The Guuuuitarist
by terje

Comment:
I like how the dark black background really makes the streaks of light stand out. I can really feel the motion of this shot.

deepth of field
by hossam

Comment:
Good extended depth of field, though I think the lighting on the two boys' faces could use a good boost since the background is lit better than the primary subjects.

Miracle in basic editing
by graphicfunk

Comment:
Very interesting technique. Can't wait to read about it after the challenge :) Nice fast shutter speed to catch the swirling liquid in the glass.

Trainspotting
by labuds

Comment:
VERY cool shot. I love the great star you got out of the light source. I think the red glow is sweet against the black background. Great shot.

Bokeh THIS!
by slindenman

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

General Comments:
I think the idea for this photo is excellent and has great potential for future expansion. I do enjoy the limited depth of field and wide angle that elongates the big lens on the camera.

Lighting:
I enjoy the overall soft lighting on the camera. I wonder if a slightly different lighting setup could toss in a little reflection on the lens to add a touch of color in the dark shadow of the lens hood.

Focus/Depth of Field
Looking at the top rated entries (for whatever it's worth) I see a lot of the subjects were seemingly floating on a soft blurry background. I think this idea you have here could be very interesting if adapted slightly to raise the bold black camera and lens off a blury backdrop. The in-focus wood at the very bottom of the photo doesn't really help to (paraphrased) 'enhance the subject by the bokeh of the background', though I do enjoy the wood grain and perspective it gives as it recedes into the background. I would be interested to see this same wide camera angle shot, maybe with the camera suspended by invisible strings, infront of an interestingly blurred background. Maybe expanding the depth of field just a little so more detail on the camera is sharp in contrast to a blurred background would help.

Composition:
I dig this composition and the perspective of the shot. Turning the camera about 30 degrees right or left and using the same wide angle I think would also be a cool perspective.

Color:
Maybe a little more color in the background would really set off the shape of the dark black camera and lense to help seperate it from the background.

Hope to see more of your work here on DPC :)

Long and Winding Road
by Tranquil

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

General Comments:
I really like this shot. It is a little more busy than I normally enjoy, but I think that all the shadows and lighting are quite appropriate for this challenge since it helps hide the 2 figures on the path. I see some people didn't like the fact you had 2 people instead of just one, but I don't hold that against this shot too much.

Lighting:
I really enjoy the harsh lighting and shadows in this shot. Some of the trees look good semi-silhouetted along the path.

Focus/Depth of Field:
Great sharp focus over the whole photo. I think it serves the shot well since specific focus is normally used to draw attention to a subject within it's environment.

Composition:
I like this composition a lot. The trees leaning out over the trail help dull what could possibly otherwise be a distracting overexposed sky. I like the amount of the path shown, since the shadows in the foreground are interesting, and the two figures are right at the end of the visible path.

Color:
This type of shot screams for black and white, and I think it looks supurb. I agree with your own comments, that color would just be distracting here.

Keep up the good work!
-Daniel

Message edited by author 2005-01-14 06:37:31.

Water Flume
by BAMartin

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club :)

General comments:
This looks like a really fun photo to take. I love the spray of water flying everywhere and the great expression on the person's face. I also like the off-center position of the face to avoid a static shot.

Lighting:
Lighting looks just fine to me here. With this bright lighting here I would be tempted to push the shutter speed even faster than 1/400 if the camera supports it. I might push it to 1/1000th of a second or faster just to grab amazing detail of the water spray. On the other hand, it does give a feeling of motion.

Focus/Depth of Field:
Focus and DoF look alright here too. The slight blurring I see seems to be simply from the motion. A faster shutter speed (mentioned above) would also freeze the shot and retain a little sharper image.

Composition:
I like this composition as it is. The background is a little hard for me to identify or make out, but that is not necessarily bad since it provides very little competition for attention.

Color:
One thing that I think could really provide a spark for this shot is a bright flash of color. I see the splash (hehe... ok, bad pun) of yellow from the raft/innertube (?), but it is a little subdued by the water.

I look forward to seeing more of your entries!
-Daniel

Message edited by author 2005-01-12 11:01:13.

Man's Last Friend
by byshen

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

-General comments
I really like how you hid most of the face of the man so he is much more anonymous. I think that lets the subject of "dog and man" ("man" in a broad sense) shine through. The postures of both subjects are good. I see the dog as looking very strong, and standing by his weary friend, the man. The eye-spots on the dog really help give it life and character. Good strong message in title and photo. My following comments presume this is a setup shot.

-Lighting
I think the lighting is pretty good, though the sign might be a little too white, so it appears relatively clean. Maybe a darker piece of cardboard would leave a tiny bit more focus on the dog and man.

-Focus/DOF
This comment sounds a little strange to me, but I think that a little more grungy looking photo could help the mood and message. The very deep DOF keeps everything quite sharp, though maybe a medium sharpness and some grain/noise could contribute.
(yeah, i know.. "your shot is too well focused" is pretty weird)

-Composition
I think the clothes are fairly convincing (based on some road-side sign holders in Denver CO) though the fence looks pristine. If I could create any background for this shot, I picture him leaning back on a cement wall that might have a splash of grifiti on it. A "weary" looking building might enhance the "weary" man.

One thing I notice is his position looks uncomfortable to hold for very long periods of time (unless he is sitting on something I can't see). Maybe if he was in a position that could be easily held all day he would look more accustomed to being homeless.

-Color
I think the slight blue tint is interesting, and I also think that plain black and white would be good too. The general desaturation of color is what seems to help the dreary feel of the shot.

Very solid entry and great message with relation to the challenge. Good work :)

Message edited by author 2005-01-03 07:07:39.

Weathered Glory
by dartompkins

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

This photo has a lot going for it and I think only one tiny drawback. I'll try to break things down here.

Focus: Good overall focus and depth of field. I especially like the detail of the frayed fabric of the tear in the flag.

Composition: I really like the composition with just the sky in the background. The vibrant blue looks great and doesn't introduce any background distractions. I like the diagonal fit of the flag with just enough of the pole included.

Lighting: The lighting is my favorite part of this shot. I think the bright light brings out great shadows across the rippling fabric. I think that diffuse and even lighting would detract a lot from the definition provided by the shadows. The colors here are absolutely supurb. My only tiny problem with the shot, which can't be helped much using the "basic editing" rules of this challenge, is the dark top left corner. I wouldn't want to cut out much of the pole if at all possible, but I think maybe cropping off just 1cm on the left side of the shot wouldn't detract much, but would get rid of most of the dark corner. (I know... isn't that a petty thing to notice?... but hey, I don't see much else to pick on ;-) )

Overall: This is one of the very top flag shots because of the amazing colors, great composition (without a distracting background) and sharp shadows caused by the hard lighting. Good job!

Refreshing Twist
by KaDi

Comment:
I like the partial silhouette of the face and hand against the white background. The lack of colors besides yellow brings good focus to the lemon slices in the glass.