Extreme Groove
by itripn

Comment:
Critique Club

Initial thoughts
Unusual image, focus drawn strongly to alien-face spectrum.

Composition/ Content
In terms of content, I can't say that strumming a guitar puts me in mind of Extreme Action though I do like the way the image shows movement so clearly.
The diagonal lines of the strings work well above the semi-circular edge of the hole. The organic shape of the hand contrasts nicely with both.
In terms of composition, whilst I do like the idea of having a bit of negative space at the bottom the balance doesn't work for me here. I think losing a good chunk off the bottom and showing more of the hand at the top would be more pleasing in terms of composition. As it is, it feels a touch top heavy to me (because the top is where all the interest and detail is). I think you can get away with having less detail at the top of an image than at the bottom - bottom heavy always seems to feel less out-of-kilter than top heavy.
I don't know whether it's intentional but my focus is very quickly and permanently drawn to the alien-face. This means my eyes spend less time appreciating the rest of the image and only look there because I'm deliberately assessing it. Using a regular, plain spectrum would reduce this tendency to focus on the alien's "eyes" and may lead to a more natural movement of the eye around the entire frame.

Presentation
I like your choice to present this in black and white. I think it really allows the lines and curves to come through. It also means there's no conflict between the fleshey tones of the hand and the colour of the polished wooden guitar. The border is simple enough not to interfere hugely with the photograph itself.

Camera Work - Technical
Nice choice of shutter speed to produce just the right amount of motion blur and detail. Nice range of tones within the image.

Fits The Challenge
Not very well, no.

Message edited by author 2005-04-22 12:42:15.

Zac Johnson
by jmsetzler

Comment:
Excellent portrait. Works well in warm-toned black and white. Like the viewpoint - not quite face on but still connecting directly with the viewer. Shallow DOF throwing the background out also makes the image more intimate. Really makes me want to meet this person.

Framed
by Chez

Comment:
Great use of light, shadow, tone and form to create a really striking and unusual portrait. This image really draws me into the subject.

disc o' light
by ursula

Comment:
WOW! Clever! Took me a moment to work out what I was looking at and I'm not sure I understand the connection between the light bulb and CD which may be why this didn't score more highly but it's a nice abstract, nicely done.

Nerd
by Gordon

Comment:
Much fun! Such a quirky portrait and the unusual viewpoint works well!

Sunsets R Us!
by Artifacts

Comment:
Nice! The cactus is a strong silhouette subject though I find the rest of the foreground silhouette a bit messy/ scrappy - doesn't quite work for me in terms of composition/ balance. Great strong colours in that sky though!

A Most Unusual Pet
by debitipton

Comment:
How wonderful! JUST got back from a trip where we saw these splendid creatures in abundance. Aren't they adorable? Nice detail in the fur!

Swingset
by Skip

Comment:
This is fun and funky and works pretty strongly to convey that weird sense of motion that one enjoys on a swing. Nice job!

50mph at 1/45 sec.
by Jason

Comment:
Nice pan and like the contrast between background colours/ light and the car itself. Title doesn't really do much for the image.

Perfect Line
by peecee

Comment:
That is sooo funny but also very nicely done. Feels to me like the roll should be just a touch further to the right within the frame but composition is strong as is too.