Snailfan
by codfish709

Comment by kandykarml:
The snail gets a bit lost in everything else going on here.. Especially the bright yellow in the background.. nice focus and detail on the little guy though. 6

Orchestrated Geology
by codfish709

Comment by codfish709:
I understand. In my haste, I sent the wrong version. Obviously, I was planning to send the one without the vignette.

Mike

Orchestrated Geology
by codfish709

Comment by daryn:
DQ might be a bit harsh here - I saw the 'vignette' as a border.

Oh well.

Orchestrated Geology
by codfish709

Comment by houstonian:
vignetting is waaaay overdone here. I dont think it was necessary at all. Somehow Im thinking this is a rock formation in a swimming pool. In fact, I know it.

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by salmiakki:
Greetings from the Critique Club

How terrific to have seen something like this.

I think this image had the potential to score considerably higher but was hurt by a couple of things that could easily be avoided.

1. DPCers LOVE straight horizons. Even if things should be at an angle due to the naturally curving landscape etc, DPC voters want them straightened. Irritating but a fact of life here. Thus, had you straightened the edge of the land then people would have been happier, even if that is not how it looks in reality. I happen to think it's fine as is, but I know that would have hurt your score a little.

2. Borders/vignettes. DPC voters have a love/hate relationship with these. Many people just dislike them completely and vote accordingly. In your case, you have combined a vignette with a double lined border, so I think you may have had a double whammy on that one. Possibly either/or but probably not both if you are looking for a decent score.

3. Composition. Sadly the Whale is just about to leave the frame which could have hurt the score a little. I appreciate how hard it must have been to get the shot in the first place, so you likely had little control over that.

4. The landscape in the background lacks a bit of definition. I think you could have selected this area of the image and tweaked the levels/contrast to make it pop a bit more. This is only a very marginal change but may have helped a little bit.

I hope you are not off put by the frank comments. I just noticed this is only your third challenge, so hopefully the tips will help you try score higher next time out. Knowing some of the things that voters pick up on is always helpful when preparing the next image.

Sarah

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by NikonJeb:
That's kind of an oxymoron in my world....whale Zen, indeed! LOL!!!....6

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by Bill666:
Not keen on the black faded edge, but it's a nice shot.

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by fuzzyt:
Wow, that would be a fun experience. Nice capture. Thinking I would have rotated a little to keep the waterline horizontal. JMO :)

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by got2bgutsy:
Nice shot. I wish the horizon line wasn't slanted, but besides that, great capture.

Whale Zen
by codfish709

Comment by cynthiann:
Great photo, though there is too much going on around the edges. I would have used the vignette or the border, if anything, but not both.