Private Oasis
by mattrix

Comment:
Greetings From the Critique Club!

Initial Impact: wow thats a lot of cantrast... hmm breaking new ground.

Does it meet the challenge? Yes I would Have to say it does while it's not ground breaking the long exposure time and wide anngle lens are by no stretch of the imagination commonly used in this type of shot. However I would not have been able to tell what was so ground greaking without quite a bit of time and effort looking at the shot. I feel this may have hurt not ony this shot but most of shots in this challenge.

Focus: while the water and pool wall have a very nice focus the trees seem to be a bit fuzzy on the trunk. The leaves I would have expected due to the wind.

Colors: very very very nice colors and textures in the water. I absolutly love the effect the long exposure time had in this area. The colors and very deep and smooth. The sky however is burned out. I would not count this against the shot however. I don't think you could not burn it out with such a long exposure time. The trees also seem to have a bit much contrast.

Balance: The photo apears to be pretty well balanced. I have no complaints with the composition.

recomendations: Saturate the shy a little, Dodge and burn the trees a bit. I feel this was a very good shot and not much improvement is needed.

Overall: Great shot with a few minor dislikes (I can't even say flaws due to the technique). I like this shot and I feel the the results you managed to get with the water are well worth the sacrifices you will have to make elsewhere in the photo. I feel that this was not only ground breaking, but also a usefull technique. Keep up the great work!!

Tristalisk

Sarah's Senior Prom
by emorgan49

Comment:
For me the sky being blown out mixed with the high light on the forehead just realy hurt a wonderfull shot. The two together cause the model to have no definable forhead. I think a filter or softer lighting would have brought this up to an image I could easily have givin around an 8. As is with the hash highlites a cant go above saying this is a pretty average shot...

Sweet baby
by Nuno

Comment:
while technicaly a great image I found a few aspect I didn't care for in the shot. The largets being the selective desatration. While I am a huge fan of the style, I feel that choosing the pacifier as the object of intrest was not the best choice. Such a soft baby in a heartining seen with its mother. Then theres this huge pink pacifier leaping out at you. I think that the blanket or perhaps the baby would have been better choices for leaving color. Othe rhtan that the lighting is good the focus is great. The scene works well and dosn't feel like a snapshot. Other than the pacifier I would have to say this is a great shot....

Marilyn Dreams in High Key
by KDO

Comment:
while I can appresiate a good High key shot. I feel that this one is slightly out of focus and a bit too washed out. This was a wonderfull concept but I think that you lost too much in going hight key.

Twilight Barrier
by Brad

Comment:
Aw bummer I thought I had a good shot. But it's shots like this one that bring me to realize I havn't yet managed it. This shot is an inperational shot that shows how flawless and lovely a shot can be with just the addition of somthing as siple as a net. Without the net this might have been a 5 or six. But just adding a simple net you managed to win one of my tightly hel 10. Great shot keep up the wonderfull work.

I'm hungry!
by ursula

Comment:
had this not been a copycat piece I would ave gone with a 10. While not origal I must admit it apears to be an even tougher shot. I can imagine it was tough to get the light just right. Still a great shot and well deserving of a high score.

tire in the skywater
by anja

Comment:
while i can't imagine how a shot like this would score in a challenge, I gave you an 8. An old tire. A rope, some dirty water. and an ugly shadow. Not very a very pleasing combination. Or atleast that would have been what I would have said if I hadn't seen the shot. You did a wonderfull job of making garbage look like gold.

Keep up the great work

Brooklyn bridge
by darix

Comment:
I like this shot. It is a very thought provoking peice that gives me a feeling of earlier days when blacks were fighting for there freedom. I'm not sure if this is the feeling you were trying to accomplish, but it works for me.

Staircase Number Six
by RLangs

Comment:
ok after five minutes i'm still stumped. I have no clue what I'm looking at. I would gues it is a hand formed concrete structure to to the imperfect curves. This is truely a dizzyingly wonderfull photo. The lights and shadows are very pleasing to the eye. Keep up the grat work.

Curves
by eiffel

Comment:
WOW I like this shot... is it the inside of a cave? the curves of a piece of cedar. Wonderfull lighing and shadows. Rich colors and very crisp. The lines just curve wonderfully through the entire piece... Great shot.. I hope to see more like it in 2005.