Winter Migration
by GeneralE

Comment by e301:
A clear technical meeting of the challenge - no, that doesn't read like I mean it (it's a compliment). I mean that the element of passing time is a camera-relevant one, rather than subject-based. I love that you haven't gone to black for your background. I love the intent of this too. Great shot, I hope it does wildly better than I expect it to ;-)

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by strags:
Needs more DOF - blurry foreground objects are bad.

Winter Migration
by GeneralE

Comment by snackwells:
Not quite sure of the connection with the challenge theme.

Concerning the technical merits of this photo: The lights are quite a blur and appear haphazard and the subejct is not readily discernable (translation: what am I looking at here?). Whatever this photograph is portraying, the focus appears to be good and the image has adequate sharpness. This is overall much too abstract and while I like abstract, there has to be a certain level of "frame of reference" upon which the viewer can make a judgement. Sorry.

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by JelloPhotog:
Title ruins the shot. It's ot a license to kill, a police officer can not just walk around and shoot & kill people just because he has a badge. You want the title license to kill perhaps you should have posted a photo of a hunting license, that's a license to kill. The photo represents authority, the title doesn't -1 for the title, 2 for the quality of the shot, badge is slightly out of focus, the shotgun shell should have been placed in the back not in the forefront, especially since you focused on the the badge, the blurry shotgun shell is distracting, takes all of the attention -1 + 2 = 1

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by fotodude:
well taken and point well made(if u were trying to make a point on the bush admin.)
if not u did anyway.

there is nothing to say about shot in my mind ex.-GL

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by Bolti:
hey, you know a agent.... not bad.... What is up with the out of focus shotgun shell btw?

Could have skipped that one :P

Muralist at Work
by GeneralE

Comment by GeneralE:

Originally posted by Shadowrain: Nice capture. A different angle would have made this so much better. Maybe from the side so you could also see some of the artist's expression as well as the mural.

I was deliberately trying to shoot from angles such that the person's face would not be individually identifiable to allow for greater freedom in use of the photo without needing a release.

Muralist at Work
by GeneralE

Comment by GeneralE:

Originally posted by xian: would have been a better choice for a color challenge

I agree ... here's the color version of the same shot for comparison.



However, I still think it was probably my best picture during the challenge time period.

It was also somewhat a deliberate choice to present the voters with something so obviously "better" presented in color in B+W ... forcing a few, as they said, to do a "double-take" and check to see that there really is a lot of shading and detail there ... It is also intended to be documentary in nature -- the mural is not my work after all, and that's a challenge in itself -- to take a colorful scene and render it in grays because you have to -- instead of just looking for something which looks good in gray to start with.

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by Skip:
the oof shotgun shell kills the composition. maybe if you had laid it on its side and backed off just a bit? the colors and lighting are nice. this is definitely one to revisit.

License to Kill
by GeneralE

Comment by vontom:
The title completely ruins this for me. Probably a "5" on its own, a little soft, not a balance composition.