera has a timer. That way, you can eliminate all camera shake. The depth of field (or lack thereof) works well here, but it may have been a neat effect if the clown was very sharp, and the bottle was just slightly blurred.

OVERALL EFFECT
Very interesting. It really makes the viewer take a second look. I think the focus issue hurt you, as far as your score was concerned, but overall, a nice picture. Good luck in future challenges.

Bursting with Yellow
by kandyj

Comment:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

COMPOSITION
You have composed this shot in a very interesting and dynamic way. By having the yellow center part on the intersection of the third lines, it is not static, and allows the eyes to rest on the yellow part then travel "out" by way of the petals. To further add interest, you might even lower it even more so that the yellow part actually rests in a corner, and the petals are only visible on the upper and right parts.

TECHNIQUE
Your colors create a nice contrast here. The focus is a little soft -- the 707's macro capability rocks, so always push yourself for ultra sharp. I would recommend using a higher aperture number and a slower shutter speed. Since you are on a tripod, set the self-time, hit the shutter, then step away. That way you won't get any camera shake at all (unless you have a cat or small child in the room, but htat is another story ).

Good work, and congrats on the 707. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I love mine!!!

Stock Photo Frame Insert
by crabappl3

Comment:
A wonderful shot, and she has such a pleasant expression on her face. I like the pattern of the light (sun?) on her hair.

Curwood Castle
by Gekker

Comment:
I really like the contrasts between the blue sky adn white castle here . Good work.

laptop
by kosmikkreeper

Comment:
Great work. Setting it on an angle like that really makes it better than if it were horizontal, i think.

At Last Spring
by redfig

Comment:
I really like the composition of this. The stem leads into the picture, adn the detail you have captured is wonderful.

I Denied Him!
by Gracious

Comment:
Great message. The red is powerful as well. You do haev some noise though. NEATIMAGE may help you clean this up, if you don't already have it. (It is free)

His Despair Our Gain
by Vision

Comment:
Awesome! Message and picture. I think compositionally, it may have been a little stronger if the entire bottom nail was in the frame, OR if it was diagonal through the frame. Great work though.