River Reflections
by Drake

Comment:
Hi Drake and welcome from the Critique Club (albeit it a little late).

I'll dive right in with my issues with the image and why (I think) it got the score it did. For me the sky is not 'angry' as you say but has a large blown area then insipid greys (classic HDR effects). The overall image is a little boring for me however it is a lovely spot and I do like the reflection of the clouds in the river.

I think if this was cropped to a square, removing most of the sky it would look better and if there was a canoe or Swan sailing up the river then it would have faired much better imo. The different colours of the trees add to the scene.

The leading lines created by the banks of the river draw me nicely to the end of it and I wonder what is around the bend (if it is actually a bend). Maybe a polarizing filter would have helped the sky and cut through the reflection better than HDR?

kcurT tnemeC
by GeneralE

Comment:
Andi here from the Critique Club.

I did consider writing this backwards but after .bulc euqitirc eht morf ereh idna I considered it hard work for me and the your ;)

I often feel minimal editing challenges bring out the best in people photographically but it can oft do the reverse. In this case the only thing I think this image lacks is a little contrast and sharpness. Composition is spot on and the cement truck is a fantastic subject for the challenge (serendipity or planned?).

I'm surprised it didn't finish higher.

creekscape
by posthumous

Comment:
Welcome from the Critique Club and wow, I get to critique a Don image.

If somebody asked me to describe a Posthumous image style this would not be it so firstly it's good to see you do other stuff Don ;)

As others have said, this has a painterly look to it and those muted colours work well. I do think the shadow/highlight has been used (almost) to excess but that is what gives the image it's quality. The building could do with straightening to my eye and you could have cropped some of the foreground out to give the image more of a panoramic feel (topical eh?) or even just a square crop from the right.

I hear you about the dark foreground and light sky and whilst normally I'd like to see more structure in the sky it works well in this image. I'm liking the light on the Bull rushes and can sense a Swan about to swim into view to finish the image off.

Rub-a-dub-dub
by markwiley

Comment:
Love the backward foot, must have been fun to shoot ;) (bump of 1).

Hocus Pocus
by Ivory

Comment:
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The above was kindly written by one of my cats (Tiny)and I think she likes it :)

The Raft of Halloween
by gyaban

Comment:
All the hallmarks of an image by Christophe but (for me) I'm not sure about the wb on lots of the models though it's probably intended for the theme. Bumping +1 for the creativity.

Halloween Bride
by kasaba

Comment:
Top three for me and a great image. Tthe spider on her chest is a little false looking and need not be there. Bumping +1

Play Me a Polka
by PennyStreet

Comment:
excellent take on the challenge (bumping 1)

Storm Break
by JakeKurdsjuk

Comment:
Dramatic scene and certainly enhanced by the texture overlay (bumping 1)

A memory of a day well spent
by Neat

Comment:
(so far) this is the best of the challenge for me, the texture becomes part of the image rather than just added because its an overlay challenge.

Minimal image but tells a story - bumping to 8