Alpha
by Phocal

Comment by MeMex2:
wow!!! I hope you have a very long lens. This guy looks ferocious. I am glad that you lived to post this photo!

The Yellow Rose of Texas
by Phocal

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I have to admit to some feelings of conflict over this image. On the one hand, from an artistic stand, I understand the tradition of painting pinups on the noses of bombers and fighters, and the plain and simple fact that most aviators are male. But this shot seems to be more about the full-bodied Yellow Rose than the men in the cockpit. A closer crop of them that either omitted or minimized the Yellow Rose may have resulted in a lower score, but one truer to the idea of the challenge. I just feel that the Rose is stealing the spotlight in all her flawless glory from the much more weathered men flying her!

The hard lighting on the men seems to show a high-noon shadow or close to that, but I honestly think it works to advantage here on the man in the cockpit window closest to us. Some more contrast could have helped separate the glass of the plane from the background, which looks like a hazy summer day. Comp feels a little on the snapshot side; I think a little more planning could have resulted in a much better shot.

Hope this critique has been helpful, feel free to PM me

Susan

The Yellow Rose of Texas
by Phocal

Comment by stuartjonathangray:
Original and well composed aviation advanced processed shot

The Yellow Rose of Texas
by Phocal

Comment by clickodak:
One of my favorite. Give 9

The Yellow Rose of Texas
by Phocal

Comment by Lydia:
I love the composition of this image. Well done!

I wish, though, that the focus were on the men's faces (or at least the one in front) instead of the painting of the girl.

That would make it more of an "environmental portrait" in my view of the term.

The Yellow Rose of Texas
by Phocal

Comment by DaylightMagic:
need more space at the bottom of the image

The Turn
by Phocal

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I should have guessed this was one of yours, Ronnie...as others have already noticed, the biceps on her are something else! Frankly I love this shot, I'm surprised it didn't ribbon. The relative softness of the backdrop of rooster tail, coupled with the lines of her body, the flying ponytail, the concentration on her face. Even the knee brace tells its own story, obviously this girl is one not to be easily stopped despite having done something to her knee, probably while she was doing exactly what she is doing right now.

The only thing I don't like is that blue-and-black thing on the line to the left. Even though the towrope obviously continues out of frame, for me that one little thing kind of halts the otherwise nice clean lines here prematurely.

Otherwise a very well-deserved top ten finish and hey, you even beat out a nekkid cyclist with this! ;-)

Susan

The Turn
by Phocal

Comment by tvsometime:
In my generation, you only saw muscles (and power) like this on a person of the masculine gender. voted earlier

The Turn
by Phocal

Comment by illini75:
You can see the power in her arms

A Long Day
by Phocal

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Lovin the details of the board's graphics, the slump of his body, his tats, hair and the sheer exhaustion on his face say it all. I think you could have cropped out or even better, cloned over the border of green at the top, it does nothing for the shot but draw the eye there, and nothing's happening. Would have helped to fix that skew of the horizon, too. Finally if you had just tracked him for another second or so, pretty sure that board would have lowered at some point and then we could have seen his full profile. Here, he's partly hidden by the board and it just doesn't work :-/

Hope this has been helpful, feel free to PM me

Susan