Every Cent Helps
by arron_christensen

Comment by ambaker:
Critique Club Review:

Color Saturation and Hue: Colors are reasonably accurate, even after some processing. Nothing is over saturated.

Brightness and contrast: Image could be brighter for me. Looks almost a little under exposed. Contrast is very good. Shadows hold detail, and highlights are not blown out. Dark areas are nice and inky black.

Focus and depth of field: Nice sharp focus, and very good depth of field.

I like the composition here. It is hard sometimes to know where to crop a photo. With all the complex shapes you have here, it is easy to try to include too much. The result then would be that the money is minimized to the point where it would no longer be part of the subject. Crop too tight and the instrument and the story are lost. In some ways the image here leaves me a little unsatisfied. Perhaps it is the brown of the instrument that almost overwhelms the money. Or all the shapes that do compete a bit. As I look at the image, it's been over 5 minutes now, I'm starting to think that the guitar is un-necessary. The case would still tell the story and the money would take more of a central role.

I think that some do not see the image as charity, because they do not see street musicians as beggars. I agree that it is hard to make a living as a street musician, but previously I considered them performers working at their craft.

Either way, I think this image should have scored a bit higher. It has nice strong bones, and does tell a story that fits the challenge.

Nice work...

Tranquil Fall
by arron_christensen

Comment by surfdabbler:
This is a great waterfall shot. You've captured the flowing water nicely, and the ripples in the pool look positively silky. The water is not too blown out, and there is still detail in the rocks, which is perfect. Some photoshop editing could help to enhance the detail by carefully dodging some areas in the rocks. The composition needs a little work - as it is, it's all very 2 dimensional as the falls, trees and rock are all very close to the same plane, and the incidental foreground rock is almost a distration. But, that's the bad part of having a shoot cut short. You need time to really explore the location, and look at the scene from different focal lengths. I love wide angle lenses for shots like this too, because they enhance the depth in the photo, so give your 18mm a try too and really explore different angles. Give your wife the car keys and make your own way home. :) These falls are certainly worth a revisit next time you have a cloudy day out.

Tranquil Fall
by arron_christensen

Comment by rlewis:
Were you using a polarizing filter? My guess is that you weren't and that will make a world of difference in a waterfall photo. The polarizer will take the glare off the rocks and the logs in this case, bring out the colors and allow you to "see" the waterfall.

To Pull The Petal Will Decide My Fate
by arron_christensen

Comment by TCGuru:
This is exactly the kind of photo (I think) that fits this challenge to a T. Everything in B&W except one place. Very nicely done. Not voting, just commenting. Good luck!!

To Pull The Petal Will Decide My Fate
by arron_christensen

Comment by mileskea:
Don't see a point of colour here is it the petals or the Head?

To Pull The Petal Will Decide My Fate
by arron_christensen

Comment by Ivory:
I love this, tells a story and is outstanding in its simplicity. Good luck.

To Pull The Petal Will Decide My Fate
by arron_christensen

Comment by rlewis:
I like the set-up. IMO it would have been better if the flower head was closer to the "third" intersection and the head and petals were closer together.

To Pull The Petal Will Decide My Fate
by arron_christensen

Comment by Sachlichkeit:
I like the idea, but the composition needs work. There's a little too much negative space

The Start of Something Big
by arron_christensen

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Trying to come up with that next great idea for a challenge entry? I suggest a shoehorn.

Tranquil Fall
by arron_christensen

Comment by pjangel:
Nicely composed.