Portrait of a Lioness
by Citadel

Comment by pamelasue:
great capture ... nice b/w conversion

Wild Horse Race
by Citadel

Comment by drydoc:
Like it all the way around.

There is no spoon
by Citadel

Comment by Timosaby:
I think this deserves more than just top 10, so i wouldn't worry about how you got it. Love this shot! Easily top 5. Cheers.

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by PGerst:
** Hello from the Critique Club **

Very cute! Dangling a carrot...a ribbon....very clever!

Composition
In a challenge such as this, composition is everything. You were quite clever in the suggestion that a blue ribbon is simply like dangling a carrot in front of you. The problem here is that the carrot is too much of the focal point, not the ribbon. Don't get confused by a major element though. In this case, the carrot is more interesting than the ribbon. To the average user, this is a photo of a carrot with a ribbon partially around it.

If you look at Time for a ribbon, the ribbon is a minor element, but a focal point of the photo. The eye is drawn to the aperture shaped ribbons. In originality, the ribbon is a minor element, but the surrounding bring the eye to the focal point, the ribbon.

Technical
Technically, this photo is well shot. It is clear, focus is on. Lighting is reasonably balanced, but seems a little bright on the top. One problem is that this appears to have been isolated from the background, digitally as there is a lack of depth and shadow around the edges of the carrot. This can be overcome by using two light sources, one to saturate the backdrop, the other to light the carrot.

After looking at your portfolio, you seem more comfortable with working with natural light, as you have some fantastic shots in there!

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by colorcarnival:
Clever use of symbolism. I like the simplicity of the shot.

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by elTORO:
hmmm.... interesting

The Pelican Brief - John Grisham
by Citadel

Comment by Ecce_Signum:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: My first thought when I saw this challenge was that its a free study with provided shoehorn (book title). This is a nice bright capture of the pelican taken at just the right moment. I like the small blown out areas of the water and their 'sparkle' though others might think it was oversharpened?

Composition: A strong composition with the Pelican landing into the image from top right with the right amount of foreground space for him to end up in.

Subject: Unless anybody made up a book title this was really a free study so yes, met the challenge well, obviuosly the title meant you had to use a Pelican but they are birds I've only ever seen at the zoo so thanks for showing it :)

Technical: For me this ended up at around the right sort of score, what stopped it from scoring a 6+ average was the detail in the bird, the black seem to lack detail and whilst there is detail in the white areas its a little blown in places. Was his beak that colour or should it have been more like his legs? I'm thinking this was taken in strong sunlight.

Final thoughts: A nice shot, met the challenge well with good stopped motion and interesting water. Sadly let down in the main by the harsh lighting imho.

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by VitaminB:
Metaphorically this works well to show why I keep entering photos on this site. Nice shot.

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by keriboi:
ehehe

The Carrot
by Citadel

Comment by Covert_Oddity:
Indeed it is! And we may spend large amounts of time chasing it without success.

As for the shot, fun concept, not particularly outstanding, but clear and definitely gets the message across.