Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by clixographer:
the tarp is distracting. Picture quality poor.

Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by CLarson557:
A little over-exposed in my opinion. The cluttered background kind of distracts from the subject.

Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by MaryO:
Cute pose but very soft and it looks like there is a bit of window glare showing in places.

Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by Delta_6:
VERY unnatural environment, also would have liked to have seen the colouring of the animal better, sorry, 5.

Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by JuliBoc:
Cute squirrel and cute pose. This image needs some levels adjustment to get rid of the gray filmy look.

Where do you want this?
by collie65

Comment by faery:
Oh isn't that so sweet!

Sea of Ruffles
by collie65

Comment by atupdate:
Hello from the Critique Club,

There is no doubt that this image meets the challenge, as it is about as purple as purple can get. So why did it score so low? Primarily because the image has no real focal point to hold the viewer's attention. With the frame almost entirely consisting of the same color and shapes, the eye naturally goes to the upper left hand corner of the image to find something that is different. One way to add a focal point in an image like this is to have one particular flower in sharp focus while the other are blurred (And don't forget the rule of thirds when doing this). You would probably need to use the macro mode on your camera to achieve this effect.

Besides this compositional issue with your entry, there are a couple of technical / post processing things that could be improved. The image really doesn't have any area that is sharply focused. My guess is that you did not sharpen this image after you downsized it for the challenge. Most people use USM (Unsharp Mask) or a light-sharpening step after they downsize. You made the right decision to shoot these flowers in the shade, as it is very easy to get blown highlights off the pedals if shot in bright sun. However when shot in the shade, a little post processing work is required to get the pop back in the colors. This can be achieved using levels and contrast or with curves. The easiest method would be to increase the gamma in levels (the middle slider) then increase the contrast and decrease the brightness.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique or the post processing methods discussed.

Tim

Planet Pod
by collie65

Comment by ambaker:
Critique Club Review:

The image looks a little washed out. It is bright enough, but saturation of the colors is lacking.

Focus appears to be a little soft, it is hard to find a really sharp area in the image. Depth of field isolates the background well, but is so shallow that the subject itself fades in and out of focus as you look at it.

I don't know what ISO you used, it says 1/50 sec, which is the shutter speed. However, the background comes across as a little bit grainy.

This is a nice composition, and redone with sharper details, less grain, and a little more saturation of the colors, I could see this in a gallery or magazine ad.

Sea of Ruffles
by collie65

Comment by mpreslar:
Looks a bit blue on my monitor, but interesting.

Sea of Ruffles
by collie65

Comment by IreneM:
Nice colour. I think this would have been better if the flower had filled the entire frame. Focus is off at the top left hand corner.