Returning To My Faith
by WonderDude

Comment by RussianMasterPhotographer:
Is it the Eiffel Tower??

Eyeing The Competition
by WonderDude

Comment by MichaelC:
Well Daniel you certainly nailed the focus, congrats on your 1st HM.

Pink Kryptonite
by WonderDude

Comment by cutout:
special 9

Eyeing The Competition
by WonderDude

Comment by aliqui:
It appears that the eye was selected and modified. Your masking is a bit rough. I would suggest adding a little feather to your selection before modifying the selection. I can explain better if you're interested and I know what tools you're working with.

Pink Kryptonite
by WonderDude

Comment by clickodak:
Very colorful Give 7

Eyeing The Competition
by WonderDude

Comment by giantmike:
One of the better cat photos, although seems like some tough JPEG compression.

Eyeing The Competition
by WonderDude

Comment by RussianMasterPhotographer:
A majestic horse!

Hidden Slide
by WonderDude

Comment by sidpixel:
Hello from the Critique Club

An interesting image that meets the challenge.

Yep, there's certainly no mistaking that is well and truly a diagonal! I would concur with your commenters remarks. Although the slide dominates all too clearly the background is also rather too busy. Given the wide angle lens you are using a shallow DOF is not really possible in which case a different viewpoint would have been more effective. I think given the lovely sky I would have gone for a lower viewpoint isolating the slide against the sky and removing the ground level background distractions completely, this would have given it more impact. As it is it is really a family snapshot recording a day out with the kids on a slide, you need more than that to make an impact here.

Thanks for your submission, Sid

Focus on the Fly
by WonderDude

Comment by sidpixel:
Hello from the Critique Club

An appealing image that is deemed to meet the challenge

Another well executed macro with good composition and repetition through the use of a soft focus background. My own perception of bokeh has always been much more clearly identified with specular highlights as opposed to soft or OOF areas which is where I would place your entry. The challenge brief would also seem to veer more towards the soft focus rendering than my own interpretation so feel free to ignore my comments.

Your composition works well in placing the fly on one of the RoT hotspots, I particularly like the soft focus flower in the background it adds a lot to the end result. You have captured the fly's iridescence well, an essential element of the image. I'm pleased to see you have invested in good software you will eventually reap the benefit as you learn to get the best from it.

I look forward to your continuing contributions, Sid

Looking for an late afternoon snack
by WonderDude

Comment by sidpixel:
Hello from the Critique Club

An appealing image that contributes well to the open challenge

What a lovely colourful butterfly you've captured here in a profile that shows off his remarkable colouring well. You've quickly adapted and learnt an important lesson of macro photography, to set your lens to the focussing distance you want and move the camera its by far the most effective technique to use, well done. It's a fairly minor point but I would prefer it if your composition was more to the right, as it is I feel the left hand edge is a bit close to the main subject, the butterfly, with space to spare on the right of the flower.

Given the very soft focus background I think you would have been better to use a smaller aperture that would have got the whole of the butterfly in good sharp focus with a little more, though still not distracting, detail in the background. I like your placement of the insects head and the flower head in the brighter part of the background. All in all, its a very competent macro that has the essential elements in good detail.

Thank you for your entry, Sid