Fear and Loathing on League Night
by e10icus

Comment:
I definitely think getting the camera lower to the ground and utilizing those great vanishing points on the floor and between the lanes more would help this one out. That and the ball return is a bit of a sore thumb distraction.

waiting on the bench
by Runzamukk

Comment:
Things appear a bit washed out as a whole. Feels like having the bench skewed relative to the viewer may make things feel more dynamic. Perhaps lowering the shooting angle too.

Nothing But Net
by EstimatedEyes

Comment:
The amount of blur on this is awkward to me; I'd prefer a higher commitment to blur or sharpness, one or the other.

blitz
by skewsme

Comment:
Interesting take on things. I like the departure, and the processing is an interesting choice (mean that in a good way).

Softball
by fotofan

Comment:
I'd like to have a bit more detail to show the shape of the glove; at least maybe a rimlight.

Vintage Chanel
by Covert_Oddity

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club-
I can’t decide what I think of your take on the challenge. I see the relation between your take (advertising) and the world of fashion. Anybody flipping through a fashion mag knows that 95% of the paper is advertising space, so the two are obviously inextricably linked. But is there a delineation? I’m not really sure, I guess that’s for the DNMC worriers to worry over.
You have very successfully created a nice advertising type image, regardless of which users find it to relate to the challenge. I enjoy your subdued approach, and your positioning is very nice and directed. It would have been nice to get the Paris to reflect fully as well, but raising the positioning a bit, but that’s a minor thing. Same thing with maintaining symmetry in the front of the right shoe and the background on the right as well. I’m not really sure what it is, but something about the look of the “antique tone” for lack of a better term makes the pure black portions of the background seem to have a violet tint. I don’t actually think its that color, but the contrast of the two colors fools the eye.
Nice entry, all nitpicks aside.

Asian Model
by amateurboi

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club-
I am a fan of your composition- I really like how the viewer focuses on her eye first, then directs their attention up the shaft of the umbrella to where she is looking. The only issue, however, is that it feels like I should be looking at the umbrella, but it isn’t really the focus of the shot. In fact, I’m left wondering what exactly is the focal point. Fashion typically wants you to focus on specific items that are being displayed, either that or the model themselves. While I think your composition here was pleasing, I don’t find that it fits with the subject matter of the challenge. There are some background elements that distract slightly, but I feel like the lack of a clear focus is more of an issue. You’ve got some orange leaking into the sky in the top left, and I’m not too sure what that is, as it should presumably be pure white. This photo works quite well as a candid portrait. I just feel like this was the wrong challenge for it. The gray portion of the border is a little too similar to the hues of the photo as well. I’d prefer something a bit more sharply contrasting.

Fire Water
by Manic

Comment:
Hey there, looks like I got another one of yours :)
As noted, I like the idea of your subject. With some more careful execution, and some alterations to your props, I think you could make this pretty interesting. Couple comments on the props first- the label is definitely distracting, as is the blemish on the glass. I’d consider using a bottle that the viewer will most definitely associate with booze and readily recognize. I would keep the brand label on it, and position the bottle such that you can read the label but that you can also see inside the bottle. A silver tequila would work well for this, but a colored alcohol would work fine too. Next, I’d choose a bit of fire that is more fitting of the subject matter. A birthday candle just doesn’t quite mesh with firewater to me, so I’d recommend making one of these . I’d then make two separate setups and swivel the camera on my tripod from one to the other- the first one be the flame, which I would use a slotted piece of black tagboard to simulate a fast shutter speed for to capture, then hold the tagboard in front of the lens, rotate the camera, then expose for the bottle and fire flashes. The reason I would do a dual setup is to avoid light contamination from the candle on the table and make setups more consistent. I quite like your lighting from the top though, it’s a very nice touch. It’s a pain trying to keep glare down on curved surfaces, especially in basic, so I’m not really sure what to suggest other than moving your lighting source further away to decrease the relative size of your specular highlights.

Message edited by author 2010-05-11 06:15:44.

autumn collection
by slingram

Comment:
Hello and greetings from the Critique Club-
Upon first glance at your photo, I’m struck by the nice combination of the red hues with the dead leaves. They actually go quite nice together I think, and the metal grate provides some nice detail and additional interest. Your exposure is great, with nice saturation and tonality. Detail is great as well, and I think your choice for depth of field works well given the subject matter. I think that your composition is a bit awkward though- another user noted the leaf being in the way, and I agree with this statement. The manner that you’ve chosen to portray things lends me to believe you’re really trying to showcase the shoes themselves, so you don’t want things to detract from that. The composition, as well, does this to an extent too. I don’t think both shoes necessarily need to be in frame, but certainly think that one of them should be completely showcased. The photo itself is very still-life’ish, which isn’t generally a genre of photography I’d associate with fashion. Definitely reminiscent of a ordering catalog shot, but not quite "fashion," if you get my drift. Not quite an advertisement and not fashion-showy either. You may have gotten some vote lowering due to that, but it’s obviously a subjective issue. One last thing- I don’t see any issue caused by it, but getting in the habit of lowering ISO as much as possible is a good practice to get into, and you had some leeway on this one. Overall, a good entry and a good start.

Message edited by author 2010-05-11 06:34:41.

Boring - I know your every move
by Abra

Comment:
Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club.

I think you’ve come up with a good idea for this challenge. It is a good idea for the challenge, especially with such a quick capture. Some things that I think could help things- I’ll agree with what the comments say. I think a large reason your score suffered was the fact that both sides have some ghosting going on, so your subjects don’t appear to be legitimately there, which is a definite part of a great shot in this genre. It is also noted that a darker background benefits these shots, which I also agree with because it helps to separate your subjects and decrease and ghost effect you may get- it’s the texture on the wall behind that really makes this look ghosty. The scene itself is lacking a bit contrast and is a bit dark. Your white pieces are not quite white enough and a large portion of your tones drop down into the lower zones with very little detail. Some technical notes- somebody commented on the sharpness of the photo, which does seem a bit soft. You might consider not shooting at quite a small aperture. After a certain point (generally somewhere in the f/16 range) you begin to experience diffraction and your sharpness will actually start to decrease across the entire depth of field. I would also recommend you drop your iso down to base, since noise quickly becomes an issue in longer exposures (not necessarily an issue here, but a general note). To compensate for this, you will obviously have to decrease your shutter speed a bit to keep the ambient knocked down. By doing this, you will also strengthen the double exposure effect and prevent ghosting some. To further the effect, increase the power of your flashes as well. Though this will increase the amount of time for the flash duration (assuming you’re using a speedlight, it’s reversed if you’re using monoblocs), it should not be to the point that it has an effect since you’re dealing with slow moving subject matter. I like your composition, but would maybe back things out a bit more, as it feels a little bit cramped to me. The posing seems very natural, as well.