Regal
by Ja-9

Comment by jomari:
Beautiful!

Regal
by Ja-9

Comment by jgirl57:
great details

Comment only

Regal
by Ja-9

Comment by Cory:
Very purple.

The BARNSTORMER
by Ja-9

Comment by Catherine_B:
Too busy for my taste. Hard to find the true subject (the roller coaster) amongst the backdrop / frame.

Eyes of a Child
by Ja-9

Comment by JakeKurdsjuk:
Critique Club Comment...

First off, I like this image a lot. I suspect it didn't do better in a Free Study because folks tend to like something that pops more. There's also something about verticals that seem not to perform that well. In a portrait or B&W specific challenge I think this would have done better.

Compositionally there's not a lot of fault I can find here. I like that you went with a 5x7 crop instead of the 2:3 straight out of camera ratio. If I am bothered by anything it's the eyes, which is your subject based on the title. First off, they do not lie on any line of any of the classic compositional techniques, like the rule of thirds. Interestingly enough, had you gone with a 4:5 (8x10) crop ratio the eyes would have landed square on the top third line if you cropped off the bottom. It also effectively increases the relative size of the eyes within the borders of the photo.

The B&W conversion has retained some sparkle, but it's lost all definition in the irises. Plus the photo-left iris is darker than the photo-right. On my calibrated monitor it's nearly impossible to see the left pupil. The reflections are also very distracting against the dark irises. There's likely not much you can do about the reflection, but most conversion tools will allow you to play with color filters or color intensity and you should have been able to lighten them a bit so we could see the details. Otherwise they seem sharp and in focus.

Possible other improvements? The background could be found to be slightly distracting. Perhaps burning in the lighter triangle section of wall so that it blends in better with the darker parts would further bring the focus onto the eyes.

Again, it's a really nice photo that just needs a little more finishing. As one of the commenters points out, I think the cropping is what did you in on this one. Try the 8x10 crop and see what you think.

Regal
by Ja-9

Comment by illini75:
Gorgeous details and I like that the eye is drawn off center

Whooooo Drank My Coffee
by Ja-9

Comment by Mike:
Critique Club Review:

Color Saturation and Hue: not sure color wouldn't have been a better choice

Brightness and contrast: image is mostly well lit, the eye are a bit bright compare to the rest of the image

Focus and depth of field: clean and sharp

nice clean sharp image, not much to critique negatively, its well done.

Protector
by Ja-9

Comment by Mike:
critique club:

you got second place so you know its a good image, i cant find much to dislike except maybe its a bit over sharpened for my tastes.

great details, composition and colors.

Let the Good Times Roll
by Ja-9

Comment by Bear_Music:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Thought I'd grab one for old times' sake, and here you are, Janine!

I see you garnered a 6th place with this lovely piece of memorabilia. I actually covet that car, is it actually yours?

Overall, what's to critique? It works nicely exactly as it is, and appears immediate and unaffected. Personally, I feel the blacks are a little backed up and the image is kind of crunchy, but that's niggling, it doesn't really matter. It all works.

So, good job!

R.

C I T Y • T R E M O R S
by Ja-9

Comment by Mike:
critique club:

another image that could have used the wide angle filter ;-p

i like the idea, i wonder if pulling the horizon down a bit more would improve the image some, i try to keep my horizon on a third line to favor either sky or ground. this one is kind of stuck in the middle.