Storm Watch
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by willem:
Nice colored bird. If I look at the histogram I see a very wide distribution of tones, although it does not have pure white and pure black, but that does not make it low contrast. I would expect a narrow band of tones. Also in terms of composition not very special.

Inquiring Mind
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by Neat:
A bit soft, and not very interesting. Try to make the pic a bit bigger next time.

Inquiring Mind
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by romil:
Superb colors.

ON THE ROCKS
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by FrankRobinson:
Hi Michelle, welcome to the Critique Zone!

First off, this is a great idea and I am very impressed by the dedication you put into realising your vision. Hopefully you still have the bottle because I think you could re-shoot this (if only for your own pleasure).

Technical: Your aperture is pretty wide for a shot of this nature, and the edges of the bottle are consequently a little fuzzy. I'd have used your 18-55 kit lens instead, set to about f7.1 and done it all with a tripod and delay / remote - that way you get a really sharp image, which this concept demands. The kit lens can be very good, so don't listen to all of the naysayers and stories. With a tripod, you can drop the ISO and use whatever shutter you need - it's still life, it's not going anywhere!

PP: You noted that you desaturated and used brightness / contrast - these are pretty blunt instruments. Have a look at the curves and b/w conversion tools in the lessons on DPC for some ideas on how to retain more control - there is some great knowledge in there. Also worth knowing that re-sizing can destroy sharpness, I always re-sharpen after re-sizing, just a little bot less so it doesn't look crazy.

Artistic: This shot starts from a great point: the glitter and glow, the contrast and lighting are really smart. I think that the perspective could be more interesting though - maybe offset, maybe looking up at the bottle? Something a little more unusual than the every day perspective we might see from our own eyes. Also, on DPC people are really picky and the dented cap is an issue for an 'ad' challenge where the bottle should be new.

I think that with a slight re-framing, this shot could be a killer, although the beads don't look like ice so I would have gone with 'abolut gem' or some such. You clearly have a great eye for the unusual, and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Happy hunting,

Frank.

ON THE ROCKS
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by Revecca:
Lighting is very harsh on some of the 'rocks' but I like the very dark background. Image looks a tad washed out. I also can't help but notice some sort of dent? on the bottle cap.
I would've liked to see more rocks on the 'floor' so to speak.

ON THE ROCKS
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by Alyn:
I see your idea and I think you made a nice attempt at it, but your composition needs work. The bottle is almost perfectly in the middle of the frame and it doesn't draw much interest. I like how you merged the "rocks" on the bottle and on the table. Perhaps if you used actual rocks it would have been better. These glass beads are curved and pleasant. It creates a calming photograph which I don't think is appropriate for vodka...which for me at least evokes more edge (hence real rocks). The concept is there, just needs a little more time. I see the dedication in the image though.

ON THE ROCKS
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by KarenNfld:
Cute and clever.

Bird In Flight
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by jbsmithana:
You looking a t me? Nice capture and would have been great had the wing not been cut off. Still I like it.

Bird In Flight
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by DiscoVader:
Wow, dramatic lighting on the subject's face, I like it! I think a better caption would be: Where have you been? Great shot.

The Hanged Man
by dreambigxoxo

Comment by jmritz:
One of my favorites. Love the effects you created with that setup. Dreams of the improbable.