Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by glad2badad:
Hi Ryan. Your title puts the viewer in an immediate state of mind of mournfulness and despair. The image reflects the title in that it does look cold, quiet, and somewhat lonely. I have to wonder a bit about the timing of the photo; sometimes with a cloud layer like that the sun will grace the viewer with a wonderful underside illumination. I'm assuming that moment either never appeared or was missed. I hope things look up for you soon and that the flowers spring forth and break thru that layer of snow.

How did I know this was yours? In the forum thread discussing the challenge you mentioned being the 4th entry in the challenge. Each photo has an image id ... this one is 1246986, which if I counted correctly, makes it the 4th entry. :-)

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by streetpigeon:
The mood suggested by the title is forcefully conveyed. That said, I feel that this title is cumbersome and too literally states what the photo itself needs to reveal. This is a subjective opinion and at times deserves to be honored in the breach. Moving on, I very much like the grimness of the scene. The snow itself is dejected and slushy. The darkening sky only furthers this dim and uncomfortable tone, a dire reflection. You've chosen a strong moment to achieve this effect. The line of houses is somber and unavailing. I also like the framing of the dark evergreens. Nicely done.

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by JakeKurdsjuk:
The title seems to justify the photo rather than support it.

What I mean by that is when I read the title I understand what it is you're trying to show me, but as I look at the photo I am forced to ask why it is that you chose this as your way of expressing it? Is it 'bleak'? Kind of. Is it 'unforgiving'? Not so much, because home is just over there - even if it's someone else's home. If you want to make this about social distancing then show me a person I wouldn't want to be close to. Show me the comfort of your spot in the world surrounded by things I wouldn't want to leave that spot for and not the other way around.

From there, as a photograph, because I can't justify the content with the title I look at the processing and say it just doesn't work. You tried to put on a "bleak and unforgiving" look and it just created something that lacks details and or any compositional element that brings my eye to anything other than the strip of sky between the (crooked) horizon and the clouds. 5 or possibly a 4 for me depending on the challenge theme.

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by jomari:
It does indeed look bleak and uninviting. But thank you for showing me a cloud with a silver lining. We need to find those.

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by GeneralE:
I feel cold now ... :-)

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by GolferDDS:
I̢۪m not sure if you matched the title to the picture or visa versa. You are right that the picture is bleak, drab and not very appealing. The good thing is that you realize it. Sorry to be critical but the purpose of this challenge was to help you improve. If you are looking to improve on this perspective I would suggest taking the picture at a different time of day when there is more color in the sky and more definition in the landscape. I would recommend using a tripod to allow you to get a sharper image and a greater depth of field. Also the image needs to be rotated slightly to get it to horizontal. Also to get some interest you might want to wait around to see if some birds show up in the field of vision.

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Not much here to entertain my eyes, I'm afraid. Perhaps there were some interesting patterns in the snow and ice you might have focused on.

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by Janja:
The picture appears to be slightly out of focus. Also I would have cropped off the lower part with the dirty snow

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by GeorgesBogaert:
I think that 10 years ago my smartphone took better quality than this shot. The blur doesn't do you good here. Very uninteresting shot. Many flaws that could easily be avoided. Nothing looks straight. Rule of thirds, sharpness, composition. The best part is the right side middle part, but then you need to crop out 95% out of your image. I will give you 2 extra point for the purpose of this challenge (4+2)

Social Distancing is easy when the world around you is bleak and unforgiving
by RyanW

Comment by Lydia:
Love the natural framing of thee trees! I wish there were more details in the black areas, for my taste.