Deck and Deck and Deck the Halls...
by amsmyth

Comment by Shannon:
seems a bit out of focus.

Deck and Deck and Deck the Halls...
by amsmyth

Comment by ahaze:
Technical: fits the challenge. Exposure composition lighting all good! As for focus, I would have liked a longer DOF so that everything was sharp.

Personal: Great title!

My vote: 8

Deck and Deck and Deck the Halls...
by amsmyth

Comment by admart01:
Clever title

At the Water's Edge
by amsmyth

Comment by Harz_Joerg:
Greetings from the Critique Club

Initial thoughts / My opinion
Fits well to the challenge, well selected place, only the composition could be improved to give it a wow effect

Composition/Content
The content you showed us is very well picked: the ice plate has some wonderful curves and reflections, especially the strong reflection at the lower tip is great. So your choice was excellent. The white spots on the ice are a little disturbing but were probably unavoidable.
The water in the lake appears a little undefined: it's not clear enough to see well what's under the surface but also not reflecting enough to be just a smooth, homogeneous background for the wonderful ice plate. The ripples, which probably originate from water drops of the nice tip are a strong element. Sad that they are so weak.
The image comes somewhat short in the composition/cropping: the shore that can be seen at the top and the lower left do disturb and lead the viewer's eyes away from the ice. Getting closer or cropping way tighter at the top, left and bottom would have been a considerable improvement. Also consider the use of rule of third here.

Camera work -technically
To me focus and exposure are set very good, maybe a polarizer (or if you used one a different angle) might have brought in some more contrast

Digital Processing - Technical
No particular issue here. Contrast enhancement might have been an improvement

Fits the challenge
It sure does as stated above.

Good luck for you further submissions

As this is one of my first Critique Club critiques, it would be helpful to get some feedback if you like.

Deck and Deck and Deck the Halls...
by amsmyth

Comment by Morgan:
Very Tacky. 10. Morgan

At the Water's Edge
by amsmyth

Comment by ellamay:
I am glad that you submitted this one vs. the one you posted in the forum, this shot is full of tension and is very dynamic, it has fabulous light and lines! It also has a few points of interest, my fav being the ice itself. The ripple, the hole in the ice, the reflection of the ice in the water are all also interesting too look at. And I think this is a very enjoyable shot!!
well done

At the Water's Edge
by amsmyth

Comment by dharmeson:
Great Idea, cold "on the edge" feeling

At the Water's Edge
by amsmyth

Comment by banmorn:
like the hanging over the water would really liked to have seen a close up what appears to have been a nice abstract reflection.

Red and Green Macro
by amsmyth

Comment by dr rick:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is an attractive photo that conveys something of the holiday season with the evergreen twig, ice, and red background. There are some interesting shapes and textures that are pleasing to look at. The focus is a bit soft, which adds to the festive feeling. What it lacks is something to catch the viewer's attention; a center of interest to draw the viewer into the image. This dooms it to mediocrity. It would work well as an element of something larger, such as a printed program for a Christmas concert. But as a stand-alone work a typical person would glance at it, think "pretty", and move on.

At the Water's Edge
by amsmyth

Comment by Mona:
Nice and very good.