Deadwood
by Truegsht

Comment by muckpond:
B/W Club!

good range from black to white while limiting the "blown out" areas. i like the rule of thirds for the composition, but it could even be shifted left or right even more to break up the balance a bit.

a little more detail in the clouds and the bark would help as well. i think there are more tones in this that we can improve upon.

It just breaks your heart....
by Truegsht

Comment by muckpond:
B/W Club!

this is a great photo. the full-frame works well, and the focus and composition are dead-on.

like others have said, it is quite dull and gray. i plan to use this as an example for the group because there is a TON of potential here that we can draw out. you'll have a real winner of a print on your hands soon!

Deadwood
by Truegsht

Comment by admart01:
B/W Mentor Group:

Full range of tones so I don't miss the color in the shot. I'm wanting to get closer to the "deadwood" and somehow I connect this with the B&W treatment. It's as if I'm wanting to see more of the tree detail? Maybe it's because the light gray sky is blurry and the tree is the main subject according to the title? I find the dark and light sky a standout - defineatly a powerful element in the shot.

It just breaks your heart....
by Truegsht

Comment by admart01:
B/W Mentor Group:
(I'm going to ignore the cute model, composition, dof in favor of B&W aspects) :)

I would agree with Kavey that the shot is overall dark with no punch - no pure black or white. No strong separation of subjects and areas of the photo - gives a blended, cloudy feel. I think this is what leads me to feel no drama or draw to the photo.

Cactus Bloom
by Truegsht

Comment by Truegsht:
Hmm...1 comment, a vote of a "2"! Seems strange to me that the photo was commented on as not being macro or near macro....the details of this challenge said you need not use your macro feature, but your image should be a close-up shot. My photo was too soft, but it did meet the challenge and was voted low for it. Thanks for the "comment", but it did meet the challenge.

Challenge: Macro V
Rules: Advanced Editing (Updated 1/3/05)
Details: It's been a while! Get up close and personal with the subject of your choice. You need not specifically use your macro feature, but your image should be a close-up shot.

It just breaks your heart....
by Truegsht

Comment by Kavey:
B/W Mentor Group.

Here are my observations in no particular order:

- Focus is on the wooden pole infront of the child rather than on the child. This is a big point for me and definitely is the one thing thta stands out most strongly.
- Does the pole have significance to the image contents? If not I'd suggest excluding it.
- The image overall is quite dark though you do have some natural highlights so it's not wrongly exposed - I don't know if this darkness is deliberate but it doesn't draw me in - perhaps throwing a touch more light onto the child's face might make it more attention grabbing?
- Eye contact is good - that provides a connection between subject and viewer.

Cactus Bloom
by Truegsht

Comment by ShutterPug:
focus too soft - not close enough to constitute macro or near-macro

Fireworks
by Truegsht

Comment by BotKeeper:
Use a tripod

Fireworks
by Truegsht

Comment by Matthew:
sufferring by repetition of theme - and none of these have stood out for me so far.

Fireworks
by Truegsht

Comment by audinut:
Oversaturated? Still it is a compelling image