It's that time again
by Frank Beckman

Comment:
My first impression is that this is a nice photograph. I absolutely love Christmas lights, and though some may question the "photojournalism" side of it, I can see how this would make the news in small towns or seasonal magazines.

I think the initial impact of the picture could be greatly increased, though, if you would choose one smaller piece, instead of trying to capture the whole thing. For example, the illuminated reindeer shot with a low camera angle, would make a nice picture as well. If you wanted to include the whole house, I would try to crop it so that the street doesn't show as much. The sidewalk leads the eyes up through the picture which is nice, but the street gives kinda slanted feeling to it. A 640 X 427 crop does some of this for you. Also, though I think I know why you did it, cropping the house on the right, and not on the left makes it feel unbalanced to me.

Technically, I think a larger aperture and slower shutter, if possible would make the focus sharper. If you can only control one, go for the larger aperture to make sure you have as great a dof as possible. I am assuming you were using a tripod, but if not, they are well worth it. If you do not have one, and do not want to buy one, resting the camera on top of a car or open mailbox door sometimes works well, if you can get the angle right.

Overall, I liked this picture, and it made me want to go out and look at lights in our community! Nice work.

The Dove, Columbia's noted sculpture s lands on a new corner.
by aelith

Comment:
The blue sky is nice, and that is definitely an interesting sculpture. I think cropping it horizontally so that the stuff in the bottom wasn't showing would make it more effective. karmat

Remembrance
by stephan

Comment:
After reading your comments, you picture has more power and meaning for me. I am not a proponent for seeing comments, but in photojournalism, I think the story and pic work together.

I think it was a well chosen subject, and fit the challenge well. The lines on the wall do a good job of giving the picture "motion" so to speak; it is not a static picture. Not shooting it straight on was a wise move, I think, otherwise, it would be flat and dull. Not sure how much you were able ot move around, and I can understand not wanting ot intrude, but I think framing it differently might have given it more balance. Right now, the girl weights the left side, adn teh flowers the bottom, but then there is a whole lot of space in the upper right. It is not enough to be truly effective as negative space, in my opinion, though it is close. Maybe a different perspective (more to your right) or a lower camera angle would help fill the frame more.

Technically, I understand why it is a bit fuzzy. I think I mentioned in my original comment why I can understand not using a flash. Challenge or not, it may have seemed irrelevant. I also understand why you didn't use a tripod. Was there somewhere you could have sit down or somehting you could have sit the camera on? It wouldn't have eliminated any motion blur, but it would have cut down on the blur caused by camera shake. I like the yellows and the contrasts with the red. It gives the picture an urgent feel, if you know what I mean, kinda like in an emergency. The flames are nice, but I do think a more solid focus would have helped overall. I know you said the girl wasn't the main subject, but would it have been possible to have made her as such. It would have included the human element as well as memorializing the event. Otherwise, it may have helped to wait until the area was clear of people (provided you didn't have time constraints).

Overall, I liked your picture, though I did feel that the lack of focus kept it from being as effective as it could have been.

Remembrance
by stephan

Comment:
The composition of the lines and flowers/candles draws the eyes upward and to the left, and I think that is very effective. Also, the contrast of the yellow and red is nice. I suspect it was a low light situation (and for obvious reasons you didn't wnat to use the flash) and the result is a less than completely focused picture. Otherwise, very nice. karmat

Reunited at Last!
by Gracious

Comment:
Great capture of an obviously special moment, but it is kinda muted. Maybe adjusting the contrast so that it is not all varying shades of gray would help give it more "pop" karmat

US Opposes EU Open Skies Treaty
by Manic

Comment:
Obviously, the title is needed in this picture, and that is okay. I like the diagonal effect from the top left toward the bottom right, and I like the simplicity of the shot. Was there a way to make the plane and contrails more distinct? I am assuming you were zoomed as much as possible and that you have filled the frame as much as possible with the subject. Maybe boosting contrast or something? karmat

Rising Waters
by Kathyc

Comment:
Your choice of subject was great for this challenge. I think you have done well framing it, and composing so that there are three distinct "layers" is also effective. If it had been possible, (I understand there may have been a safety risk here!) changing your angle so that there was something at the bottom of the frame that would lead the viewer's eyes into the frame would have added to the initial impact, I think. For example, if the "stuff' in the bottom of the frame led to a point on the picture that was the main focal point. I think that is what someone was referring to when s/he said we needed something to focus on, besides the water. Though the water is obviously the primary subject, it is "there" and almost makes the picture static.

You have used the natural light available very well, adn I really like the deep rich color tones you have captured. The dark area on the left may indicate it is slightly underexposed, but I like it because it gives a forbidding ominous feeling to the picture. The focus is slightly off at the bottom of the frame, but it isn't readily apparent, because the eyes are quickly scanning the rest of the picture. Backing up some and giving yourself room to crop might fix this (provided you could back up!).

Overall, I truly liked your picture, both during the initial voting and now. I felt it met the challenge well, adn depicted the power of nature, adn teh potential devastation that flooding can have. Excellent work.

Movie of the Year
by emily

Comment:
In my opinion, there is simply too much "stuff" in this picture for it to convey what I think you wanted it to. If your town is like mine, it may have been the only movie marquee available, but if not, I think it would have been worth it to find another one, that didn't have so much "busy" stuff around it. karmat

time
by ritaard

Comment:
I think this would have been a cool effect if the screen could have been black as well, and just the date and time showed clearly. karmat

Protest!
by hardwaybets

Comment:
Great capture, and the black and white works well for me. What hurts the picture is the lack of focus. If it were sharper, I think it would be more effective. karmat