Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by Jules1x:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Congratulations on a great score and a beautiful image.

Compositionally this image works very well IMHO. The strong foreground subjects leading to a blurred, yet identifiable background is really nice. I do have to admit that it took me a long while to feel like I sort of understood the image. I kept thinking there was some sort of totem in the glass - only after about 5 minutes did I realize the liquid in the glass was tilting - my eyes just kept seeing something that looked like a cylindrical glass object - even though I had grasped the tilted floor - but even that was really subtle. (Also, even now my brain is not able to connect your title to any meaning. Sorry.) But the longer I look at this shot the more I love it. Yours is an image that really requires, and deserves thorough consideration. Possibly more consideration than voters tend to give when voting.

Technically, I love the colors in this image. The gold, faded pink, and subtle blue really work well together and to me give this image a very mysterious feel. The foreground subjects are very sharp, and the background has a lovely, gentle blur. The lighting is beautiful.

I am not sure I can identify any true weakness to this image. There is an area around the glass that is very dark, seems black, where I do not see any detail. I am not sure that hurts this image since there is darkness around the man so I might expect an area of blackness. I also noticed the neat shadow under the man's arm, is that from the arm or the glass? I'm not experienced enough with shadows to know if the shadows all match up. If the long shadow is the glass, is that small shadow next to the primary shadow the dice? Or if the long shadow was of the arm, should there be a corresponding shadow for the glass and the dice? (I don't have the answer, just questions I had. None of that affected my enjoyment of this image.)

Thank you for the entry. It was a pleasure spending time with your image. I look forward to more photographs from you.
Julee

Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by herfotoman:
I did like the subtle message. Marvelous angles.

Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by Zita:
Very subtle! Nicely done.

Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by JakeKurdsjuk:
I'm staring hard but I can't seem to recon what's in the glass.

Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by jgirl57:
Took me a while to figure out what was going on in this..
the light on this photo is supurb
Voted earlier

Totem
by eaxthelm

Comment by Tiny:
For a moment I like this.

My Sacred Place
by eaxthelm

Comment by vtruan:
the best place out of heaven.

My Sacred Place
by eaxthelm

Comment by Ames:
The use of the flower makes the shot more interesting but it seems to be a little out of focus, which is a little distracting. Well composed though.

My Sacred Place
by eaxthelm

Comment by KopyKat:
This is a good idea but the crop is not right, the color is off and it's a bit soft. Using a flash bounced off the ceiling or reflector may have made the shot better. Good idea though.

My Sacred Place
by eaxthelm

Comment by codfish:
Nice composition, however the lily looks too fake.