Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by AutumnCat:
The bird is beautiful - sharp focus. Lighting might be a little harsh. However, the treatment for the person holding the bird - including the green hand just doesn't work or appeal to me.

View From The Stairs
by joyinlight

Comment by SJCarter:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First of all, let me say that I think your entry perfectly meets the Challenge. You've used a naturally occurring obstacle (the slats of a blind) to bring the viewers' focus to the flowers visible.

I like the colors you've chosen and the post-processing effort to ismaintain this color bias. The blues offset the purples & magenta tones of the flowers quite nicely.

The crop is also quite good (IMHO). You manage to provide enough of an "overall"appearance through the available sightholes, so that it only accents the emphasis you obviously planned.

I think one thing that actually detracts from your entry is the almost surreal illusion of color broadcast from outside. Your post-processing emphasizes the blues & purples, but almost leaves out the other colors completely. While this can be an artistic choice, I'm not sure (IMHO) that it works in this particular instance. I think you have more than enough depth and composition to support the work without relying on simple tricks. (Please don't get me wrong, I think this is still a very strong entry & shot on its own.) I am just trying to convey the feeling that this particular image brings to my mind.

All interpretations are just that... individual interpretations. And you'll have to come to grips with the fact that (and trust me, I'm still kicking and screaming!), that it's YOUR OPINION that matters most. Oddly enough, when an artist feels strongly enough about his/her work, then the quality shines through in ways that even the artist didn't anticipate.

I'm no expert, but I think overall you have a very nice shot. The lighting & cropping are good. It meets the challenge very well. And I like the fact that it's a "pleasant" image that lies beyond the borders of the window slats.

Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by aKiwi:
Beautiful picture of the bird. It would definitley benefit from being alone in the picture in my opinion

Heavenly Construct
by joyinlight

Comment by graphicfunk:
A capture that invited the beauty of the sky. Bumping up.

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by Kavey:
Absolutely great detail on the bird - I can see the feathers so clearly, and wonderful colour too. I really don't like the artificial way that the focus has been taken away from the person holding and kissing the bird at all though. Also, I don't like the way that the background seems to have been painted over with yellow and orange. There are also some strange artifacts in that yellow and orange area on the left.

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by Xilebo:
This is really nice, love the way the human is so blurred, wonder how you did that!!!

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by LevT:
interesting idea. strange bulge of the"bird selection" on the right side of the bird ?

Heavenly Construct
by joyinlight

Comment by Paul Hakimata:
It sure looks high!!!

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by bandit:
Very cute! Good luck.

Kiss for Houdini
by joyinlight

Comment by jmoore:
it would have been better to have you person holding the bird regular tone. It is kinda creepy like this.