5:30 Sunset over Midland High School
by xuan768

Comment by samnotis:
Sorry but cars, unless they're the focus of the picture, really break the spell for me. Too much parking lot in the foreground, but the lighting is very nice, though.

5:30 Sunset over Midland High School
by xuan768

Comment by rachelellen:
I was about to say 'bummer about the cars', but really, the repetition is kind of interesting. It makes it a different style of picture than it would otherwise have been, but not necessarily worse.

5:30 Sunset over Midland High School
by xuan768

Comment by chopper:
The sunset is beautiful. The trees and even the floodlights look good but I think the car park is rarely the prettiest of subjects so I would have cropped the bottom much tighter - right up to the bottom of the foreground car.

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by rabinam:
clever idea, though it's quite high grain

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by Commando303:
Not bad, but the shutter-speed setting doesn't seem to really affect the image with respect to anything but exposure.

Yeah, so I pooped on your car. Wanna make something of it?
by xuan768

Comment by CEJ:
Hello from the Critique Club!

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

Composition/perspective - the overall use of negative space and the amount of space your subject occupies is a good ratio. Looking up at the subject actually works nicely here as it allows you to use the sky as your 'white.' The rule of thirds is applied here nicely as well.

Lighting - this is obviously natural light. Coupled with your choice of perspective it works well though as there are no harsh spots or dark shadows. There is a little brightness on the right hand side, but it does not distract or lessen the shot. This may have something to do with the weather or time of day. Either way, good timing for capturing the shot.

Color - there are some great variations in the bird you have brought out very well. The sky also seems to carry on mostly a uniform coloring(except as noted above). It is the dark green/gray of the fence that is out of place.

Challenge requirements - the challenge was light on white. I think you have the light part ok. The white part is not exactly white. It would be a stronger image if the sky was less gray, in my opinion. This may have been helped if your perspective was different so that incorporation of more of the whiter shade to the right was used as the background. I understand though that a bird is not necessarily going to cooperate with you on that. But I feel it may have hurt you some. A different perspective may also have helped - if you were on the other side of the fence so that the main portion of the bird showing was the chest, which is white, was against the uniform gray sky. It would have reversed it to white on light, but that may have worked. The fence doesn't help at all. It is distinctly dark and could have been removed - cropped out. Again, a perspective change may have helped this. Obviously I was not where you were so I have no idea what the surroundings were and the availablity of any of those chages.

Overall/my opinion - you have a very crisp, clear, well composed shot. Your focus is excellent and your subject is well placed. Perhaps in a different competition it would have performed better. You obviously have the eye for the shot and creative writing skill/imagination(the title). You should not be disappointed with its performance in the challenge.

Message edited by author 2005-11-05 00:36:28.

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by sacs:
very interesting picture. for some reason, i love stop lights. the image seems to be a bit grainy though, however, good job.

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by Jammur:
Tough call, your shutter speed helps show the passage of time, which I guess is a type of motion. Certainly atypical.

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by ajschel:
I like the noise in this image, and the composition and colors. Too bad the green lights are a bit blown out.

A Noisy Traffic Light Turns Red, Yellow, Green
by xuan768

Comment by KiwiShotz:
Now THAT is clever. Not only that but the exposure is great too. Only small issue would be the slightly overexposure on the green but this deserves a top 10 at least