Vegas Ballet
by Lavoros

Comment:
This is a subtle and beautiful nude. I wish the title were different, because there is a quietude and solitude to the photo that the title belies.

beauty
by hanneke

Comment:
I notice you have chopped off half her head so that we might better enjoy her cleavage. The choice gives dynamism to the composition; but it also makes me a little sad. There is a kind of gritty sensibility to the light and texture - especially in the arm and that enhances the treatment. I do wish the two spots on the neck were cloned out, because that is where my eyes go. Not only do I miss the one lively eye, but I cannot even be compensated properly by the other assets. Despite my long list of quibbles, it is a very strong photo.

Grrr
by TaylorM

Comment:
"D**n! wrong challenge."

Shutup and Model
by Dirtypainter

Comment:
Hi David,
Greetings from the Critic's Club.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Your model has an absolutely wonderful "girl next door" look with a warm smile. The lighting is strong and produces a solid technical rendering of the model.

COMPOSITION AND LIGHTING: While I like the model, the treatment produces in me a sense of confusion about the purpose. Fishnet stockings convey the message dark, mysterious, sexy, coy. The shirt conveys a kind of straight-up business sense with an ironic twist. The model produces a third sense, one of fun and openness. So it was easy to be confused about what to think. There are a lot of graphic designers at the site who are trained to look for a coherent message, and I think this hurt the score. In a narrow technical sense the lighting is good, but it fails to either create a strong mood or flatter the model. I observe that portraits with more oblique and moody lighting fared much better in this competition.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE & EDITING: The photo is clear, crisp, evenly illuminated, and well exposed. The crop is quite sensible. Technically it is very good. I suspect that the short focal length lens exaggerated the size of the knee and I think this was a minor problem.

OVERALL: I believe this is a much better photo than the rating might suggest. It is sometimes difficult to anticipate what idiom voters will be expecting for a challenge, and I suspect that the biggest single problem with this photo was that it did not fit the expected idiom.

I hope you find my opinion helpful.
Good Luck,

Steve Brubaker

Lady Impala
by gsal

Comment:
We are talking BOKEH. Wow. The texture in the impala makes it pop right out of the photo.

book eh?
by betelgeuse

Comment:
Snap guide to photography, very funny.

Japanese Silver Grass
by emayner

Comment:
I like this a great deal. The simple contrast of textures and the contrast of golden sunlight and silvery blue shade works really well. I wonder whether you considered changing the hue and saturation of the golden light.. It seems to me this photo might look good in gold and sliver.. or copper and silver.

Beautiful Bokeh
by Paige

Comment:
The lighting, the gaze, exquisite.

Inside the Crowd
by lucas

Comment:
I would love to see this photo edited so that more of the dynamic range was expressed; I like the idea of a sort of almost-indistinguishable sea of people. (Kind of like the Poe story The man in the Crowd.) I think much could be done with curves and levels to improve it. I also thingk it might look good in B&W or duotone. As it is,it is too dark and blurry, even if that is the intent.

Softness, Sharply
by slugsgomoo

Comment:
Raxor sharp focus on the subject. ( I guess you get that a lot.) Ironicaly, it feels cluttered to me, probaly because of the vine or stringy thingy.