Ryman Auditorium, Home of the Grand Ole Opry
by DougPaz

Comment by dsidwell:
Your point of view makes this building come to life in 3-D as it were. The light isn't very interesting, but your composition and focus are great.

Not Moving
by DougPaz

Comment by Paige:
Critique Club

Meeting the challenge
A good choice with a great title.

Composition
Probably not much you could do here with the branches, but something seems a bit off, not quit straight on or at much of an angle.

Color
Seems a bit dull, was this shot at high noon? Possibly some more saturation would help, looks like you had some good colors to work with.

Focus and DOF
Something isn't quite right with focus, perhaps it was oversharpened or overly compressed(jaggies throughout).Did you have a tripod? It can be a bit hard to handhold at 1/60 and still get a sharp shot.

Overall
I like your image and your subject, I think the main distraction is the lighting, a bit too bright. Maybe returning in the evening or early morning would have helped saturate it more.

Paige

Hand Painted Fenton Glass Vase
by DougPaz

Comment by dsidwell:
Nice work. Focus is great. It might be more effective if the vase weren't sandwiched between shadows.

Hand Painted Fenton Glass Vase
by DougPaz

Comment by sotsot:
too dark

Hand Painted Fenton Glass Vase
by DougPaz

Comment by Lustre:
Great lighting - I'd love to know the approach you took. I'm guessing a light behind the background was the main source with some fill from above.

Ryman Auditorium, Home of the Grand Ole Opry
by DougPaz

Comment by tyrkinn:
I'm not sure about the font, otherwise good

Ryman Auditorium, Home of the Grand Ole Opry
by DougPaz

Comment by Jacko:
Nice angle on the building but the text color doesn't seem to mix well with the photo. Maybe black text. Jacko.

Ryman Auditorium, Home of the Grand Ole Opry
by DougPaz

Comment by frisca:
ooh..why the yellow text? it doesn't match with your photograph! This isn't the most dramatic angle on this building it would seem, and it all needs just a little something to make it "pop" as it were..perhaps if you moved to your right a little and got a slightly more head on view? :) Just an idea!

Hand Painted Fenton Glass Vase
by DougPaz

Comment by Pedro:
I like the lighting, but might have used a backdrop with less texture, or a darker colour. it kind of washes out the vase IMO. otherwise very nice.

Rite of Passage
by DougPaz

Comment by frisca:
Hello from the Critique Club, Doug!

After all the discussion about the eroticism in this picture, I was amused to get it as my critique subject! I'm trying a new CC format for me, so let's hope its helpful!

Challenge requirements: Triptych

Its three pictures, put together to say something, here, the life of an easter lily, and I think you've achieved that beautifully.

Each shot is well placed in its frame, though I think I would have preferred more of an angle on the centre picture, I feel like I'm falling into the flower. I like how the first and third shot mirror each other.

I like the way your lighting picked up the shades in the first picture, but it blew out the highlights in the centre picture, which also seems a bit jagged along one edge, possibly due to your post processing. I'd also say the focus is a little soft, but I'm not sure I trust this monitor, so I won't push that point at all, besides, a little softness is nice, gives a warm feeling.

The uneven heights of the pictures are what detract from an otherwise fine entry. A lot of the comments below touched on the excess space above the side shots. I think I would have preferred a less tight crop on all three pictures to really bring out the contrast with the background and then presented them in equal sized frames. Also, that leaf in the right shot distracts just a tad from your symmetry.

As for the "eroticism" its pink, its open, the two side shots are mildly phallic.. but I'd say the subtle sexuality adds a sense of lushness to it all, and that's always appealing. :)