graffiti wedding
by Doubledizzle

Comment:
Hi Dave, greetings from the Critique Club!

I really enjoyed your photo, and it's a shame that it got so few comments.

Composition
As I saw the picture more closely, I think I see the main issue: the angle and the trash can at the right bottom make it look like the photo was not planned, but more of an opportunity shot. The mixture between the white and all the colours is brilliant, and the bokeh on the back graffiti is very appealing.

Processing / technique
Good white balance, perfect contrast. It's soft though, because at the long end of 300mm and f/5.6 the sharpness will suffer a lot. Probably you could have stopped it down to f/9 and get a slower shutter speed, you still had some to spare.

Overall, a very appealing shot, lots of colours, and different from the others of the challenge.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Brooklyn Ladies
by marcoesquivel

Comment:
Hey Marco, greetings from the Critique Club!

First of all, welcome to DPC!

Regarding your shot:

Composing
It's very hard to check the settings, because this is a circular fisheye (probably a 4,5mm) but you listed it as a EF 400mm, and not the real one.
The circular effect is very common in these photos, and acted like a frame on this one, improving the impact of the photo.

A fisheye has to be very carefully used as to have the main focus of the image dead center. I see the attention being drawn to the metal thing, but it's too low to stand out. It should have been shot from a lower perspective. I like the tilt.

Processing / technique
You have something funky going on near the edges, a kind of contrast aberration that gradually changes the colour of the frame. This detracts a bit.

Remember that fisheye shots are very difficult to achieve in a good manner. An average shot will just make you say "That's a bit weird", whilst an extraordinary shot will make you say "Wow, what good usage of a fisheye lens!".

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

trapped in his art
by posthumous

Comment:
Critique Club

Jesus, your 14th brown ribbon?? You're consistent, I'll tell you that much...
And it's your third (or should I say turd) worse entry ever :)

A photo with no redeeming features, but still meets the challenge. Your title help it link.
You where shooting for the last place, and the voters where behind you.

Composition
Perfect rule of thirds, the lines in the back make it more dynamic.

Colour
My retinas are still trying to recover, as they tried to run in horror, but I managed to keep them in. I like the green though.

Processing
The inversion is really the key here, making this a real ribbon winner :)

Great work on your posthumous ribbons, btw!

Cheers,
Joao

Long Street
by LonnieD

Comment:
Hello Lonnie, greetings from the Critique Club!

Welcome to DPC, you joined quite recently!

Regarding your shot, some points:

Composition
There isn't really a focus on which to capture the viewer. The palmtree seems to be dominating the image, but not as a feature rather than an obstacle.
If the street was deserted the shot could be taken from the middle of the road (of course if it was safe, I never suggest DPCers to injure themselves :)

Lighting / settings
The harsh shadow in front really is hard to overcome. A street shot at high noon with people would have cut it better, since the street would be all lit, without shadows.
Also, at an aperture of f/22 you loose a lot of detail, as lenses tend to get softer at these apertures (diffraction). You could go to f/9ish and get a faster shutter speed.

Processing
A bit more of contrast could be good. The white balance is very good, and tonal range is perfect.

Overall
A not so interesting shot, as you couldn't convey exactly the feeling of main street.
In this case, if possible, some days before shooting you should walk the streets, write down possible shooting locations and then run them all, and pick your best one.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

South Clinton
by DarieP

Comment:
Hi Darie, greetings from the Critique Club!

First of all, welcome to DPC, I saw that you joined recently.

Regarding your shot:
It feels that you couldn't quite convey what the purpose of the photo was.
There are too many distracting elements, the tree, the parked car, the excessive law.
If your focus is the street, then move closer to the street, go on the sidewalk, get a long perspective of the street. longer trails, etc.

Processing / settings
The ISO 800 left some noise on your sky, for night shots try to go to the lowest ISO setting in your camera (200).
The light from the lamp is blue / greenish, and you should adjust your white balance to get a much whiter (or yellow) tone.
It needs to be brighter as well, so that viewers can distinguish the objects on the photo.

Before you take a photo, look at the scene in front of you and think what are you trying to communicate. What can I use in this photo to appeal to people. And then try the same photo in different angles, you could like ones better than the others.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Unwin's Bridge Road
by CrazyDiamond

Comment:
Hello Elle, greetings from the Critique Club!

First impression of your shot is that, comparing to other entries in the same challenge, most of the viewers could not relate it to their notion of main street.
As you can see, a 6.8 score from commentators shows that you could appeal much more to some selective group, and that they liked it very much.

