Fire Waiting To Pour
by benlenz

Comment by SJCarter:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First of all, I'd like to say that this is an unusually captivating sunset shot! I love the colors and reflections. The colors seem natural and not overprocessed (which is a real compliment these days!).

Secondly, I'd like to add that I think the focus could be better overall. I understand that in these types of shots, clarity is not necessarily the foremost thought (and shouldn't necessarily be), but I think that the lack of focus on the "mainland" is a little distracting. Don't get me wrong, it is still pretty good, I just think that is one area in which you might be able to improve on an already good image.

Thirdly, I'd suggest a different crop on this particular image. The real focus and meaning (IMHO) of this shot is the sunset, so why not crop out some of the incidental landscape on the bottom of the shot. It doesn't really add to the image - it's mostly dark anyway. I think you should leave just enough of the "land" to elicit a feeling of "earth", then concentrate on the beautiful spectacle that is the sunset and it's radiant colors.

I think you have two routes that you could go here... One is embracing the vastness of the sky and capitalizing on its various colors and brightness; the other is cropping out everything above the dark clouds you already have oulined in your color saturation selections.

Either way, I think you can improve on the impact your image represents by bringing out those warm sunset tones in the particular areas you choose to show.

Please don't get me wrong... I think that your current image has a LOT of merit and is extremely pleasing AS IS. I'm just trying to constructively comment on an already pleasant picture.

Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by Cody28:
A bit blurred and too much going on. Great expression on the guy's face though

Fire Waiting To Pour
by benlenz

Comment by Glen King:
I love the composition of this pic. With the colors, it looks just like a sunset from when I was growing up. Good capture.

Fire Waiting To Pour
by benlenz

Comment by Catherine_B:
Pretty but not too remarkable sunset. 5

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by Barry:
Color and focus are off.....and you depend to much on your title. Use a flash.

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by tolovemoon:
I like the focus here in the middle.. where the one is looking in straight to the camera... Funny how one girl is looking at her camera too.. Neat shot..

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by JunieMoon:
Color is really too pink. Indoor shots with no flash always end up with an orange cast, then when you try to color correct, other problems occur. If you have a white balance function on your camera, sometimes just changing that will help to color correct enough so that when you edit you can get more natural skin tones.

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by briantammy:
I hope you don't mind but I think this looks like just an average snapshot. It's blurry and the lighting is so so. Maybe focusing on one person with some hint of what he/she is thinking. Setting the camera on a steady surface may help with the clearness. I almost always use a prop to support my camera. It makes a big difference.

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by dockode:
I don't feel that the image conveys instantly recognizable decision.

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment by Arcanist:
This image suffers greatly from a reddish and yellow cast that some white balancing might correct. That said I see a row of young adults, with a distracting bar in front of them and all are out of focus so as to make them seem unimportant. Nowhere except the title do I see a link to a story that speaks of decision or decision making although I do see a story about boredom and another of distraction. The background action appears to be a food court of some kind which adds to the confusion in the whole. This concept (do I keep listening) would have been better illustrated to this viewer from the view of a one-on-one adult chastising and indignant adolescent. I can only offer a 2 to this image based on confusing elements, technical blur and an extremely weak challenge link.