Prairie lightning
by andrea22_als

Comment by Prism:
Sweet shot! I love the colours in the sky and how the clouds seem to loom overhead. Just waiting to hear that boom echo across the fields!

The Dreaded 3-Way Mirror
by andrea22_als

Comment by cryingdragon:
Greets from the Critique Club

This is a very well done shot. I would say that I would have cropped it just a little differently to get the whole camera in the scene on the right hand side.

Also, there is quite a bit of glare on the lens on the right hand side.

The sheet used for a backdrop is too wrinkled and doesn't cover the entire BG. Also, it shows where the harsher lighting is coming from, so there is an unevenness about the lighting.

Otherwise, I like the shot and think it was quite well done.

--Mike

Candlelight Reflections
by andrea22_als

Comment by atupdate:
Hello from the Critique Club.

I didn't vote in the Fire II challenge so this is the first time I've taken time to look at your image critically. Overall you chose a very strong subject for this challenge that should have scored higher than the five that it did. This would indicate that there were technical or compositional issues with your image. It is my belief that the primary issue was compositional. My first impression when I looked at your image was "Wow, there is a lot going on in this picture". In your image there are two primary focal points competing for the viewer's attention, the side reflected candles on the left and the back reflected candles on the right. Since the back reflected candles are more aesthetically pleasing than the left reflected candles, this image should have been cropped to eliminate the reflected candles on the left. You might want to consider using a square crop to eliminate the reflections off the shelf as well, as these reflections also compete against the wonderful grouping of candles on the right.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

The Dreaded 3-Way Mirror
by andrea22_als

Comment by andrea22_als:
Wow! Thanks for all the votes! My first top 100 and top 50 in one challenge....I'm excited!!!

Originally posted by bdonch: like the shot......

The Dreaded 3-Way Mirror
by andrea22_als

Comment by acrotide:
I like the effect of the 3-way mirror here, especially with the inclusion of the extra lens and filters. I'm also a sucker for b/w. What I'm not too fond of is the wrinkled/dirty(?) sheet and the fact that it doesn't completely cover the entire background. Good showing!

Dragon Fly
by andrea22_als

Comment by HBunch:
*Critique Club*

My first impression of this photo is that the focus seems kind of soft. We don't get much details in the wings or the body. The color is nice, but I think he blends in too much with the background. The upper right corner of the photo is dark, and we almost lose his right hand wings in the darkness of the background right there. The sticks blend in with the white area of the background.
I think the lighting looks tricky. the body is dark, but the sticks look a little blown out. Especially near the tips of the stick.
I like the placement of the dragon fly and sticks. The crossed sticks witht he dragon fly off center a bit really works compositionally.
As for the challenge, the dragon fly looks like he's landed already, which may be a reason for some of the lower votes. He looks more like a still life than a stopped motion. As I read your details, I see that he's 'just about' to land, but to US, it appears that he already has, so I don't think that message got across with the photo. Definately a hard choice for a stopped motion pic, but with that cam, I think you could have gotten more focus for sure. I think that using a quick shutter speed and better lighting could have improved this shot a bunch.
Having the background out of focus would work well, had not been for the colors of the background distracting from the dragon fly.
Would have been a stunner if you could have gotten him in a more of a 'flight' position.
~Heather~

Candlelight Reflections
by andrea22_als

Comment by tjbel05:
unusual concept

The Dreaded 3-Way Mirror
by andrea22_als

Comment by bdonch:
like the shot......

Candlelight Reflections
by andrea22_als

Comment by Tandango:
I think I would have liked it better without the mirror on the left and maybe just the reflection off the table.

Candlelight Reflections
by andrea22_als

Comment by Loki:
I like it.