Quabbin Resevoir
by amsmyth

Comment by sonnyh:
I like this photo very much but it seems a bit over sharpened to me (at least on my monitor).

Quabbin Resevoir
by amsmyth

Comment by Mona:
I like this.

Simple Gift
by amsmyth

Comment by ursula:
Hello from the Critique Club

Anne, hi, guess who got your picture :))

First thing I'd like to say is that I absolutely love seashells. This one is very beautiful, with the shiny parts and the hole to the left, and the little things on it at the right and top (don't know what they're called). It also has a beautiful shape.

That said, you probably know by now that this is not the best ever seashell picture that you'll take :)) It looks like you placed it on a dark background? The background looks almost like leather, but I can't tell very well. There are a couple sand grains at the front. The light is very direct, looks straight on, and it bleaches out the shell. Like a number of the commenters below, it might have worked better to use a more diffused or indirect light source, maybe from the side, maybe using a white cardboard as a reflector to the other side, something like that.

As a composition, the picture also is not quite there. It is a shell placed in the middle of the picture, but there isn't really much in the picture that will hold the attention of the viewer, or want her/him to come back and look at the picture some more. Possibly photographing the shell in context, i.e. on the sand, close to water, or maybe not placed quite so in the middle of the picture. I'm not sure.

I'm also wondering about the colours. They actually are beautiful, the light browns and pinks on the top part of the shell, the dark, dark gray background, the whites. Yet, as a composition, since it is rather minimal, a b/w treatment might have worked here. Again, I'm not sure, but it is something to try.

I must say you picked a difficult subject for this challenge. It fits it well (the challenge). It's a really interesting project, to try and figure out how you could take the most beautiful shell picture you can, one that people will say, "Wow! Now that's a shell!". Oh well. Just dreaming :)))

Keep going, Anne, take care of yourself.

Ursula

Quabbin Resevoir
by amsmyth

Comment by soup:
i think i might have cropped out the bushes at the bottom

quite nice though

The Blue Alternative
by amsmyth

Comment by Polar7:
I just love the harshness of this picture. One of my favorite.

Starburst
by amsmyth

Comment by Neuferland:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

This is a lovely shot, very vibrant and the title fits it perfectly.

I'm guessing this is a cactus and in your comments you said there was nothing you could do to fix the broken needle. Could you have pulled it out so it wasn't in the shot at all? Not sure, not a plant person so not sure how that would affect the cactus or the shot.

As for the shot, the overall composition is wonderful, the way the needles lead you in and out of the shot but the cropping seems to be just a tad off. It's too tight on the top, any possiblity of having the black space behind the needles there as well? Would lend to the overall balance of the shot.

There also appears to be a red "rope" type thing in the upper left as well as a blue box of some sort. Is that part of the stand the cactus is in? It's only mildly distracting but if there was some way to cover it with a black cloth maybe to again, lend that feeling of the top of the plant in space because that is the feeling I get from the other sides.

The lighting is very well done, not overpowering and too bright but it seems the lavendar in the shot could pop just a bit more. Hope all this helps!

Good Luck In Future Challenges!

Deannda
DNeufer@stny.rr.com if you have any questions or want to discuss this further!

The Blue Alternative
by amsmyth

Comment by birgir:
There is no woww in this picture. It is a vehicle I know that but because the quality is not good and the colors are to bright then I can't give you more then 4 ... I hope you are happy

The Blue Alternative
by amsmyth

Comment by madich:
A golf caddy?

Simple Gift
by amsmyth

Comment by Beagleboy:
This could have been very interesting but the lighting is bad. Try having more ambient light in the room ontop of the spotlight. I think this would reduce the harshness of the central part of the subject and would help the fading sen on the left. The colour of the object isn't that appealing either. A B&W or sepia treatment might be better. Keep trying and good luck.

Simple Gift
by amsmyth

Comment by irae:
Lighting is so important for a still life like this, and the hard, direct quality of the light really hurts this image, IMO. The composition could be more engaging, too, if you chose an angle different from the side-on POV you've got here. I don't mean to sound harsh, but the effect is reminiscent of 'I put this shell in my scanner'. Photography can so easily devolve into 'holding a photocopier up to the world'. It's important to approach and treat your subject from a point of view that is somehow unique to your vision. Hang in there!