No Indoor Plumbing
by Bear_Music

Comment by emorgan49:
Hey - if the Wonderdog needs a new vet, my sister is in Brewster - Dr. Morgan.

Bleak Bokeh
by Bear_Music

Comment by LevT:
Very nice bokeh. the front leaf is just a tad too soft and a bit noisy. 7

Bleak Bokeh
by Bear_Music

Comment by Sweetlips:
Beautiful!

Snip & Press
by Bear_Music

Comment by Kavey:
Critique Club

Initial thoughts
Composition lacks coherence, background conflicts with main content.

Composition/ Content
The content itself seems a strange choice. I like the idea of showing the garlic press and the garlic together but can't quite fathom where the scissors come in. Together they seem a little too random and unconnected.
Compositionally, the layout doesn't feel balanced. There's no flow in terms of natural eye movement around the image; my focus is stuck on the reflection on the garlic press; the lower right area of the frame feels oddly empty even though that corner is no different to the other corners. I think that's all down to the rather random layout.
Whilst I often find it works to crop part of the contents out of the frame it doesn't seem to work here – perhaps because it's only happening to one item and only at one edge of the image.
Coming back to content, I think it's important not only to find subject matter that fits the challenge theme but also to present it in such a way that it's aesthetically appealing or intellectually interesting.

Background
The wooden chopping board that you have used as your background seems at odds with the main content not only in colour but also in texture and in the shapes it provides. I find the strong parallel lines too overpowering for the contents placed on top of them.

Camera Work - Technical
Lighting and focus look OK but there is a patch of the garlic bulb that seems blown out.

Fits The Challenge
Yes.

My Opinion On The Photo
Too much concentration on meeting the challenge and not as much on producing an image that's appealing in it's own right.

EDIT: Corrected typo!

Message edited by author 2005-01-10 13:12:35.

Bleak Bokeh
by Bear_Music

Comment by Kavey:
I really like the pattern of the bokeh area on this and the way it sits in a zig zag area between the leaf edges. The abstract pattern of the colours and shapes in that background are quite fascinating. What lets this down for me is the lighting on those leaves - too much shadow for my tastes. If the leaf on the left were lit to show colour as the ones on the right show I think it would balance the composition more strongly. Overall I find the colours a touch too muted though perhaps if there weren't so much shadow that would not be an issue. I voted this a 6.

where be dis
by Bear_Music

Comment by Sandymaya:
Very nice!!

dpcPeohe.jpg
by Bear_Music

Comment by Sandymaya:
I like this one, that one would be nice in a brochure for this place....

No Indoor Plumbing
by Bear_Music

Comment by BAMartin:
Composition: The composition of this shot follows all of the rules of composition i.e. The Rule of Thirds. The lines of the fence do a good job of framing the dog in action.

Colors: You have managed to keep your whites bright without any visible signs of blowout, and at the same time the black of the dog is rich, This is sometimes a difficult thing to do. The red of the color adds the little something extra, without it this might as well have been a black and white photo.

Lighting:Your lighting seems just a little flat, although I am sure the atmospheric conditions did not help in any way. At least you did not have any harsh shadows.

Technical Quality: This photo seems to have a little bit of a “snapshot” feel to it.

Meeting Challenge: I would say that this does meet the very strictest of the challenge definitions, but many of the voters on DPC might disagree with this. Usually candids are considered shots of people that do not know they are being photographed. Unfortunately I believe this is the reason for the score you got. Sometimes thinking outside the box has its own drawbacks.

Border / Title: The title is the very best thing about this photograph, Its nice to see humor being used in creative ways, and you certainly gave me a smile.

Overall: Overall this is a pleasant enough photograph but definitely has a snapshot feel to it. I know with candids there is not much time to fire off a shot, but a photo of a pet or child needs just that something extra to move it out of the family album and onto an art site.

red river marsh grass 01 2004 dawn.jpg
by Bear_Music

Comment by thewriterside:
What a beautiful photo! Perfectly aligned!

Bleak Bokeh
by Bear_Music

Comment by heida:
Amazing picture! :D