tis the season
by bmartuch

Comment by lawrysimm:
Commenting for the critique thread.... I see I gave this a 4 at vote time. My votes vary based on the strength of the competition and so a 4 in one challenge could be a 6 in another as I ensure I get a full spread of marks. In a free study, I my expectations are higher - it's supposed to represent the best shot of the month for the respective photographers.

I guess I'm on of Yo Spiff's dreaded border patrol. I'm it a fan of borders unless they are very subtle - I generally don't feel they add much to photos. In this particular shot I felt the border overwhelmed the image. I haven't been scientific but it feels like there is more border than actual image. Straight away your score was hit on that basis.

Then looking at the image itself, I like the lines and colours, but I think I would like to have seen the lines at an angle rather than vertical. Either mirroring the angle of the border, or at a complimentary angle.

Maybe if the shot has been rotated so there was no border but the skis went at an angle I would have found it more engaging. Or maybe shooting along the wall instead of towards it, and using a shallow depth of field to give some graduation to the focus would make it more interesting. This just didn't do it for me in a free study.

Message edited by author 2012-09-06 15:10:30.

tis the season
by bmartuch

Comment by Venser:

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff: I found the patterns of the skis had potential but nothing special that grabbed me. I gave this a 7, though not because of the image itself. It was a reward for taking a risk with the border. I knew the border patrol would lowball this.

I wasn't around at this time, but that border is out of control. I probably would have given this a 3-4 for that border alone. The skis are cool, but to be honest, I don't even know they're there.

tis the season
by bmartuch

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
I found the patterns of the skis had potential but nothing special that grabbed me. I gave this a 7, though not because of the image itself. It was a reward for taking a risk with the border. I knew the border patrol would lowball this.

tis the season
by bmartuch

Comment by bassbone:
First off - I really like the IDEA of the shot. The repeating shapes of the various skis with the unique color patterns is a great subject. But I really can't stand the border at all (it was too much for me). I think I get the humor of it (angled without being angled), but those big black blobs in the corners really kills it for me.

untitled
by bmartuch

Comment by colorcarnival:
I really thought this was fabulous, Bob. The toning, perspective, and focus are spot on. If this isn't what you wanted I bet that something else had to be totally awesome!

Congrats on 4th place!

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by bmartuch

Comment by npasel:
Just had to post again when I realized how close to the top you are and how near the bottom I ended up. Kind of an interesting finish for a brother and sister.

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by bmartuch

Comment by npasel:
Great finish Bob.....I am proud of you!

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by bmartuch

Comment by JuliBoc:
Congrats on the HM. The symmetry I beautiful.

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by bmartuch

Comment by bassbone:
Congrats on the HM! I was wondering if this was yours and am glad to see it do so well.

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by bmartuch

Comment by Brent_S:
Well you didn't get to go where you wanted to shoot, but you still came up with a beauty. Congrats on your HM!