I Think My Left Profile Is Best, Don't You?
by GeneralE

Comment by freakin_hilarious:
That's a cool bird and a cool pose, but it's a bit too OOF for me.

Light Up The Water
by GeneralE

Comment by Tygerr:
Maybe should have cropped a bit more on the left. Some distracting elements in the sky and on the horizon. Selective colour emphasizes the fireworks nicely, but it makes the water look less attractive. Also, was this handheld? A tripod might have helped for better sharpness.

Light Up The Water
by GeneralE

Comment by OdysseyF22:
I'd have gone with a tighter crop myself. Still some of the water, but closer to the fireworks, to keep the focus more on them.

New, Improved, Graduated RD (Rainbow Density) Filter
by GeneralE

Comment by strangeghost:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.

TECHNIQUE
This is a very unique image, one where the usual technical benchmarks are hard to judge. Color saturation is certainly rich. Focus on the mono background is adequate.

COMPOSITION
Wow. What to say? It's a very interesting and different concept. I love the idea behind the image. I can see that the leaves behind the filter are green but the effect is very subtle. I believe the intent of the image is to show that this magical filter somehow imbues color to an otherwise drab BW image. If so, I'd have punched out the greens until they nearly popped out the top. But how to achieve this and preserve the colorful rainbow filter?? I imagine that this is what you struggled with in post processing as well. As shot, it takes some time to appreciate and I'm wondering how many DPC voters invested the time necessary to appreciate such an image.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
The more I think about it, I wonder if you would have better served this concept by muting the filter colors and jacking up the tree-green?? I can't decide. I think it would have had more initial impact if this had been the way. As presented, the filter captures the eye quickly and the background trees seem almost an afterthought. The conceptual foundation of the image is wonderful, but the execution probably lacks that 'pop' that DPC voters seem to expect and demand.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Your commenters were mixed with most liking the concept and a few missing the point entirely. Given your final score of 4.9, I'm guessing most voters gave it a quick look, didn't see the point, voted low and moved on. Same sad story. This is a very strong concept and one that, shot a little differently, probably would have pushed six or higher.

Stationery in Motion
by GeneralE

Comment by atupdate:
Great title and solid execution of the concept. The out of focus section in the front left corner is very distracting and takes away from the overall appeal of the photo.

Stationery in Motion
by GeneralE

Comment by Nobody:
I like the contrast of the still machine and the moving paper. Nice play on words with the title too.

Pumpkin
by GeneralE

Comment by electina:
The lighting is nice making the center bright.

Stationery in Motion
by GeneralE

Comment by Judi:
Very nice take on this category.

Light Up The Water
by GeneralE

Comment by DefyTime:
Love the water

Stationery in Motion
by GeneralE

Comment by locutus:
Extra point for the play on words in the title.