Relish
by Quigley

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
Oops, net problem, douple posted. : )

Message edited by author 2007-08-12 01:10:31.

Relish
by Quigley

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
Maybe not a big DPC favorite, but this is precious.

Tchaikovsky At The Farmers Market
by Quigley

Comment by KaDi:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Lovely! What a wonderful expression on her face! I first thought this was soft-focus until my eyes found the sharp focus of the bow on the strings...

When a person's face is present in an image the typical viewer tends to go there first and stay...and then, looking at the eyes, wants to follow their gaze. I think that to some extent this is where the image hangs up. Not only can't I follow her gaze her right eye is cut off, first by the lock of hair then by the framing of the image.

I like that the emphasis has been put on the drawing of the bow across the strings...it speaks of music and the listening of the musician. So, even though it's an unlikely option for an image, I'd like her ear in focus. Nothing more but the ear added to the image. It'd have to be faked...or shot with a deep DOF and the softness restored to the rest of the image. But the image seems to be about listening and the pleasure of it. So natural and content to play...not straining and concentrating or struggling with the music.

I'm amazed at the low score! I'm befuddled that anyone could mistake this lighting for anything but outdoors! However, as some of your commentators mentioned, for this challenge more street context would have helped. If the blue background were instead made of brick it might have carried the idea the voters were looking for...but who knows?

I do think that shifting the entire crop to the left--eliminating the light blue background on the right of the image and including more of her cheek on the left--would be an improvement. It feels a bit awkward as is. Perhaps slightly vignetting the right and lower edges would do nearly the same thing? Oddly, that light spot on her chest stands out after viewing the image for awhile...but that's just me being picky.

Overall, a lovely and expressive moment that leaves no question of the subject's mood. On it's own (outside of the challenge) I think this is a very successful candid portrait. I have never suggested this before but perhaps you could post this in the forums for more feedback...something like, outside of the challenge what do you think?

Thank you for presenting this image! I like it more the more I view it. Nicely seen!

A "Wii" ACE
by Quigley

Comment by klstover:
Well, this isn't the best photo technically. BUT it really does convey Triumph, and it does it a lot better than a lot of the more technically perfect photos in this challenge.

I absolutely love the expression on the figure to the right. Just awesome.

A "Wii" ACE
by Quigley

Comment by geoffb:
Good capture of triumph, but the shadows are harsh, the faces could be crisper, and the contrast is a bit flat.

A "Wii" ACE
by Quigley

Comment by bergiekat:
You can see the triumph and defeat here, lol. Your coloring is just a tad off. Might adjust the levels a bit to remove the blue hue (really obvious on the door.)

A "Wii" ACE
by Quigley

Comment by bob350:
The expressions capture it all, fitting the challenge so well that I went up a level in scoring despite the technical limitations. Besides, you have to grab the picture in the moment, so you probably didn't have had time to set up more elaborate lighting or even diffuse the flash.

Lieutenant Tom
by Quigley

Comment by bassbone:
the costume and location look really good but the centered positioning of "Lt Tom" is very static and the blown out sky in the background does not add a lot. i would imagine that by placing him in the left hand side of the image - still looking the same way - we can see what he is looking at and get a better image.

Lieutenant Tom
by Quigley

Comment by glad2badad:
Ok. How'd you do that? Tom is standing straight, yet the lake in the bg looks to be substantially tilted left (looking at the far shoreline). Hmmm.

From an artistic POV this photo feels a bit like a snapshot. Nothing personal. Something more interesting like a low angle that takes in the sword and Tom's face may have better scoring potential. It's like you tried to incorporate too much into this composition.

The broody sky could have worked in your favor with some different PP; as is, it's a tad washed out in the highlights.

Just some observations, and obviously JMO. :D Good luck in the challenge.

Lieutenant Tom
by Quigley

Comment by rjhawkin:
Interesting Portrait, problem is we see where he has been, not where he is going/looking. The later is much more interesting. I do give you a point for using the bush to provide a close backdrop. If you had instead Done a light blur that would have worked as well, even if you didn't have the DOF figured correctly. you may want to experiment with single spot focus since this has a snap-shotty feel. I also thank you for shooting this from lower, rather than at head height looking down.