Desolate
by Ken

Comment:
Awesome use of the rule of thirds. Love the vanishing point. Nice detail in the foreground.

Rubbish
by ashepp

Comment:
Nice idea. A little more breathing room underneath the recycling bin might help.

Under the Bridge
by moonwell

Comment:
Love the complimentary orange and blues. I find my eye is drawn to the white snow at the bottom of the photograph.

Broken in
by travis_cooper

Comment:
I like the idea of shooting an old piano for this challenge.

Technically speaking, the shot is pretty good. There is a good range of lights and darks, and there is a nice focus on the piano keys.

Compositionally, this photo could use some work. The angle you have chosen has lots of diagonal lines that run from the top of the photo to the bottom. The viewers eyes follow this path, and basically run off the page. The repeated pattern of the piano keys also leads our eyes off the page, as there isn't much to break up the repetition.

I find the blue light to be very distracting. Instead of showcasing the piano, the blue light becomes the main subject because it is so bright and intense. I also find that the blue light contradicts the subject of something old. The strong blue light reminds me of a neon sign in a bar, and I wouldn't consider a neon sign as something old.

The image also seems to be oversharpened, as there is a halo around many of the keys.

I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

power failure
by whiterook

Comment:
Use a single, artificial light source to dramatically light the subject of your choice.

Rainbow Caterpillar
by Nuzzer

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

My first impression overall is that this is a very good photo.

I like that the caterpillar and branch are in focus in the foreground, but are out of focus in the background. This really suits a caterpillar since they move very slowly and are only focused on the present, and not the future. I like that the background is simplified due to the depth of field. I have no problems with the second caterpillar in the background as it is a nice secondary surprise.

Compositionally, I like the negative space you left around the caterpillar. I also like that you didn't paint the first stripe red, as that would have been too set up. The one thing that I feel could be improved in this photograph is the saturation of the background. Right now I feel there is a bit of a battle between the colorful caterpillar, and the colorful background. I have no problem with the background being tinted a certain color, I just think there is too much saturation. If the background were closer to black & white, with a hint of color, I think the caterpillar would stand out a lot more.

Overall I think this is a wonderful image. Keep up the good work.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Which One of These Things is Not Like the Others?
by levyj413

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

My first impression is that this photograph is very strong both compositionally and technically. The back lighting is great because it brings out all of the details of the bottles. I especially like the details of the screen in the background. It gives a nice texture to the photograph without being too distracting.

Compositionally, the angle of the crop gives some nice variation in the photo. I also like the "odd bottle" because it gives the viewer a specific focal point by breaking up the repeated pattern.

The one thing I would like to change is the negative space surrounding the orange bottle. Because of the halo created by the negative space, my eye keeps being drawn to the orange bottle, as opposed to the green bottle. The green bottle is bordering on a secondary subject, and therefore I think if the bottles were arranged in a way to have the negative space around the green bottle, that the focal point would be that much more reinforced.

Overall I think this is a wonderful image. I would have liked to see it score higher than it did.

Keep up the good work.

If you have an questions, feel free to PM me.

Pollen Grains
by refrainPro

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

My first thought when I saw this photograph was that the colors are very nice. The deep reds and yellows of the flower are very colorful. The lighting is good, as there are definitive highlights and shadows on the anther.

From a technical stand point, I think you could benefit from using a slower shutter speed. This would allow a larger f/stop, and therefore you could get more of the pollen grains in focus.

Compositionally, I like that you have divided the photo up into thirds horizontally. Overall, however, I find that the crop is very tight. Since the pollen grains are the main focus, I think they could use a little more negative space at the top and bottom of the page. Alternatively, you could crop even closer to focus on just the pollen grains, in which case, you could crop out the top part of the anthers. Either way, it is always important to make your crops look deliberate.

Overall, nice idea for detail. Keep up the good work.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Butterfly Pose
by bonskie

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

My first impression when I saw this photograph is that it is very technically sound. The lighting is very nice as there are bright highlights and dark blacks. The focus is very strong as everything except the butterfly's antennae is in focus. The butterfly's scales and eyes are very sharp. Well done.

Because you used a high ISO (1600), the grain is noticeable. It doesn't bother me that much in this photo, but it is something you might want to keep in mind for the future. A photograph at 1/125th at f/11 and an ISO of 400 would be very sharp and have a lot less grain.

Compositionally, you have used the rule of thirds very well, as the butterfly's head is exactly where the imaginary lines would meet. You have also cropped carefully around the flower, as there is plenty of negative space. I don't mind cropping through the butterfly because it "looks deliberate". The photograph is a little right heavy because of the direction the flower is pointing, as well as the butterfly's wings, but I would still give it a high score.

Great shot overall. Keep up the good work.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Say Your Prayers
by aliqui

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club

My first impression when I saw this photograph is that I LOVE the web. It feels like we are right on top of it looking at the spider. The contrast of the bright webbing and the dark background is amazing. The depth of field is very good. The bokeh really helps the depth of field. Great job using a low f/stop.

The composition is very good as well. There is plenty of negative space around the spider, and the rule of thirds works well, as the spiders "hump" falls right where the imaginary lines would be.

I realize how difficult it must have been to get this shot, but I think the focus could be sharper. In a technical challenge, such as macro, viewers votes are directly related to sharpness. Had the spider been sharper, I think this photo would have done exceptionally well.

As a wish list, or possible next steps, it would be nice to see the spiders face. In this photograph, his facade is blocked by his legs.

All around, a very nice photo. Keep up the good work.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.