The Puppeteer
by Mark

Comment by Judi:
Very nice silhouetting work.

The Puppeteer
by Mark

Comment by AzCKelly:
Nice shot. The very Bright background really accentuates the subject. Good Job

The Puppeteer
by Mark

Comment by Tammer:
Nice, strong graphi image....my mind went on to picutre a marionette of President Bush :D

The Puppeteer
by Mark

Comment by mycelium:
very bold! has a graphic designy feel to it. the focus is good and sharp without having jaggies on the diagonals, which I know can be tough to achieve. nice work.

Airborne
by Mark

Comment by mar10029:
Cute! Great action...

Airborne
by Mark

Comment by theskitch6:
Ouch! Boot to the head!

Airborne
by Mark

Comment by Delfeye:
Nothing technically special, but you caught an expression of such childlike delight that I was blown away. Guess that makes me a big softy. 7

Airborne
by Mark

Comment by cycomerlin14:
Good shot, but there's nothing stylish or appealing. Try photographing in a different location with swings, and take an image like this at high contrast in B&W.

Duck & Lizard
by Mark

Comment by Mark:
Wow, My first critique! It's a shame it had to be on this entry, but oh well. This was more or less a last minute entry. The leopard gecko in this photo was a new pet, and I tried to go with the humerous approach. I actually waited about 15 minutes for the pose that I wanted with the lizard's body angling away from the duck. I had to do the shot through the glass of the aquarium, which was unfourtunate, and the dirty glass. It's funny, but I can't figure out what caused the blue coloration, because there s nothing blue in the room, and there's no tv.

this was also eddited in iphoto because I don't have photoshop on the computer that I am using yet.

Duck & Lizard
by Mark

Comment by SJCarter:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First, let me say that I think this met the D&L Challenge topic just fine. Second, let me say that I'm not sure that the idea you had in mind was adequately conveyed to the majority of viewers (I could be wrong).

Composition:
The composition is fair IMHO. You've opted for a generally centered approach, which can be quite effective if used sparingly and well. I'm not sure, however, that either were in the forefront of your thinking when selecting this approach (at least it does not seem apparent to me upon first impressions).

Focus/DOF:
Focus and DOF are both okay, but not tack-sharp or saturated with pleasant bokeh. It almost seems like you decided at the last minute to enter a shot and were frantically searching for something that would satisfy the requirements.

Lighting:
Your lighting is pretty good, except for the glare on top of the duck's head.

Overall, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't appear to me on the surface (or upon further examination) to be a well-thought out shot. It's really not bad technically, but seems to lack a central focus or combining element for the disparate subjects (other than their proximity). The blue screened TV is a distraction (as another commenter mentioned) and the pose of the lizard seems more forced than impromptu.

These are just my humble opinions, however, and should certainly be taken with a grain of salt. I'm by no means an expert on anything, I am just "calling 'em as I see 'em". I do hope that this feedback is in someway useful. It's honestly not a bad shot, I just think it could be a lot more than it currently is.

Jimmy