Feathered Concealment
by joezl

Comment by pa_cuthbert:
I'm not sure what is the camouflage in this shot. Maybe if you had have shown the background I would have given it a better rating. It's a great shot, but it's just seems to be in the wrong challenge. Maybe it's better fit for a texture challenge.

Feathered Concealment
by joezl

Comment by sajin:
superb pic, but how does this address the current challenge?

Feathered Concealment
by joezl

Comment by fire_and_ice:
concealment?

Feathered Concealment
by joezl

Comment by temba:
Lovely crisp image but doesn't really show the bird camouflaged.

Do Not Touch
by joezl

Comment by CEJ:
Hello from the Critique Club!

I have studied your image and have the following to offer:

Composition/perspective - the composition here is very interesting. There are many 'layers' of depth to the phtotgraph which adds an element of interest. The ratio of subject to frame size is very well done. As a macro, the lack of negative space works here quite nicely. The DoF seems to be a little off - only the very center of the image is crisp and clearly in focus. However, with the subject size, it does not hurt the images strength. The profile aspect also adds to the interest element. It is nice to see a shot like this and not have it be straight on. Well done!

Color - although basically a white subject on a dark background, the background really allows the flower to stand out and there is no blending or losing it. Nice combination. The shadows are not overwhelming and the subtle differences in the coloration being emphasized by the veins in the petals works well.

Lighting - for most of the image the lighting is nicely controlled. There is one area, just above and to the right of center, that appears much brighter than the rest of the image and slightly blown out. I find this to be a bit of a distraction since the focus is just to the left of this area. I am drawn there and then led to the back where the DoF has the image very out of focus. The shadows are not heavy and add a nice fluid looking touch to the shot accentuating the natural curves and bends in the petals.

Challenge requirements - having a lack of major distractions really helps this image meet the challenge requirements. If the DoF was a bit different I feel it would be a stronger image. But the concept of delicate is captured well.

Overall/my opinion - a slightly different positioning may have helped to give a better depth of field. A tighter crop to remove some of the black would allow the top of the image to not be so heavy looking. Perhaps even a crop to remove the severly out of focus petal in the top right. There would still have been a lot of image and may have allowed for a larger overall image when resized (closer to 640 on both sides).

Invisibly Transparent
by joezl

Comment by graphicfunk:
Returning for comments:
Lovely play of the upper Zones.

Invisibly Transparent
by joezl

Comment by arsenal:
this picture is amazing, great executed idea.10

Invisibly Transparent
by joezl

Comment by donniev:
Well done. The only nit is that I can see the bottom of the bottle.

Invisibly Transparent
by joezl

Comment by aquarian11:
Nicely done.

Invisibly Transparent
by joezl

Comment by inspir8tion:
This is terrific. I like the way it is blown out so that theshape of the bottle is merely suggested by the labels. Would be a great advertisement - you should call Smirnoff. I'm serious.