pale moon rising
by dragonlady

Comment by Tommy 2 Tone:
Love the photo I just don't think their is enough depth of field

the painting
by dragonlady

Comment by n1c0la:
Very different subject matter. Magical qualtiy

the painting
by dragonlady

Comment by hutch699:
This would have been great with a brush in his hand and then called it "The painter" with a reflection of how the old painters had to work before lights. Still enjoy the image though

six
by dragonlady

Comment by ubique:
Greetings from the Dead Critics Society!
There is much to like about this photograph. It's a very absorbing study of tone and shape, and the minimalist lighting was well chosen to accentuate those two qualities of the subject - tone and form. Several commentators endorsed your achievement in that respect.
Another comment, perhaps the most interesting and perceptive of all, applauded the "misleading" nature of the effect you have achieved. By this she clearly meant that the subject forks were presented in a way that disguised their identity, at least at first glance, but which instead revealed something important about their true nature or "personality" ... i.e. their clean, elegant lines, especially when seen as a group.
There are several things you have done to accomplish that in addition to the lighting; there's the top-and-tail arrangement of the forks, the cropping to exclude the tips and handles, and the rotation of the image to provide a less familiar viewpoint.
The result is two things. First, ambiguity. Ambiguity is always good in an artwork, because it forces into gear the brain of even the most lazy of viewers (well, maybe not literally the most lazy, otherwise this would have appeared on the first page of the challenge results). Second, it reveals and celebrates an essential quality of the subject that we would probably have overlooked had it been instantly apparent that we were just looking at half a dozen forks. My first guess, if I were seeing this image without the context of the challenge topic, would have been some kind of fine glassware.
Possibly a greater depth of field may have satisfied those viewers who need to see everything in focus to avoid 'distraction'. It may even have thereby resulted in a higher score for this thoughtful image, but I'm not sure that would have added anything to the considerable artistic merits of your work.
And that's the point of my critique. Those photographic pedants with elaborate equipment and perfect technique may feel they could take a better photograph of forks. But what they would be failing to understand is that yours is a photograph about forks.

the painting
by dragonlady

Comment by Katmystiry:
Love this shot, nice depth!!

the painting
by dragonlady

Comment by CNovack:
Love the mood captured here. I get the feeling of a nighttime tour of an art gallery as we take a stroll with our guide who holds an old time candleholder. My only two critiques on this piece is that the glare off the painting on the right hand side is too distracting. Second is that details are lost on the handleholder which is too dark(which if it were much more visible would give a greater amount of viewers an impression of being in the 1800-early 1900's time period) as well as the candle with flame which is too overexposed.

six
by dragonlady

Comment by jonr:
Looks like a 50's car grille. Very nice.

six
by dragonlady

Comment by shaver:
WOW! This is unique...

six
by dragonlady

Comment by C_Steve_G:
I like the composition, would like to have seen lighting on the forks in the foreground, and, perhaps a bit clearer focus and depth-of-field.

six
by dragonlady

Comment by graphicfunk:
A very nice b/w study with that abstract feel.