Snow, What Snow?by
hokiexComment by Dr.Confuser: Greetings from the Critique Club.
Until a year ago, my son lived in Richmond going to school at W&M. We've visited there and like it, mostly. But I digress. Congratulations on your first DPC entry. At this point maybe you're a little disappointed in the score. Don't be ... you should see my first entry. I hope you'll stick around, enter often, and make the most of an opportunity to get substantially better at the photography thing!
Regarding your photo, there are things I like about it: 1) Good control of depth of field; 2) Good exposure; and 3) The subject.
And there's something that bugs me: Tilt - it seems to be tilted just a bit to the right. I have found that this is a personal pet peeve and that not everyone shares it. But I think if you're going to tilt, tilt a lot, or don't tilt at all to avoid an impression of sloppiness in your capture.
Why did this get a 4.55 score instead of a 6, say? Voters here are pretty strict on the notion that a photo conform to the challenge theme. I didn't, and I think most voters didn't get the relevance to the challenge theme. If they can't more or less instantly figure out how a photo fits the challenge, they tend to vote lower. Occasionally an off-theme (shoehorn) entry will score well, but it is usually a stunning photo that succeeds in spite of the theme. Each time you enter, think hard about whether there is an obvious connection to the theme. If not, consider reshooting from a different point of view, with different lighting, a different lens perhaps ... or consider a different subject.
I'm not sure this helped at all, but at least it lets you know how I was thinking.
If you'd like to discuss this more fully, just send me a PM with specific questions. And I'd be happy to act as a mentor reviewing future challenge candidates before you enter. But only if you think it could be genuinely helpful.
Best of luck in your next, and future challenges.
Photographer found comment helpful.