Composition
The post that you said shouldn't be there is actually the thing that gives a 3D feeling to the image. You feel tempted to shift your head sideways to try and see behind it. It is a bit too much in the middle, so you should move it to the left or the right (depending on what was the best alternative, considering the background).

Technique
It's amazing, but I think nobody realized it was a night shot, it looks like a golden hour, roundabout 6'ish.
Good lighting and the high ISO doesn't show up in the photo.

Processing
Much to my taste, very warm, very moody. A bit of Highlights could have spiced it up a bit.

Overall
A shot that did not appeal to voters, which in itself is not bad, it's just not popular.
Most of the thinking could have been because the people didn't relate to main street.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Down on Main Street
by Luci11e

Comment:
Hi Lorie, greetings from the Critique Club!

I've read your profile page, and I'll try to give a comment that can help you :)
Also, don't be discouraged by the low score on Hot, the best photographers on this site have some photos that are absolutely terrible, but it's normal that this happens once in a while.

Your photo:

Composition
Vertically speaking, the shot is well balanced.You got them in a level that is appealing regarding street level. Sideways however, the lamppost on the right seems a bit off, as well as the leading lines on the sidewalk.
I would have liked to see this shot if you moved a bit to your left, to take the post out of the equation, allowing as well for the white tower on the back to be seen.
And as difficult as it is to get your son to appear in a photo :) it would be better if they both were looking at the camera, or alternatively at each other.

Processing
Since the day was a bit cloudy, more contrast was needed, to make a stronger point.
Boosting just a tad the reds would also have created a warmer feeling.

Overall
A 5+ score, so actually above / in-line with the average, and a good start for DPC. Next try to create a real focus point to grab viewers. If the point is to enhance the people, make them "act" for the camera, or wait for a great pose. If it is the architecture, shot from below upwards.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Look and Listen
by toddw62

Comment:
Hi Todd, greetings from the Critique Club!

Regarding your shot, don't feel disappointed because of the placing, it will improve with time and experience at the DPC world :)

Composition
You were shooting this photo from a perspective. Still, it was not perspective enough to make the leading lines, so it was just a bit awkward the way the ceiling and floor appeared in the photo. If you were shooting directly in front, it would be all in the photo, and it would focus the viewers attention much more on the subject itself. It could in fact happen that the bush on the left was not so visible from another perspective.

Focus
Your focus is indeed a bit soft, but as I see your settings, you shot at f/8 and 1/4s. You could easily with your lens go to f/3,5 and still have the sharpness required. At that speed, handheld shots are bound to be blurry. For this speed you'd need a tripod.

Processing
Your crop is good taken into consideration the perspective. Any tighter and it would cut the graffiti. The whites could be a bit brighter, with a little more contrast.

Overall it's a medium shot, and although it placed where it did, it still got a 5+ score, making it an average photo, which is not all bad.
Keep entering, looking forward to see your next entries!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

Driving down to "Marquês de Pombal" Roundabout
by duartix

Comment:
Hi Duarte, greetings from our Critique Club :-D
I can't believe that I got yours in the draw.

Well, I'll try to give it my best :)

Composition
It doesn't seem like it was shot from inside a car, you can notice any glass, any structure from inside, it really feels like your outside the car, so great perspective here. Good balance between road and sky, there's always a tendency to put too much road on these shots, and this one's very well done.

Lighting
This is were some people have mentioned, that the scene is a bit dark. Although it was night, probably a slower shutter speed would have got you longer trails and a bit brighter image. However, it would also mean that it wouldn't be so straight (damn these Portuguese streets, full of holes and bumps).

Processing
It's a shame that this was basic editing, because a careful dodging could have highlighted some points in the picture. It has a good processing, and you managed to retain a lot of details and colours. Just a little of fill light could have done the trick.

Overall
It should have placed a little higher, but maybe with longer trails it would have more impact.

Let's see some more photos!!

Um abraço!

Going nowhere fast
by snaffles

Comment:
Hi Susan, I got another photo from you for the Critique Club, it's great! :)

I have to say that I voted your photo a 7, because I liked it then, and as I come back the this I confirm that you did a very good job :-)

Composition
GREAT use of converging lines. It's really very well placed, and the tracks add a very interesting touch. As said below, it could have just a bit more breathing space to the right, but your intention was to focus on the train, so you succeeded.

Processing
The selective desaturation is very well done, leaving just the blues and the rust. It gives a colder look to the image, and still you can see some colour in it.
Contrast is great, and you can feel the texture through the photo.

One thing that you could have done different is the aperture. Shooting at f/22 gets really soft, especially for a UWA lens.
Then, just leaving more space could have gotten you a higher score, but that's just guessing :)

Congratulations on a very strong photo!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao