Nuns On The Runby
ColeyComment by strangeghost: Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost
The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.
TECHNIQUE
Good, clean looking image with great color saturation, contrast; good focus and sharpness, considering you're probably shooting from a moving vehicle, and perfect exposure. Technically excellent.
COMPOSITION
it's a little awkward the way you've cut off the back of the van, and a little of the open doorway, but I see the reasoning - trying to get the background scenery in for the blur, having the van appear to come out of the left and move through the photo. It has a very dynamic feel. The models are posed excellently, with an edge and attitude. I recognized this shot as your work immediately. Your girls - and your van - have appeared in some memorable DPC photos. Your composition is capped with a wonderful touch of humor in the title.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
The intent is clearly humor, and it's humor you've managed to communicate. I'd love for the expressions to be a little clearer on the facts, harkening back to the unforgettable "good habits, bad habits" shot from an earlier challenge. I can just see enough to tell that the same expressions are present here, but without the big impact that comes from having their faces so prominently displayed. So you can tell that my response to your picture is colored somewhat by my memory of an earlier work of yours. How does it play with the average, uninitiated voter?? My guess is that this would be a middle-of-the-road shot, probably in the mid to high fives. Clever and well done, but without the punch of the unmistakable DPC "wow" factor.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Your comments were almost overwhelmingly favorable and only two outright recognitions of your previous work. Given the positive nature of the comments, I'm a little surprised at your 5.5 finish, though that's in the range that I predicted. Good work. This was an enjoyable image to critique!
Message edited by author 2006-07-05 23:48:05. 
Photographer found comment helpful.