Little Pine
by collie65

Comment:
Light is very important in creating a successful image. The light here is in the sky and is very washed out. The subject is in shadow and merges with everything around it making it difficult to see. A different angle of view or different light would have helped make the little tree stand out better as the subject.

Regal Pine
by 777STAN

Comment:
High key is interesting but the foggy area on the trunk and the too blown-out branches in the upper right corner keep me from wanting to stay with this image and explore its detail.

2 tone
by claudius1234

Comment:
Nothing seems crisp and in focus in this image.

Lone tree overlooking the water
by lmccormick

Comment:
I like the composition and the separation of the subject from the background. There are interesting patterns and texture here. I wish the tree were sharper, it seems rather fuzzy....out of focus? pixelated?

Yellow
by 3DsArcher

Comment:
The lighting helps the subject stand out from the background. I think, however, that is not enough to make me interested in the subject. The dark horizontal horizon divides the trees at an awkward place. The foliage on the trees seems grainy/pixelated. The sky is blown out. Technicals can really make or break an image!

Battle scars
by VanGogh

Comment:
This image is overexposed for no apparent good reason. Colors are off. Fringing is apparent. I'm afraid the technical issues ruin any message you may have had to convey.

pool-glow.jpg
by Bear_Music

Comment:
I am entirely impressed that you managed to find and capture the landscape of your bog in Florida! Lovely new graphic impact for your style!
Hope your travels are safe and enjoyable....whatever the weather may be. (They have "weather" everywhere, ya know. ;-))

Watching the Fun
by bjallen

Comment:
The boy is entirely the subject of the image. The play house sets the context. However, my eye is pulled to the brightest areas around the leaves. I find I have to fight my way back to the quieter portrait of the boy. I find the framing with three inset square areas somewhat pleasing compositionally, however, the outermost portion begs to be toned down. With advanced editing in your toolbox, it seems that could have been achieved to some degree but you'd be fighting those brightly exposed highlights. Cropping out much of the right side and some of the lower portion appears to be the remaining option.

As one commenter mentioned, the blue bolt draws attention. Desaturating this item would help...perhaps even bringing down the contrast there as well.

The boy is placed roughly at one of the traditional (rule of thirds) power points which gives this subject power. That he's even a little above and outside of this placement adds, I think, to the feeling of separation.

The lighting on his face is lovely. Because of the framing of the playset, however, his head seems to float...a little too separated from his body which is barely visible between the slats.

If this could be re-shot, a vertical arrangement might be pleasing. It would lift him well above the center and accentuate the feeling of distance that you are trying to convey.

Outside of the leafy background, color, tone, exposure, lighting, focus are all spot-on. You've captured an emotive moment that fit the challenge...but the voters were unconvinced.

Keep shooting! Have fun!
--Kadi

Thunder Heads over Spokane Valley
by brchambe

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club and welcome to DPC!

You have chosen a potentially pretty piece of scenery for your first entry. It appears to have been taken on a pleasant day with a dramatic sky. You have used the arch to frame what seems to be a lovely landscape in its summer prime.

The main issue I have with this image is its apparent lack of subject. There is no one part of the image that tells me what to look at. The archway is a strong shape but what does it frame? My eye starts down the stairs and path...but ends up nowhere in particular. The scenery itself is detailed and too complex to have a point of rest for the eye. The sky is somewhat interesting and contrasty...perhaps if the framing mostly contained the sky? If the clouds, as suggested by your title, were the subject you were aiming for, then a lower point of view that eliminated much of the path and valley might have been the ticket.

Often, setting an image in black and white helps to simplify an image...here it acts as a frustration--I suspect there are lovely hues there, but they've been removed. I think the flowers lining the path and the flowering bush may have provided a fairly suitable subject but they were lost to the B&W conversion.

As one of your commenters suggested, the focus seems soft. Even though you've used a narrow aperature which could set nearly everything in focus, nothing seems sharp at all. My guess is that you might need to use "sharpening" in post-process--it's a common edit that most DSLr's require.

I hope you don't find my comments too harsh. The first challenge is usually the hardest. (I remember having been happy to have just figured out how to upload an image.) Keep shooting and, above all, have fun!
--Kadi

Did you say walk?
by arrowsmith

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

The first thing that grabs me about the image are the beautiful lines of the frame. The sweeping curves of the frame are echoed in the many curved lines of the dogs face and ears...this helps return the eye to the subject whenever it wanders away on the "fence" lines.

I like the composition of the image. The fencing emerges from the upper right corner and ends satisfyingly in the lower left corner where the inward curve returns the toward the center. The one distraction in the composition are the planters in the upper left corner--because they are contrasy and have angular shapes they tend to pull the eye toward them. Unfortunately, they do not add much to the story of the image except to reinforce the garden setting. Were this not a basic challenge you might have been able to dodge that corner to lower the contrast and pull the eye back in to the more important subject of the dog.

The dog's expression is lovely. The eyes have those desirable highlights and the pricked up ears add a great deal of character. There is, because of this wonderful expression, a strong sense of story in the image which is reinforced by the title.

Technically the choice of limited depth of field sending the fence and background out of focus, further centers attention on the dog's expression. The tonal range is pleasing as well. It appears to be an overcast day which helps avoid harsh shadows.

What does it lack? Hmmm...it seems with so much going for it that this image should have scored higher than just above average. I think the planters are one issue--strongly competing with the dog for attention. Perhaps a slightly greater distance between camera and frame would have allowed for cropping that would place the dog's face closer to one of the traditional power points (rule of thirds). I almost always, personally, have trouble with images that contain so much grass--it is an individual taste issue but something about lawn just doesn't speak to me no matter how "truthful" it is to the environment. The lightness of the frame competes a bit with the features of the dog, as well--take a look at the image with the color removed and you'll see that association much more strongly. Finally, pets are a hard-sell on DPC (just ask Shutterpug)...there needs to be a very strong, emotive connection between voter and subject that personal pets just don't seem to evoke.

Overall, a well done image cleverly conceived and executed...a little more "pop" and it would have place a little higher.

Keep shooting and, above all, have fun!
--Kadi