contrasting element
by thorgils

Comment by jtf6agent:
lighting is awesome very well done creativity is good. Ideas is fair and the overall shot is good nicely done.

Big Branch
by thorgils

Comment by sartobr:
The lighting is harsh and the subject here just doesn't provide enough interest --

contrasting element
by thorgils

Comment by LucidLotus:
I'll be honest and say that I don't understand the title really, not sure what elements you are refering to unless its natural vs man-made. So I'll skip that. I like the simplicity of the image, the lighting is nice. I'm not too crazy about the all black background since it seems to create areas that details are lost. Also I'm not sure about the focus either - it seems a bit soft on the fruits and since that's where some very rich color is coming from, as a viewer I'd like them to be a bit sharper. That said, if a soft focus was intentional for those parts, then I'd prefer more light available to bring out the full roundness of the fruits as a counterbalance to that lack of focus. I think the composition is good, the reflection of the orange in the bottom of the one glass is a tad distracting, but there's not much you could do about that really. I gave a 5.

contrasting element
by thorgils

Comment by loseme:
Nice idea, I would have voted higher with maybe a little more light in the shot.

Big Branch
by thorgils

Comment by Krikkit:
Nice

contrasting element
by thorgils

Comment by bpickard:
Fantastic still life...one of the best I've seen at DPC... but not really high contrast

Dark & Light
by thorgils

Comment by tristalisk:
Greetings from the Critique Club!!!

Initial impact: Hmm pretty. Not a high impact image but it does remind me of an oriental ink print or somthing of the sort.

Meeting the challenge: Sure it meets the commonly accpeted definition of the challenge. But not mine personaly. I feel that without the title that this image and most others in the challenge would have trouble holding up. So this is just a matter of personal taste. After all I felt the same about the 1st and second place shots as well.

Color: Well there realy is not much to say in this area. Other than I feel that using B&W was a great decision in this case.

Contrast: WOW!! You definately have a great start on that one. I would like to have seen whiter whites and blacker blacks. If you had managed to get the contrast and details in the leavs and trunk as well you would have had a real trophy shot with this one.

Lines: I feel that your diagonal lines work well in this shot. It gives a dull subject a bit of spice. I feel that it was also a good choice to leave the ends of the branches towards the top of the photo. This gives you a feeling of streagnth and foundation.

Composition: To some extent this follows the rule of thirds. However when you suject ecpompasses the entirty of the of the screen it is not necessary to follow the rule of three. I feel that this composition works well. You managed to completely fill the space which in a shot like this is perfect.

Lighting: Perhaps a small amount of lighting from ground level would have helped. While not necessary it might have assisted in bringing out more of the details.

Overall: Nice photo. I think that you main downfall for this was simply detail. With a little post processing work to bring out the details and tweek the contrast this 4.4 would easily have been a 5.4 or possibly better.

Best of luck in all of your future challenges

Tristalisk

Big Branch
by thorgils

Comment by mcrochip:
I would prefer this shot just a touch to the left... there is a tiny bit of green visible about 1/3 up on the right side that is out of place, and if the shot was a touch to the left, that opening would not be visible.

Big Branch
by thorgils

Comment by racha:
It's just kind of average

Big Branch
by thorgils

Comment by sacredspirit:
Simple but not simple enough. Simple to the extreme can set a photo apart, but it comes across as the same as every other branch i've seen a million times. Just lacks a way of getting me interested. I hope this helps. GL