35 MPH !by
DrakeComment by Dr.Confuser: Greetings from the Critique Club: I have been assigned your photo to critique and here are my thoughts:
Personal Reaction: My initial reaction to your photo was that your photo, “nailed the challenge theme.” Having said that, the photo doesn’t grab me or hold my interest.
Composition: Composition is good. I like the way the flag breaks in from the corner. Focus on the flag is fine. The strong motion blur emphasizes the wind. Good job.
Technicals: The background is weak. The lower right is over exposed and out of focus. The upper left is focused fine but under exposed. As a result, there is nowhere in the photo for my eye to come to rest. If you improved the focus and exposure, it might add a point to my score. Or possibly if you had included the flag pole in razor sharp focus, that too might have helped. Anything for my eye to rest on.
Conclusions: I didn’t vote on this challenge, but had I voted, I would have given this a 4. A combination of weak subject and lack of a resting point for my eye hurts the photo. One additional thing to remember is that this is an international site. The US isn’t held in very high regard internationally at the moment, and shooting the US flag may have cost you some points. It’s not a photographic point, but an element of context you need to consider about your audience.
I have looked at your portfolio, which is outstanding, and this doesn’t quite live up to the rest of your work. Keep shooting and I hope to see many more great shots from you in the future.
As always, this is my personal opinion. Feel free to PM me if you’d like further dialog.
Photographer found comment helpful.
