Canadian Rockies in Infrared
by Citadel

Comment by truogre:
*Critique Club*
Hi, Russell here and this is my critique of your shot.

What I Liked - Just a really good overall landscape shot and fits the challenge perfectly. The light is falling perfectly and the overall immensity of the subject out-does the minor imperfections (to me anyway).I am not an infared shooter (though I am going to attempt it this summer) but after getting a self-taught lesson from the internet, I find that traditional infared turns the green a "hot" white, if there is enough light in the scene (of course there are other things also - but this seems to be the main draw) since yours has a bluish tint (and the clouds above) I am thinking that you didn't have "perfect" light for "perfect" infared. Honestly though, the tint is what MAKES the shot for me (combined with the absence of the tint- for the most part- in the light falling on the mountains)

What I didn't like - very little, which makes it difficult to critique. I can only see three issues - 1. the large sign on the road 2. the bridge support under the sign 3. the small piece of sky at the far left of the frame. To me, the road is a PART of the landscape, and does not really take away from the overall shot. The sign and support however (likely due to the black) tend to draw my eye away from the subject some.

Changes that might help - A small change of angle, moving forward and to the left a bit, MIGHT have put a tree in front of the sign and bridge support - cutting the dark distractions by 2, however, the tree on the left may also make the shot a bit unbalanced. That could also be corrected by zooming in the lens a bit. Since I was not there with you, I don't know if the terrain would have allowed for that, but if so, it would have gotten rid of the sign and support.

Overall - it is a great capture, had I spent 5-10 seconds looking at it (like most do during voting) I would not have even noticed the items I mentioned. Since I took longer to study the area and not just the subject, those items appeared. So, would I hang a print of this proudly in my living room - probably, since most people would not study it in detail and up close like I had to.

Study of Self
by Citadel

Comment by timote:
Great Shot, Hope you do well!

Study of Self
by Citadel

Comment by vicro:
Nice comp, good shot. Would like to see more detail/character

Canadian Rockies in Infrared
by Citadel

Comment by levyj413:
Congrats on your highest placement and new 4th-best! I must say I don't care for the coloring, but then I rarely see IR shots I really like. But the composition is nice, the scenery is gorgeous, of course, and the highway doesn't bother me at all. So you found your audience, got a high score, and should feel very good! :)

"Holgafied" Holga
by Citadel

Comment by karmat:
CRITIQUE CLUB CRITIQUE
by karmat

Overall, you met the challenge. I think, though, the subtlety of what you were trying to accomplish may have been missed. In the digital age, holgas and their "look" is virtually obsolete, or at best, largely unknown. Also, I think many pictures in this challenge (mine included) were a bit "ebayish." They weren't necessarily "bad," per se, but they were a bit unintriguing, simply because there was no context to help establish a "story" for the camera. One thing that *might* have helped your composition would be to have it less centered, or to have a lower perspective of it.

I am wondering if a different background would have helped you. The red, to me, is more interesting, but in keeping with the characteristics of the camera that it appeared you were trying to keep, it may have been interesting if you could have found an older part of town or something like that to have as a backdrop.

That said, because of your shot, I feel a bit more educated about the history of photography. :)

Best to you in the future.

Karma

Study of Self
by Citadel

Comment by deadfish:
Good pose and composition. I'd like to see a version with more contrast in the subject (perhaps tweaking the grayscale conversion, also).

Study of Self
by Citadel

Comment by dsa157:
nicely lit and composed. lose the watch next time - too distracting.

Canadian Rockies in Infrared
by Citadel

Comment by ehale92:
good job eith this turning out. i know how difficult infared can be to work with.

Ghost Reservoir - HDR
by Citadel

Comment by ShutterPug:
Very calming mood. The horizon is nice and level. Composition is good. For HDR, the colors seem a bit muted for the most part - except that red rock ? to the right side. I'd consider playing around a bit with the clouds to make them a little more dramatic.

"Holgafied" Holga
by Citadel

Comment by kleski:
OOF, color might have helped