Need Ridilin
by lmurray13

Comment:
normally i don't like a wood grain background, but i think it works well here simply because it could be a desk or table top in a classroom. love the pencil. karmat

Gold
by floyd

Comment:
I like the bright colors of this. Took me jsut a minute, but i realize that you split a pencil in two. Impressive. karmat

Mechanical Pencils
by jmsetzler

Comment:
I like the composition of this, and the sharp colors. Great work! karmat

Red and White
by Remie

Comment:
I love the contrast, framing, and composition of this sot. Simplicity can be wonderful! karmat

Coming in for a Landing
by GolferDDS

Comment:
You get points jsut for having a hummingbird almost completely frozen. I like the color contrast! karmat

Pegged
by habes

Comment:
I like the contrasting colors, and teh depth of field. I think turned a little more to an angle would have been effective too. karmat

odd man out
by sns

Comment:
I like the perspective and focus here. Was the slight tilt on purpose? karmat

Forest Fire
by Kimbly

Comment:
Dontcha love the smell of burning pencil paint (not). I really like the depth of field in this, and the background color. karmat

OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
by bens0nn

Comment:
I know OCD isn't funny, but this picture is great and it really "exemplifies" the disorder. I like the shallow depth of field. karmat

Blacksheep
by whobee

Comment:
(1) COMPOSITION -CONTENT - The composition of this is very good and compelling to the viewer; it is probably the strongest aspect of the picture. First, the red contrasts with the blues, and that is almost always a pleasing color combination. Secondly, the red pencil lead draws attention, then the pencil helps to pull the eyes back and up, giving a sense of movement to the picture. A couple of ideas -- did you try having the blue pencils lying in a "pattern" so that it looked more consistent, rather than just random. This may have helped pull the eyes even more. Also, if the leads were "touching" (obviously they couldn't because of the glass), it may have given an even stronger "illusion" feeling. Finally, I think a tighter crop would help eliminate soem of the bright foreground. Maybe even let the pencils overflow out of the frame some.

(2) BACKGROUND - The "background" of this picture is actually "the underground!" Having the red pencil "floating" is a very nice effect. Also, the blue pencils being blurry actually causes the eyes to focus on the red pencil, so in this instance, it adds to the overall effect of the pencil.

(3) CAMERA WORK -TECHNICAL - I am glad to read this process, and I am going to try it in the future! I am assuming you were using a shutter priority mode since the aperture says auto. If this is the case, you may have had as much depth of field as possible. I think if more of the red pencil could have been in focus, it would have been more effective. Maybe backing away and using the zoom, instead of a macro type setting. Also, the front of the pencil is a overexposed, as is the front of the frame, detracting some from the overall effect. Using a softer light, (shining through a light cloth, but be careful, don't sit it on fire) or bouncing it off of a white wall (or cover a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil to use as a reflector) will sometiems help to take the edge off. Since you were using an 8 second exposure, less light may have worked okay.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING - TECHNICAL - The color is very good in this, and having had two sonys, you receive an extra thumbs up for keeping the red "normal," since Sony reds seem to be whacky sometimes. It is not oversharpened, and the white balance is good.

(5) YOUR OPINION ON THE PHOTO - Overall, I really like this picture. The first time I judged it, I only gave it a four. However, at second and closer glances, I probably should have given it a 6. The exposure and focus issues mentioned earlier prevent me from scoring it higher than that. Overall, it is a very neat effect, adn one I look forward to trying.

Karma