Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by macrothing:


Critique Club Critique

First Impressions
Wonder whether this is a literal interpretation of the Challenge. I think I understand the vision but don't think it has been realized, especially for this Challenge, more context would be required. The iron at the fore of the image also dominates too much.

Photograph Information, Technicals & Composition Review
Just read your Photographer's Comments - seems like you had a visual of this in your mind before you took the image. Again, I think a little more context, or a different angle/vantage point would have given this an edge and allowed more story to come into play. As is, there seems to be some slight blur issues as well. Looking at your aperture, I would hazard a guess that gaining a deeper depth of field would have suited this image and allowed more textures to also come into play. As mentioned, there are some blur issues so perhaps a tripod (or makeshift one) next time. I say next time, because it seems you are not too far from this building and, with the childhood memories attached to the scene/building for you - it sounds like a good self challenge to explore and perfect.

Comments, Score & Placement Review
131/135 and a score of 4.01 seems harsh, but my guess is that the voters didn't understand the concept and also wanted more of the street photography aspect. Of course, they don't get the benefit of your explanation during voting, but the image should be able to stand on its own at any rate.

Just reading the comments, including yours: excellent stuff that you are keen to learn. This was submitted with a max width of 620, you are allowed 640 in Basic Editing and (quality issues aside for a moment), I'd suggest always using the available screen real estate to showcase your image. As for quality deterioration on resizing, experiment with the compression factor when saving the jpeg and you should be able to achieve a good result with no major visible deterioration. Roughly 10% usually works, give or take.

You've been given some curt, but excellent feedback. Remember that people don't have much time when voting, so comments should be taken in that regard. I strongly recommend voting as much as you can and taking the plunge to comment as much as you can too - it is an invaluable way to learn.

Summary
The most interesting aspect being the windows, is lost behind the busy iron at the fore. Potentially an interesting image with the scene and good luck pursuing it in the future.

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by cjgorman:
Thanks for your comments. This is only my second Challenge entry. I'm here to learn and your comments help "newbies" like me. I've noticed on both of my entries that the "submission" photo is wayyyy blurrier (OOF) than the original. I've been told I'm losing clarity in making the file small enough to send. Now I'm working on USM and sending a "clearer" photo. Thanks.

Foot Where?
by cjgorman

Comment by AP:
Haha, well let's see here...

Greetings from the Critique Club, to start.

I will begin by stating the obvious - this is a strange image! You will find that on this site, depicting gross things like the inside of a urinal will not get you much acclaim. Just take a look at the top images, you will almost always find subjects that are generally agreed to be more traditionally 'photo-worthy'. But your subject matter is your choice, I'm not hear to criticize it. I'll only say that photographs need to have a 'point' to them - ask yourself why a viewer should care about what you are showing them.

From a technical standpoint, this photo has some flaws that should be addressed:

1) People have mentioned the lack of any area of focus. There simply is no excuse for lack of focus. Your image will be panned by voters every time for lack of focus. Exception: You can forgo having focus if it is for artistic purposes/improves the image/is intentional. The exception does not apply here. You may have certain areas out of focus for effect, and use depth of field to your advantage, but when you have absolutely nothing in focus, it not only makes it difficult to see/maintain interest in the image b/c your eye is not grounded.

Perhaps more importantly, it also smacks of sloppiness, and you lose credibility with the viewer who is taking the time to look at your image and will be put off that you yourself didn't take the time to focus properly.

2) Center composition can work sometimes, especially if the image can stand on its own otherwise, but as a rule, a centered or symmetrical composition will be boring and should be avoided unless you have good reason to use it. See the Rule of Thirds for more info.

3) Lighting is harsh and blown out. Direct, flat lighting like this makes you think of 'snapshot', not artistic creation. The urinal itself is blown out white and the reflections on the shoes are distracting.

4) The panaramic crop is generally not the best way to convey your work. It is an awkward framing, and really only works in select situations where the subject matter really calls for it. At the very least, it makes the image very small on your screen when viewed on this site and voters instinctively are turned off by it.

Don't mean to be harsh but you did ask for a critique! Hope some it helps and good luck!

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by JunieMoon:
Could be better focus. Kind of busy for my tastes.

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by bcenu:
More like a nightmare! Good take on the challenge.

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by RianBotes:
I dont know what to focus on here. Nothing draws my attention and currently just a jamble of metal and building. Focusing needs to be sharper and light to be worked on.

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by paynekj:
It's rather too unsharp for my taste

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by johst582:
Not sharp

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by omnisppot:
out of focus

Broken Dreams
by cjgorman

Comment by ArmyRugby:
The focus seems slightly off here.