Dark & Lightby
HornOUBetComment by Artyste: Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club.
Initial Thoughts
Nice colors.. but woah.. pretty busy, kind of dizzying, and which tree should I look at?
Composition / Content
Your photo seems to have a slant to it that is aided by the power lines, and by the lines of the clouds. This is a little offsetting, and for a lot of people it tends to say "amateur". Noticing little details like that before cropping is key, and an arbitrary rotation to correct it can help out a *lot*. You've also got an awful lot of silhouetted brush here that steals from the impact of your sunset and colors. Having silhouettes can really enhance a sunset photo, but if you have too much there, it just becomes cluttered, distracts from the viewer's desire to see the focus of the photo (the sunset in this case), and just causes a general "messiness" that voters on DPC don't generally go for. Scouting locations to shoot sunsets in really, *really* helps.. so that you know where to go on short notice when ideas for challenges come up.
Background
The colors are great, very vibrant. Those power lines are a definite deterrent. I know it's nitpicking, but on DPC, things like that can really contribute or take away from, a score. In this case, your background would have been fantastic, but your foreground is the culprit.
Camera Work / Technical
Not much to say on your camera work. You've nailed some wonderful colors, and your exposure is fine.
Digital Processing
If cropping and resizing were all you did in processing.. nice. My experience is that it's hard to get a vibrant sunset like that without at least a little post-color work.
Fits the Challenge
In this case, fits it a little too well. Dark and Light was probably the largest cliche of the D&L challenge, and being *too* mainstream can also hurt a score. Especially if your image isn't one of the more "stand out" of the rest.
My Opinion of the Photo
This is a great "this is what the sky was like tonight" sharing photo for among friends, IMO.. but as a DPC challenge photo, it just has too much against it. Watch for clutter, scout a few choice locations, and concentrate on the smaller details that I've outlined, and you should be on your way to some really good scores. Good luck in future challenges.
Photographer found comment helpful.
