Chestnuts wizard
by Rino63

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.

TECHNIQUE
Colors are vivid and eye catching. Is that selective desaturation? It's an effective method. The subjects really stand out. On my monitor it looks as though it may be a bit over processed, as in a little too much USM. Not bad though and it doesn't really detract.

COMPOSITION
I like the composition. The subject is evidently the owner of the stand, waiting for a customer. Or, since he's resting his hand on the motorbike, maybe he's the customer, waiting for the proprietor to return? The brightly colored signs lend interest, as does the no parking sign just behind the bike (irony). The man's facial expression is apparent, with that slightly bored or distracted sidewise glance. I like his paunchy appearance too. As a matter of personal preference, I would have liked to see the human subject emphasized a bit more in the composition, but that's a taste matter. I think it's effective as shot too.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
It's a pleasant image that has attractive technical merits, but it does not have a strong emotional punch. Sometimes a nice shot is enough though.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Your score of 6.0 shows that the voters appreciate the simple goodness of this shot. Some nice comments that caught a few of the same points I raised. All in all a good score, I think, for a good shot.

Candid cyclist
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.

TECHNIQUE
It strikes me pretty quickly that the contrast in this photo is pretty low. There are a few black blacks and white highlights, but the overwhelming impression is a lot of gray. Focus is also soft throughout, which can be fine if it is serving a compositional purpose, but I can't see any intent or reason.

COMPOSITION
There are seven people visible in the shot, and several environmental elements. Let's discuss. Three people face the camera and three have their backs to the camera (we'll ignore the person second from the left since she's almost completely obscured). Any of the three people on the left are potentially interesting subjects. The bike rider looking off to his left, the two guys walking show interesting facial expressions and could be fascinating candid studies. The problem is, there's no compositional emphasis on any of them. All three are relatively equally emphasized by placement, and none fills the frame enough to dominate the emotional landscape. Likewise the people walking away. Interesting looking folks, but again, no clear subject emerges. The environmental elements; the newspaper machine, the window sign, the crosswalk sign: all are interesting but again, none seems to rise to the level of subject. What was your intent in snapping the pic? Did you want to tell a story or suggest a creative storyline? The picture doesn't really suggest anything to me other than people on a street. Imagine the difference now, if the bike rider was clearly in the foreground and the others were background. The eye would be drawn naturally to him, maybe his placement in frame would emphasize his facial expression or mood. Stories begin to leap to mind. The composition presented here has too many elements with none appearing dominant, and the resulting photo seems to lack a clear purpose or any overall logic tying all the elements together.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
There is some emotional connection suggested here, just because people are always interesting subjects, but the lack of a clear compositional clarity or logic hurts this photo. After seeing this photo and looking away, there are no enduring images or details that stick in my brain and make me think.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I can tell by your title that the rider was your intended subject, but I never would have guess this from the photo alone. Your score of 4.8 suggests that DPC voters were similarly unmoved by the photo and probably did not spend much time lingering. Some commenters did mention the walk sign as a possible item of interest, but without your working to make it the subject, it didn't really emerge from the mix. Some also mentioned the technicals (contrast and exposure). Think about what you want your viewer to walk away with. Make a clear and interesting subject emerge from the mix of elements.

I really enjoyed the chance to study your photo in detail. I hope something in my comments was useful.

The Crossing Guard
by Coley

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.

I recall looking at this one after the challenge concluded and am happy to have a chance to inspect it closely!

TECHNIQUE
Technique shows considerable effort. The focus is sharp and the motion blur on the background participants creates a striking contrast. Your exposure created a dilemma though, since capturing sufficient motion also required the sky be pretty overblown. I wonder if this is what prompted your decision for BW or if that was pre-planned. I'm assuming it was planned since that seems to enhance the mood.

COMPOSITION
As always for your shots, you've spent considerable effort and paid close attention to the composition. I think the blurred participants are maybe just a bit too blurred. A tad shorter exposure maybe would have left them fuzzy and impersonal, but a bit more recognizable as individuals, but retained the feel of anonymity. Your intent is evident, but I wonder if you considered moving in on your Reaper a bit and bringing him to the fore with the blurred pedestrians forming more of a background? Just playing let's pretend; your composition was well thought-out and the purpose is evident.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
The busy street scene with moving people, speeding cars, and the rock-steady grim reaper form a scene of great interest, dynamic movement, and instant tension. You manage to provoke your viewers to question, and your title adds a bit of tension relief; Ah! Suggestive of the wait for the inevitable auto-person collision and then assisting the victim to the great beyond. It's an unusual shot that invites speculation and inspection.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Nice score and great comments. ;-) I'm surprised the DPC crowd didn't pound you for the blown sky, but at least a few let you know you were shoe-horning a shot into the supposedly "candid" street challenge. Keep shaking them up Coley. Nice job. I enjoyed the chance to study yet another of your creative efforts!

Sunset on Lake Superior
by ti_evom

Comment:
I missed voting this challenge but this shot goes into my faves. Lake Superior geology holds a dear place in my heart. This reminds me of similar shots all over the Apostle Islands. Great shot and well with the trip, IMO!

Toyota Pruis
by ScooterMcNutty

Comment:
I'm a big fan of Toyota and the Prius (note spelling), but this abstraction just doesn't do it for me.

Magnificent Power
by Structor

Comment:
And a magnificent image! Great sense of composition and drama.

A little peice of Africa
by Kaizer

Comment:
A little too static. The dark foreground would have benefitted from having something to draw the eye and give the image a focal point.

Sculpture Elementaire
by Imagineer

Comment:
Beautiful image. Great sense of composition. The foreground geology is far more interesting and pretty than a simple sky shot with crepuscular rays that many people would have been tempted to capture. Nicely done!

Wedgemount Lake
by option

Comment:
Beautiful landscape and reflection. To put it over the top though, it needs to have some foreground object of interest though - branch or tree, a boat, a person, etc. Something to draw the eye and provide a focal point. It's nice as is, but not a knockout.

Dune de Pyla
by Imagineer

Comment:
Very nice Jon, well deserved ribbon!