Being Woman
by Computergi

Comment:
Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club. Prepare to be amazed.. (hehe). Just kidding.

Initial Thoughts

A very nicely done, and technically good, full body portrait.. but lacks a good emotive feel.

Composition/Content

I see this composition done a lot in fashion advertising. Your shot here, however, seems to be a little too low in angle, or a touch too far from the model. I can't pin-point it, but it is lacking a little too much presence. The negative space of the white background behind her may just be a little too over-powering in this instance. The model herself is good, but her pose seems a little too forced, as does the smile. Not hugely so, but enough to throw off the emotional content that would make me say.. "hey, I would love to buy these clothes" or whatever else the ad would be selling.

Background

The background is a great choice here, and wonderfully lit. I just feel there may be too much of it.

Camera Work/Technical

Technically, this is a fine photograph. It's lit beautifully, you've got a strong and sharp focus on the model, exposure is almost dead-on and there are no over-powering blowouts. Having the model fill up more of the FOV, however, would have given you a better chance to put some more life in her eyes, and giving us some more detail.

Digital Processing

I have no information on the post-processing you used, so can't comment really, but what I can say is that nothing you did in post had a negative impact on this shot, in my opinion.

Fits the Challenge

The jury is kind of out on this one. While I feel it's a strong shot for a specific fashion advertisement, the diversity of appeal kind of ends there. Not so much "Stock" in my view as "Product Placement".. and the two aren't mutually inclusive.

My Opinion on the Photo

While I'm impressed with the technicals, and think you'll go quite far with your eye for lighting, I feel that a little more work on posing and getting your models to relax and emote more will pay off big time. That, however, is always the real challenge :) Also, sometimes it pays to fill more of the negative space.

Message edited by author 2005-03-31 12:22:33.

First Taste of Gardening - Literally
by Jamester

Comment:
Hello! Surprise, I'm from the Critique Club, ready to tell you what you didn't want to know. :) Just kidding.. let's get started..

Initial Thoughts

I find this to be a very cute, and enjoyable image to view. It captures a moment very well, and while not technically apt in many instances, does what a photograph of this nature should. It grabs you, provokes an emotion (in my case, smiles), and records a memorable event.

Composition/Content

For the most part, I find your composition wonderful. Your eyes start pretty much on the child's eyes, and then are free to follow his body-line down to the watering can, tying the photo together. My own suggestion would be a closer crop at the top, as the negative space here doesn't, in my eyes, contribute anything but a minor distraction. In terms of content, the photo is definitely pretty clean, the action is limited to your subject, and clutter is practically non-existent. The walkway in the background is actually semi-helpful, giving a "companion" line to help with the DOF.

Background

Although it could probably benefit from being slightly more OOF (out of focus), you've done a nice job with the DOF. The two objects on the left side of the walkway are slightly distracting, but are common to candid type photography, and I only mention them as a possible helpful tool for the future, to train your eyes and mind to "see" the background during every shot. You might not always be physically able to move things, but with enough practice, you'll begin to intuitively remove things from an area, or circle around a subject, before ever beginning to compose a shot.

Camera Work/Technical

Focus here seems to be a touch soft, but again, this is common with candids, and sometimes even expected. Exposure is good, but could have benefitted from metering on a brighter area of the shot (into the sunlight more), and then worrying about brightening the shadows in post. The blown highlights on his face and head don't worry *me* too much, but in the context of DPC, it's far better to avoid them as much as possible. I see that you realize that it was a little over-exposed, so just knowing that is a good first step. If you, once again, try and train the mind to "see" this, it'll lead to much less instances of "oops", in the future.

Digital Processing

You say that you only resized. Perhaps, in the future, you might want to play around with levels, USM, and Hue/Saturation. These three things (primarily), could have really given this shot a little more bite, by giving a little more color and life to the shot. Don't be afraid to play around, even, in the end, if you don't like it, you can always submit the original still.. and in the end, you learn.

Fits the Challenge

This is the tricky part. Stock Photography means something different to almost anyone I talk to, but one thing most people agree on is that the image has to be diverse enough to sell to multiple markets. This shot almost has too much of a "personal" feel to it, but it's also something akin to shots I've seen in some major magazine markets like "Woman's World", "Parents", "Chatelaine" and the like. I don't feel it's a strong connection, but I don't feel it's particularily weak either.

My Opinion on the Photo

Just repeating some things I said earlier here.. A great moment captured, and a pleasure to view. Could benefit from some minor touch-ups, but take pride in your timing and good luck in the future.

Purrfectly Petite
by soccerrocker1989

Comment:
How did you get such a major fish-eye out of a tiny little P&S camera like the A210?!

BubbleCollage_email.jpg
by elru21

Comment:
Aww.. this is so sweet.

I have to ask though.. what are you using for the backdrop/flooring?!

Message edited by author 2005-03-31 01:23:21.

Not Another Shot...
by Artyste

Comment:
Wow.. LOL.. I never expected to get 80%+ with a 5.4 in a million years.

Thank you to everyone that commented.. enjoyed reading most of them.

For those that commented that she didn't really look bored, well.. we just have differing opinions on what boredom really is. To me, frustration is very much a part of boredom.. it's a continuation of boredom much of the time. However, the "frustrated" look here was probably due to the fact that she was blowing her hair (a very, "I'm bored" thing to do), and looking up at it. Curse the dark background for hiding the hair more than I wanted. Don't have a light background for a situation like this though, so had to do what I could.

I think I also suffered from, "200 shots that looked almost exactly like this one" syndrome. LOL.. a lot of kids/people sitting with a "bored" look in this challenge. Way to be original me!

LOL

Anyway.. 43rd place. Fantastic. Sure beats 200+

Inseparable
by Artyste

Comment:
Took a pretty huge chance with this.. Not complaining at all.. 4.8 isn't bad for out-of-the-box to this extent.

IMG_0201.jpg
by parrothead

Comment:
How precious is this?!?!?!

She sure is growing.

Every time I peruse your portfolio, this shot grows more and more on me. It has such an "old-time" feel.. nostalgic..

Message edited by author 2005-05-25 00:47:00.

"You wookin' at my wabbit?"
by parrothead

Comment:
ooo.. poor gracie, looks like she took a bit of a tumble or something..

Look at that hair!!

Bridge Under Troubled Weather
by Artyste

Comment:
Not really an Ansel type photograph.. but I had a sudden urge to submit *SOME*thing at the deadline, and this is what I chose.

Also, as I said, I had a horrible monitor to process it on.. lol

To tell you the truth.. a 5.297 surprises the hell out of me. Someone even gave me a 10! lol

Feeding The Geese At The Park
by dartompkins

Comment:
what a perfect expression. lol