A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by Patsfan:
Reminds me of a spaceship. Cool shot.

A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by jccminty:
Looks like it is tipping over.

A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by mikears:
Was this meant to be crooked?

A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by h2:
thsi doesn't work on so many levels: the tilt, the cropped fountain, the branch in upper right, the overexposure

A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by Kathy:
I'm scoring this low for several reasons: The "dramatic" angle was unneccessary. The diagonal goes directly into the corner. The contrast is flat. That bit of bush to the left side is an "odd bit" (just there for no reason.) This sounds harsh, but learning composition and adjustments of colors and light are critical.

A Needle on Land
by Vpphoto

Comment by Cyclop:
Good title... Adds very well to the picture.

Foul Ball
by Vpphoto

Comment by karmat:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

Compositionally, I like how the ball is "anchored" in the lower left, but it is cropped much to close, I think. While I don't necessarily feel that the entire subject has to be in the frame, you have cropped just a bit out and that makes it look accidental. Also, the ball is almost on the mid-line, horizontally, so if it could have been dropped in the lower 1/3 of the frame, I also think it would have made it a slightly stronger image.

Technically, the shallow dof works very well here to isolate the subject and add interest to the shot. The background *seems* tilted, but it is difficult to tell because it is indistinguishable as to what it is I'm seeing. Also, a bit of saturation and contrast boost may really help this shot to *pop.*

Overall, I do think the shot conveys "sports" but it doesn't cover the 'action' part of it well. While this ball may have been on the very verge of being scooped up and thrown to the pitcher, there is nothing to indicate that. So, perhaps a little "action" would have helped. Also, when a shot is stationery, voters tend to feel that it should be almost perfect technically, they do seem a bit more forgiving with action shots.

If I need to further clarify or explain myself, please feel free to contact me.

karma

Foul Ball
by Vpphoto

Comment by jerowe:
good shot, might lack a little contrast. 6

Foul Ball
by Vpphoto

Comment by menele:
Good close up although loosing a little more foreground to the crop would improve it imo.

Foul Ball
by Vpphoto

Comment by megano:
Too much of the picture is blurry...