Black and White.jpg
by samtrundle

Comment:
Great geometry, shadow/lighting, focus, and composition. A unique photo, need to offer it as a print.

PUMPKINS, SQUASH AND GOURDS
by sabphoto

Comment:
I like this subject and your composition and focus are great. I think it suffered a little because the light was so diffuse and lacking shadow. Getting that right is tough to do unless you're in a studio setup or something like it. Nice job. (I don't get why some people would think gourds aren't bizarre!)

Awaiting the day
by sabphoto

Comment:
If you wanted to see the chairs more, but not fully, you could set up your flash to go off in synch mode, and dial down the flash strength a stop or two. The bright star or planet in the upper right seems to show some elongation to the 1 o'clock, and maybe the sun does, too. If so, that's weird to see on a 1/1000 shutter speed. I like sunset/sunrises, and overall, this is a very nice one, and a creative solution to the Framing challenge.

HEADS UP
by sabphoto

Comment:
You've obviously caught an action moment here, and your timing was great. As you had no time to set up the shot, there are a few things that probably hurt your score, even though you only got 1 comment.

It looks like you were in the 3B Coach's box - if so, popping off a flash would have accentuated the subjects. With them being so dark, compared to the background being so sunlit, it detracts from the action. The flash would have given you less motion blur as well. If you were that close, I'd say go ahead and activate the flash to go off every shot, just to give the subjects brightness.

If you were zooming from further away (as I do with my Olympus), here's what I found works great for baseball & softball - get a monopod, position yourself strategically and point the camera at the place the next set of "offensive" actions are going to happen. (strategic in the sense that you eliminate background clutter and exposure differences as much as possible.) If nobody's on-base, shoot the batter, or get ready for a play at first if he/she's a slap hitter. If they're on first, compose/focus/expose on second (or on 1st if they're likely to try a pick-off).

Obviously, it helps when you know the talents and leaning of the players, when possible. But the monopod is less clumsy than a tripod, more mobile, but best of all, the camera keeps pointed in the vicinity of the anticipated action while you watch the wind-up and the pitch. If the guy hits a fly ball, I've found you can swing the camera atop the monopod and often get a shot of the fielder, because you're keeping the camera up & semi-pointed.

Happy shooting, and thanks for commenting on my photos!

IMG_0519edit.jpg
by Zap228

Comment:
I like the subject and composition of this picture a lot. One way to improve it would be to crop out the sky above the light posts and the blown-out pier of the bridge on the right side. In addition, you could select the sky and photoshop it to decrease the lightness and boost the saturation slightly. (I tried it, and there is some color left in there.) Maybe a pass of sharpening, too. I realize you may have cropped it already to get to here, but I think taking out the other areas is one of those "less is more" situations. See what you think.

Moon Rising over Brooklyn Bridge
by Tranquil

Comment:
You've worked yourself to the right spot for this photo - I like the composition a lot. The graininess is apporpriate, and there's a nice amount of detail visible on the bridge and on the moon. The only improvement, in my opinion, would be to crop it into an 8x10 and lose some of the foreground, but it's very nice as is.

Mystic Falls of the Holly River
by Resusit8u

Comment:
Amanda - This is a real beauty. You've got that long-exposure thing down to a science. I like your choice of viewing angle, and the exposure is just right. You might think about cropping out the tree on the left, but it's OK as is, too. I'm looking forward to meeting you at a CCC meeting sometime, you'll have fun during the competitions, too. Keep up the good work! Wyatt

Stork River
by photomayhem

Comment:
Wow, nice shot. Exposure and focus appear to be right on. I would like to see this as a "portrait" orientation, with the whole reflection of the bird and a little buffer of water beyond it.

Friday-IMG_5125.jpg
by TooCool

Comment:
This is a great idea, and the composition is accentuated by the trees leaning in on the top, creating 2 sets of convergent lines. I tend to like this kind of shot a little lighter in the mid-tones, but not much. It would be improved if you had the face of at least one of the walkers in the picture, or an interaction occuring. It could be a candidate for turning into a sepia.

Friday-IMG_5104.jpg
by TooCool

Comment:
This is an interesting shot. I like the tonal range, nicely distributed from white to black, and the shapes you've chosen to show. The focus is a little off, or else the compression for the web did the details in a little. Also, the shallow DOF throwing the near cap out of focus is a little distracting. Bottom line, I wouldn't want to see an exhibition of fire-plug shots, but this one re-shot (with a tripod?) could be a nice addition to your porfolio.