Entrancing
by arpita

Comment:
An absolutely priceless shot. Perfect crop, outstanding job converting to BW. There is a timeless look of innocence in her eyes. Regardless of the position finish, this photo is forever.

A Walk on a Sunny Day
by HRoxas

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost

TECHNIQUE
Technically excellent though I think the colors may be a bit too saturated. They certainly do pop but because of the range of primary colors, it's all a bit overwhelming! Good job handling the exposure with the combination of bright sunlight, blue sky, and vibrant paints.

COMPOSITION
This is where this pic loses some points - for me. The perspective is a little awkward. The angles made by the street/sidewalk lines on the bottom and the building/sky at the top both lead awkwardly and sort of aimlessly to the right side of the photo, not really leading anywhere. I think you may have fallen prey to the temptation to cram too much into one photo. The people walking are competing with the colorful elements of the building itself. What is the intended subject? It probably should be the people. In that case, my advice is to get closer. Get as close as you can, and then move in, as the saying goes. In a perfect world, what would I have done differently? I guess I would have squared up the perspective and isolated a part of the painted mural, maybe the big smiley face at upper left, and then attempted to catch the passersby right as they passed underneath. Or something to that end. Whatever, I think less would have been more in this case.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT
It certainly is colorful, and technically well done, as I said above. However, it seems to lack emotional punch. I think giving the people more of a central role in the photo would have helped in this regard immensely.



Well, people didn't have that much to say during the challenge, but those who commented certainly seemed to appreciate it. Your final score of 5.89 is above average, but I still think this could have been a killer shot if more careful thought and attention had been given to composition. It's certainly a respectable shot and one I hope you're happy with. I certainly enjoyed the chance to study it closely.

Search for Santa
by DARKSIDEJERRY

Comment:
An adorable shot of an adorable little girl. I think this shot would have risen to the "wow" category with a tighter shot of her face and reflection in the window. I'm not sure about the line of lights outside. On the one hand, it gives a "christmas element" to the shot. On the other hand, it cuts the reflection of her face in half!

Observe The Flashers
by jrjr

Comment:
Very, very nice. Very nice. Very, very, very, very nice. And funny. Good job.

:-)

M42, Prime Focus on LX200.jpg
by kirbic

Comment:
Kirbic, in retrospect, it's apparent to me that the problem with this image was the scope operating at f10. That's just too long of a focal ratio to get a decently exposed shot. Bring your focal reducer next time (or borrow one of YRS') and compare the same shot, same parameters at f6.3. I guarantee a better result!

I wish I was driving... on a highway... beneath this graveyard western sky
by fstopopen

Comment:
An absolutely amazing picture. The composition is perfect and the post processing makes it explode off my monitor. Very well done in every way.

He smiles for the camera
by frumoaznicul

Comment:
Some of the best entries to this challenge are people and your photo stands out from the pack. This guy has one heckuva lot of character and personality and you've captured it with this shot. Wonderful crop too. Chopping his hat and forehead really draws my eyes back again and again to this delightfully thick and scratched glasses. There's just enough eye visible to assure me that his smile is genuine and pleased. A wonderful find!

Radial Sunset — December, 2005
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Absolutely amazing capture. One of those pics that you hate to bump down to 640 pix. Perfect crop.

Moon on a Stick
by srdanz

Comment:
Very nicely done!

Oasis
by bkct

Comment:
Too, too small. Please make use of all the 640 pixels you are allowed to use. It's difficult to tell what your shot is. I can see trees and foliage, but beyond that, it's really tough to tell what I'm looking at.