Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by GeneralE:
Personally I'd like a greater DOF to get the foreground in focus and bring out more detail in the darker stitched area.

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by FranziskaLang:
great idea, something that's not just nature, but man made. i initially didn't like your shallow DOF, but i'm starting to like it. there is one place where it bugs me, and that's the shoe lace. if that was in focus (maybe if you pulled it up higher so the end would've been where the focus is, not easy, i know), this would have been great. also, the bottom right corner is a little too dark and your top right background a tad blown out. still a good idea. -- gr8photos (5)

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by myqyl:
There's a lot of potential texture here, but the vast majority is out of focus. If you intended this, it didn't work for me... The angle and perspective are interesting. You definitely have a different way of looking at things and that is refreshing here (it's a talent I wish I had)... But you might want to try this exact shot again with greater dof and see if you like it better. But that's just me :)

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by Swashbuckler:
I get the texture, yes, lots of it, but the extremely limited focal range of this shot takes so much away from the shot overall. Let's just say you cropped off the top 1/2 and the bottom 1/8, you'd have something easily viewable. I don't know the correct settings to widen the depth of field, but a flatter view does help limit the range of the shot. I like this side view, but if it doesn't all look good..............
5 Swash

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by chariot:
To shallow DOF

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by autool:

Composition5
Originality6
Technical Aspects5
Meets Challenge8
Total Score6

For those that are just learning, like me.

Composition: Scoring in this area is based on basic composition of a picture and includes the rule of thirds, balance, cropping, and curved and diagonal lines. Subject matter that does not lend itself to the picture or otherwise unwanted is also considered here.

Originality: Scoring in this area is based on pictures or concepts that I have seen, as well as how much effort you have invested in the picture. Usually a little something that sets it aside from a snapshot. Does it make me want to come back for another look? You know things like that.

Technical Aspects: Focus, exposure, lighting, and other special effects (done by the camera), and post processing are all considered in this category.

Meets Challenge: This is based on my interpretation of if you, have/have not, met the challenge. This is fairly simple but quite important for this site.

There are many sites that can give you assistance in achieving better skills in photography, but I think the best way to learn is to take pictures and show them to other people. Believe me when it is a good one you will know it.

Good luck!

Autool

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by jmsetzler:
take a look at this image... as you can see, there is a sharply focused segment that extends from left to right just slightly below the center of the frame. The foreground in front of this strip and the background behind this strip are out of focus. This area that is IN focus is within your depth of field. This indicates a low F number (wide aperture) setting on your camera. I don't know what kind of camera was used here, but a larger F number (smaller aperture) in the aperture priority mode (or manual mode) would extend this plane of focus through a larger portion of your image. It also appears that the camera lens may be resting close to the surface. If this is the case, raising the camera up a few inches and pointing it down at a slightly lower angle would allow the foreground to be in better focus as well. Your camera has a minimum distance from the lens in which it can focus effectively, regardless of the aperture settings. = 5 - jmsetzler

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by GinaRothfels:
There is almost no depth of field here and only the odd patch in focus.

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by KarenB:
My eye is not landing on anything. I think maybe the tip of the shoe string should be in focus, leading my eye down the string into the picture.

Rubber Leather Polyester
by djbdj

Comment by miller:
I find the shoelace a bit distracting.