Teddy Bears and Friends
by Doorskidder

Comment by ellamay:
i have the same bear on the right : )

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by ScottK:
Yeah, it's a little liquidy. But, the focus is off, the lighting is pretty harsh, and the background is "messy". Nice capture on the steam though! 3

at home with mom
by Doorskidder

Comment by HBunch:
*Critique Club*
It looks like there might have been low lighting here, and you used flash to get better color and focus.
I know you probably don't want to disturb the cat and her kittens, but I would try moving them away from this wall a bit. See how there is a harsh shadow around the basket, and inside the holes in the back of the basket? If you used different lighting, and moved the basket away a bit, those distracting shadows would be lessened, or even totally gone.
The focus seems a bit soft to me. Especially on th little fuzz ball in front. The sharpest, most crisp focus seems to be on the tail of the mama kitty. I wish that her eyes showed that same sharpness as does her tail. We can see each individual hair on her tail, but we don't get that same detail on the mom's head, or on the kittens.
There is a black spot on the rigt edge of the basket, which is a little distracting, but not a huge deal.
I do think it's a great family photo though. Very adorable. i think I saw a pic of these guys when they were just a day or so old.
Fits the "Home" theme nicely in my opinion as well.
~Heather~

at home with mom
by Doorskidder

Comment by OneSweetSin:
Beautiful mother cat and the kittens are cute...but then I am partial...lol

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by frisca:
the lighting on this is very harsh, and there are strange shapes/reflections above the spoon, as well, much of it is out of focus, perhaps you were too close to the subject or should have used a macro function/lens? Just a few ideas! Keep shooting! :)

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by nathaliedoo:
You can fin this extract at: //www.tpub.com/photography1/ph20972.htm
To make the most of any subject, you must understand the basic principles of composition. The way you arrange the elements of a scene within a picture, catch the viewer's attention, please the eye, or make a clear statement are all qualities of good composition. By developing photographic composition skills, you can produce photographs that suggest movement, life, depth, shape, and form, recreating the impact of the original scene.

How are photographic composition skills developed? You look, you study, you practice. Every time you take a picture, look all around within the viewfinder. Consider the way each element will be recorded and how it relates to the overall composition.

Good luck in future submission

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by qachyk:
There's a distracting reflection on the tile, and I think it's a bit too close-up on the spoon, a bit too much light on it too. The idea is not a bad one but I think the composition suffers from a too-distracting background in general.

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by wewillexplore:
Interesting as we see this morph from solid to liquid - the lighting is very harsh and too direct and the background has nothing to do with the actual picture.

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by BobsterLobster:
An interesting liquid, but nothing is in focus. Your background is terrible! If you wanted this picture to work, I think you should have put a lot of thought into what was visible in the background. The spoon is too harshly lit. I like the vapour that is rising above the spoon... maybe this could have been enhanced more. 4

Cheese Sauce
by Doorskidder

Comment by peter_k:
This would be an excellent topic for a challenge (cheese), since a lot of shots on this site are halfway there already. Good use of curtains in supporting role. The strong lighting brings it all home!