Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by ozdick:
Iinteresting composition - and the title is very clever :) Good choice of background colour too, as it suits the mood of the photo

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by justine:
Really nice light and focus. I feel as if this is tilted a bit.

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by sher:
beautiful shot! the colors are great and i really like the lighting. well done!

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by SharQ:
Pretty, but looks filled with coke rather than guinness. *tuts* ;) (8)

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by pinback:
Great subject :-) Nice lighting and composition.

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by hortopth:
I was thinking B for Black & Tan. Is this a bit out of focus?

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by mzanoni:
Nice lighting and exposure. Great title to go along with your subjects.

Big Brother
by mbardeen

Comment by macox:
needs more light on the top of the frame or something and why is the half pint glass upside down?

Seeing visions
by mbardeen

Comment by ursula:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hello, Matt,

I get another of your pictures to critique. That's OK, I like your pictures (although I'm not sure about the graphs you've been posting - they, the graphs, lack a certain emotional appeal :) Anyway. I'm trying to be "funny" and (as my kids would say), "You're not good at that, mum."

About "Seeing visions":

First impressions: it's a good entry to black on black. It looks spooky. I liked it a lot during the challenge, but I had just a little trouble putting the picture and the title together. I mean, I can see the "vision", or, the pict looks like a vision, but during the challenge I remember thinking, "who is seeing visions?".

Technical: No problems. Lighting, focus, everything looks fine, or at least as I imagine you intended it to look. I like the post-processing, very nice. I really like the texture/colours of the cross, it looks rounded, and very stone-like. The cross is my favourite part of the picture.

Composition: Also no problems, except for what I mentioned above about the title. I like the placement of the objects, and all the black around them. I think no border is a good choice in this case.

Overall: Good shot. So, why didn't it do better? I don't know. This was a very confusing challenge, rather misunderstood (or not understood). I think it was very difficult to pick winners, and this picture, even though good, probably didn't hold the viewer's attention long enough. It takes a moment to figure it out. I think what I'm trying to say is that this shot is maybe a bit too subtle for its intention? I'm not sure.

Anyway. Keep going! By the way, what is Theoretical Ecology, and how is it different from studying just straight Ecology?

Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)

There is no Spoon
by mbardeen

Comment by CLarson557:
Greetings from the Critique Club:

Hi Mat,

I really like your photo. I didn't realize that there was a reference to the Matrix. I don't know too much about the movie. I just liked the picture and voted it fairly high in the challenge.

Challenge: The coffee cup is off-center in the picture and the spoon is sitting off-center on the cup, so you definately met the criteria for the challenge. I really like the unique-"ness" of it.

Composition: Very simple composition. I'm glad you stuck with the color version because I really like the color of the reflection in the cup. Where was this taken? It looks like a reflection of sky. In any event, it is very pretty and blends in well with the color of the cup.

Technical: I would not change a thing. I am impressed with your post-production work. The overexposure works well here. I like how the spoon disappears into the background. The soft focus give the coffee cup a frosted look.

Overall: I have nothing bad to say about your photo. I scored it a 9 during the challenge and am surprised at your score. I would have expected it to be in the mid to high sixes with a possible ribbon. I'm not understanding why 20 people score this below a 5. Perhaps they don't realize that overexposure and soft focus can work well in a photo.

Keep up the good work
Connie