Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by Rooster:
Very cool set up. 8!

Year of the "Three Little Pigs"
by bjallen

Comment by goinskiing:
*Greetings From the Critique Club*

This is a very unique and enjoyable shot. I am excited to be able to critique this shot because I feel there are a few things that you could fix that could make this shot absolutely stellar.

Composition:
Okay, first things first, I would crop off the bottom of the shot right where the shade starts on the left side of the shot about 1/3 the way up from the bottom right at that point for several different reasons: First off, like most everyone else mentioned, just a little bit too much foreground, it kind of distracts from the rest of the shot, leaving your eyes wandering around a bit. Secondly, I feel the shade itself distracts from the shot as well because the difference in the shade and the lighted ground is way too much of a contrast. Third, I'm not sure if anyone else said this, but if you notice the snow line in the shaded part on the bottom runs in a completely different direction than the rest of the shot, leading your eyes completely away from what's important in the shot. Finally, it makes it to where the pigs are in the center of the shot. It would make it look like it were split into thirds from top to bottom, as I see it, it would put the fence part on top, the pigs in the center, and then the foreground. I feel this would add a lot of strength to this shot.

The pigs are really great. One interesting thing I noticed is the color of the pigs, in succesion from the first to the last, you have a white, a mixed, and a black pig. To me, that just really caught my attention. I love the positions they are in, very enjoyable.

Like other people have said, it is shame that the pigs aren't in focus, because if that were the case, I believe it would have been a very solid photo. I realize this isn't always the easiest thing to do and I commend you efforts because you caught a perfect moment, sometimes they turn out, sometimes they don't, it kind of the luck of the draw.

Other Comments:
This is a great shot, I just feel that a few minor things editing-wise could have made it a little bit stronger such as cropping and contrast (Iwould add just a tad bit more). It is a fun shot and I am glad I was able to critique it. Best of wishes to ya in future challenges!

~Matthew (goinskiing)

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to PM me.

Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by Dave Gordon:
Nice composition and colors. Putting it into a background of ice (or what looks like ice) makes it appear really tempting. See if Corona would like to buy this shot for an ad.

Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by train:
like the idea and the composition

Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by drgsoell:
I might have opened the bottle and put the lime slice in the top, but I've never been accused of being subtle either. Nice shot.

Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by Jeileen:
A few too many before you did that border? Otherwise a good pic

Frosty Cerveza
by bjallen

Comment by birgir:
Hehe one of my coworker drinks Corona and puts a slice of this fruit (lemon?) down into the bootle :) I gues then this must go together :)
You should have taken the knife away because it distract to much. Other then that then this it's fine and I give you 6

Vince Lombardi - Three Decades of Tribute
by bjallen

Comment by Koriyama:
**critique club**

Overall, I think that you're more aware of the problems in the shot that I am. The earlier commentors explained most of the problems.

Compositionally, I like the use of the natural frame, the tree on the right. Otherwise, you're right, the elements are a bit haphazardly arranged. The snow, also, didn't help as it covered up your point - the mementos after decades.

Which brings me to my point. From just the title and the photo, I had no idea what was going on. If DPC were just a north American site, maybe more people would know about this guy. The name and the memory mean a lot to those who know, and the photo's power and meaning increase accordingly. For those who don't know, we only have the visuals to go on.

The border worries me. Partly because I'm not so keen on two-sided borders anyway, but more importantly because of the snow at the bottom confusing my eye about a bottom border and the tree giving a natural border anyway. The left side border is actually not that bad - I'll have to rethink my position on 2-sided borders.

The colours are fine, although the snow is overexposed. A tone curve adjustment would have avoided this if the exposure were correct initially. That is expose to get the snow showing detail (reducing the overall brightness) and increase the brightness in the darker areas using the tone curve.

If you have any comments on my critique, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes,

Jim

Drive by Trees
by bjallen

Comment by cloverstar:
This is very unique. A good piece of artwork. Great effect on the lighting technique you used. Well done.

Year of the "Three Little Pigs"
by bjallen

Comment by siggi:
I think this photo was great for this challenge.
I would have liked a bit diffrent angle with a more face in it.
Like some other point out the motion blur or focus on the pigs could be better and looks better if you crop some of the forground away. Could try changeing it to a panorama.
You got 8 from me!