Light reflection
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting take that meets the challenge well.

You have come up with an interesting concept to fulfil the challenge, your chosen scene adds further appeal. Your chosen aperture has created a shallow DOF and your focus is softly on the reflection which actually works quite well.

I do find the lamp itself which is in sharp focus rather bright and overpowering it dominates over the much more appealing lower half of the shot. I think a crop excluding the lamp would improve the shot a lot. I've just noticed one of your commenters remarks which seems to concur with what I have just said.

Thanks Marcel for an interesting approach to the challenge, Sid

Home Work Balcony
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A good still life that fits the challenge well.

An interesting take on the challenge and an interesting composition. I like the focus on the spirit level bubble together with the hammer on the same focal plane at the other end of the image, it works well. I like the way the spirit level recedes into the background, though the background itself does have some distracting elements.

The exposure is good throughout I like the natural light and the way it is lighting the hammer in particular. I find the red within the spirit level aperture frustrating because I think it may well be a drill, in which case it adds to the story the image is telling but it is too out of focus to distinguish what it is, because of that it now becomes a distraction. As it stands an increase in DOF would also bring more of the distant background into sharper focus and therefore more distracting still so I think it would be better to place the drill, if thats what it is, in a more prominent position in the foreground.

Thanks for an interesting and worthy submission, Sid

Home Work Balcony
by clickodak

Comment by Lydia:
My top score.

Well done!

Rejected
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A basic shot that meets the challenge fully.

The main subject, the trolley, obviously meets the challenge brief in full. I like that you have chosen to represent the challenge in a way associated with the trolleys use to enable the shopper to get the groceries from the store to their vehicle and that this stick of celery didn't quite make it ΓΆ€“ it ended up rejected.

In view of my interpretation of your image you could argue that it should be taken as it is in the midst of the car park where it was left but to me your image has a lot of background distractions. The main one being the lorry, the person and not least the yellow line, of those I think only the person is a desirable element the others are not contributing to the end result. I've just realised what I thought was a lorry is in fact the trolley's owners name, ok, but I still think a different viewpoint closer in on the celery and its cage like surroundings through the corner in a more abstract fashion would have made it a stronger image with much less background distraction.

Sorry you didn't get any comments during the challenge, I hope mine makes up for it, Sid

Home Work Balcony
by clickodak

Comment by ciaeagle:
Love the lines, texture and overall color palette on this one. That spot of backlit green in such clear focus really draws the eye. For some reason I want to see more of the hammer but not really sure why... Either way this is my favorite in this challenge. (Even though you used the phrase "home work", which is something I am trying to avoid, in the title.

Red Rose
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

A flawed entry that meets the challenge well.

An interesting challenge and I like your composition with the rose occupying a minimal space leaving plenty of negative space. Like your commenter I feel because of the minimal space used for the rose it should not have been slightly cropped in the way that it has, we should be able to see all of the petals.

The biggest failing is what I assume to be sensor dust, if it is not then your background is soiled but there are several specks immediately above and to the right of the flower. The plain white background itself doesn't add anything to the overall image in the same way that say using the sky would have done. My preference would have been to compose this from below with the plain blue sky filling the rest of the frame or against a plain green grassy expanse, they would just look more natural and therefore more appealing.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

Cloud Light
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

An interesting cloudscape that meets the challenge

It's often difficult to accurately record the stunning beauty of nature as we see it, the camera's metering being geared to produce an average result for an average scene but what you have here is beyond the camera's ability to accurately record being outside the dynamic range that it has.

What lets the image down most of all for me is the massive burnt out area in the middle where the sun was at its brightest and also your processing. In your attempts to rescue the shot you have gone too far with the processing and you now have an unnatural abruptness between the transition areas where there should be a softer natural blending from one colour to another. These sort of shots usually work best in more natural surroundings so here we are left with near silhouettes that in themselves do not form interesting enough shapes so we really need to see more of the detail itself.

Sorry Marcel, it doesn't work for me this time but a potentially good attempt, thanks for submitting, Sid

Cloud Light
by clickodak

Comment by LoVi:
Stunning

Converse shoes meeting
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations on a great interpretation that fully meets the challenge.

Well done for coming up with such a very effective idea to create such an excellent image that has been justifiably rewarded with unanimous appreciation here. The key around which the image centres is the white toed circle binding the shoes and the image as a whole together. The other equally strong element of your image is the square crop excluding the empty detail from the shoes this makes it work very well indeed. I also like the child's colourful shoes at two o'clock, they also add to the overall effect.

I'm really pleased for you that the image has done so well with so many warm accolades from an appreciative audience, very well done Marcel, Sid

Olive oil
by clickodak

Comment by sidpixel:
*Hello from Sid and the Critique Club*

Congratulations for your high finish with this very effective studio setup that meets the challenge very well.

I love your carefully thought out setup and attention to detail and forethought that must have gone into it, the end result with the flowing oil is excellent. I like the shapes and the clarity and the way your oil flows onto each of the olives in turn. What I am enjoying the most is all of the fascinating reflections they are a delight. I also like the feint shadows that are giving the background an appealing gradient that adds weight to the image as a whole.

There's nothing I don't like and nothing I can add that would improve your excellent result, well done, Sid