Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by MyeReadBik:
Grainy, I think it might be neater if you stopped the motion on a shot like this.

My Wifes Roses
by kiwinick

Comment by KaDi:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

A simple still-life of vibrant yellow flowers. Carefully posed. Thoughtful lighting.

Composition is a classic set up. It's the sort of image one might expect to find on a greeting card--cheerful roses arranged to show the detail of the blossoms. I like the way the four flowers are arranged in a "c" curve from most to least mature. My eye begins with the uppermost and follows down to the very satisfying rosebud. There seems to be too much empty space left on the right side--I feel a closer crop could have helped eliminate the un-needed space and would have also placed the uppermost bloom at one of the rule-of-thirds intersections. The diagonal created by the arrangement is nice. One other quibble with the arrangement, I feel the stem on the one flower in the vase should either be hidden completely or shown to effect--as is, it simply ends up being a dark spot where one is not desirable.

Technically well rendered. I like the soft, controlled lighting. There is interest in the reflection on the vase--light from a window? The two odd dots of light in the center of the vase are a minor distraction. There are also a few stray flecks in the image--sensor dust, perhaps. The one dark speck under the vase appears to have been avoidable. I like the detail in the flowers--each petal is distinct.

I think the background fabric folds add interest--but they also work against the subject somewhat by attracting too much interest--perhaps they could have been thrown slightly out of focus or the fabric smoothed a bit more to create less distinct lines.

Overall, a very nice studio shot which, with minor tweaking, would stand well on its own. For this challenge I think the voters were looking for a whiter, plainer background and paler subjects--but then, what do the voters know?

Keep shooting!
--Kadi

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by rick13601:
A little less motion blur would have better

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by echoman:
too bad the face wasn't blured

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by Elaine:
I think this may have worked better as a stop the action instead of showing the movement. Maybe if only her arm was moving and the rest in focus . I would also like to see the ground in focus.

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by Man_Called_Horse:
I know what you were after, but part of this shutter speed challenge is to have some crispness, at least, athe very least in your subjects eyes, or face. This is WAY too blurry. Try to take more than one pix next time and experiment with your shutter.

My Wifes Roses
by kiwinick

Comment by GentleSoul:
Lovely composition - definitely deserved to do better for this challenge.

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by letenele:
there needs to be something static in the picture to let the eyes fall on. Right now the concept is beautiful, but it just doesn't have an impact.

Dance, Ballerina,Dance
by kiwinick

Comment by Neil:
Very nice motion study. Would have liked a little less tight crop, and perhaps slightly more saturation to bring out the skin tones a little more.

Old Fashioned Roses
by kiwinick

Comment by neophyte:
B&W may have seved better as the noise doesn't add to the colors. (only my opinion)