Chess at 1/5 secby
johannesComment by SJCarter: *Greetings from Critique Club*
First let me say that I think this is a beautifully executed image. I remember it well from the Long Exposure Challenge. Also, please remember that this represents my opinion, so take it and/or leave it as you please. ;-)
Lighting/Color
Superb... Your lighting couldn't be better IMHO. The icy blues work very well too - great color.
Composition
Good. I like the jumbled effect. A couple of things bother me about the composition though. First is the movement trails are at an angle and it makes me wonder how they would all be coming from the left instead of straight down (or from multiple directions). Second is the fact that the bottom of the white piece seems completely transparent when it's obviously frosted glass on the outside. I don't understand how the black piece can be seen so clearly (and the movement trails) through the bottom of this piece. The last thing is something others mentioned as well - the peeling pad on the bottom of the black piece.
Don't get me wrong, I think this is a very strong entry and can certainly stand on its own - regardless of topic. I do think your score was probably lower than it might have been due to the fact that some of the stricter and less educated scorers might feel that 1/5 sec is not a "long exposure". However, I don't think it hurt you much, as 5.8+ ain't bad at all!
Overall, I think you did a very good job with this. I'm also curious as to how many times you actually shot this before you got it right! ;-) Very nice work and congratulations on a very good score.
Just my 2 cents...
Jimmy
