Openness on my next vacation
by clickodak

Comment by stevieian:
well done, creative

Back to school - Back together
by clickodak

Comment by JakeKurdsjuk:
Critique Club Comment:

A very familiar site to many of us, and a sure sign of back to school. A nice image, for sure, but not anything that really grabbed my attention after I got past the familiarity. Given the lack of a specific subject all I am left with is the overall symmetry within the shot, which would be fine if you nailed it.

Alas, there are two main issues with that symmetry. First, the centerline of the symmetry is off center - the center of the aisle runs to the right of center. But that's not all that's wrong, the plane of reference is rotated slightly right as well. So while the crop looks like you left too much to the left, if you look along the windows you have more of the right side showing - sure evidence of the need for horizontal perspective correction. This image greatly benefits from first correcting the horizontal perspective, pulling the right side towards the front slightly, and then cropping so that the center line runs directly down the center.

You still have some issues after that in that the bus is empty and there is a lot to distract you outside the windows. You need something to command the viewer's attention. Maybe boost the contrast between the seats and the aisle to pull the eye through the photo down the center to the back of the bus? Darken the seat covers while lightening the center strip, allowing the metal ridges that border it to focus the attention through the frame. While I am not particularly a fan of selective color, perhaps you could have played off the black and white dreariness of the inside of the bus taking you to school with a full-color view outside the windows, highlighting the freedom you're now losing for most of your day?

Again, not a bad photo, outside of the symmetry issues. But not one that holds the attention.

Openness on my next vacation
by clickodak

Comment by MadMan2k:
This is an excellent concept, and well executed. Hope it does well.

Breeze that blows through the windows
by clickodak

Comment by cowboy221977:
Hello from the comment club....

You chose the perfect setup for the "wind" challenge. I can almost feel the breeze coming in. This was a difficult challenge to enter but you hit the nail on the head.

I like the contrast between the white and green curtains. I just would like to have seen a little light...(not much) in the room where this was taken. I think that would have added more detail to the curtains.

I did not vote in this challenge but I prob would have given this a 6. Good job

Old Gold Balance Instrument
by clickodak

Comment by Bear_Music:
Backup Quarterback for the Critique Club here :-)

Let me start with one thing I immediately noticed that is outstanding about this image: the rendering of the brass, the color and luminosity of it, is exceptional. That's not easy to do. In fact, overall there's a nice sense of airy luminosity to this image.

Also on the plus side, the subject fits the challenge quite well, and it's relatively "original" in the sense that it's not the same stuff everyone else throws in. So kudos for that.

On the negative side, there's one think that bugs the heck out of me: that MASS of nothing-at-all behind the back glass of the cabinet. It would have been great to have SOMEthing back there to give context to the tool, something that indicated "jewelry store" in this case.

In the end, what we have here is a technically excellent depiction of an old tool, without context of any sort, that might have been taken for an insurance file or something; there's nothing to get the voters involved in the picture, and voter involvement is the key to higher scores. For example, had your jeweller been in the act of weighing things, had the image included a hand with a forceps placing more gold on the balance, that could have possibly moved you up into the mid-6 score range right there.

Takeaway: try to get us involved in "the story" with an image like this; not just "here it is" but "here's how it is used, or was used...

Robt.

Old Gold Balance Instrument
by clickodak

Comment by cowboy221977:
Hello from the critique club

To be quite honest, I have been stumped on how to critique. I always try to inform the photographer of my views to help him/her improve. I feel that I can not do justice to you or your photo so I am going to ask someone else in the critique club to hopefully do a better job than I can.

Happy shooting

In memory of Robin Williams, American actor recently died
by clickodak

Comment by MargaretNet:
I know he was a cyclist. RIP

Back to school - Back together
by clickodak

Comment by Pangurban:
Clever symmetry and I like the use of B&W. Personally I find there's a bit too much of the plain seating for my taste,

Sailing to Byzantium
by clickodak

Comment by MadMan2k:
Good depth of field and I like the sand under the stand.

Back to school - Back together
by clickodak

Comment by Revecca:
Oh, the flashbacks.... I remember this sight very well.