Gothic Dawnby
PaulComment by kteach: Greetings from the Critique Club!
First impression: The sun is clearly the first thing that grabs your attention here, and with the position in the sky it seems to fit the challenge. The lack of color is surprising for this challenge, but something different is also refreshing. I like the different tones of the headstones, it helps to set them apart and give depth to the photo. I don't know if it's processing or just the way the photo was shot, but the background trees are jagged, and the foreground has an odd texture about it. The photo isn't something I would hang on my wall, but I applaud the uniqueness of it within the context of this challenge.
Further reflections: After reading your comments, I'm glad that you went in to this with the understanding that it may not score well, but you were willing to take a chance with it anyway as an out of the box type of shot. It may not have scored high (though it did get over your 5.0!), but it garnered a favorite, and some very favorable comments from voters who appreciated its uniqueness!
To improve: I realize you didn't have a lot of flexibility to set up this shot considering where it was taken, but I might have played with the shutter speed a bit, choosing something just a bit faster to keep the sun from being so bright, but while keeping the headstones still nicely exposed. As far as processing, maybe the funny texture I mentioned above came from the neat image?
I hope you found this critique helpful. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Photographer found comment helpful.
