Look out, it's a red hot poker!
by xianart

Comment by h2:
don't get the joke, hm, maybe this is hell?

Look out, it's a red hot poker!
by xianart

Comment by xXxscarletxXx:
I uh.. dont like the motion blur...

The Plunge
by xianart

Comment by ambaker:
Critique Club Review:

Exposure, lighting and contrast are all good in this piece. Focus and depth of field are done very well.

I wouldn't have amputated the diver's feet. He's going to need them. The person in the water is a distraction where (s)he is. Either a different camera angle, or relocating the swimmer so that it looks like the diver is taking the plunge to join the swimmer, would have worked well. I would not remove the swimmer. For me, the swimmer helps tell the story as to why the diver is taking the plunge. However, at this angle and distance, the swimmer tends to pull the eye out of the frame.

Although this was a basic edititng challenge, were I going for an advanced challenge, or going to print the image for my wall, I would have removed the small island in the background. It breaks up the smooth flow of the shorline a bit, and without it the solitude is magnified.

Overall I like the photo a lot. It tells a story, and captures the feeling of the title. Good job!

I Can Block the Sun with my Hand
by xianart

Comment by ambaker:
Critique Club Review:

Timeless photo. This could have been taken this morning or 100 years ago. How impressive! I like just about everything about this picture.

I like the focus, the lighting, the composition, the grain, the pose, the camera angle.... There really isn't anything here not to like.

So the question becomes, why didn't this photo score higher?

I tend to think that voters here gravitate towards brighter pictures. There are a lot of shadows here, including one across his face that would have already blocked out the sun. I think some probably didn't understand the grain, and took it for an accident rather than a purposeful application. The only distraction I see is the object hanging on the wall to the left of his head, is a very minor distraction for me.

I just don't know.... I would have expected top 10, or certainly top 20. Would have bet cash money that it would have made top half of the class. Evidently this picture really spoke to some of us, and the rest just weren't listening.

Tina Turner Mane
by xianart

Comment by CalliopeKel:
Woahh Nellie. I love it!

For You
by xianart

Comment by Brad:
I really like these kind of moments, especially processed like this.

The Plunge
by xianart

Comment by posthumous:
I didn't vote in this challenge, but nice shot! look how the ripples in the water form perspective lines. exciting picture.

IMG_6328-copy.jpg
by xianart

Comment by bucket:
you may like it but I don't think the kid does...
it works though...

IMG_6328-copy.jpg
by xianart

Comment by messerschmitt:
converging background works very well with this real nice loose and spontaneous portrait

The Plunge
by xianart

Comment by irakly:
this is not a plunge