Nature's Legs
by saintaugust

Comment:
I think this is a cool shot. Nice lighting & colors. Nice composition and a very different take on a nature photo.

trees1.jpg
by saintaugust

Comment:
I like the sky & colors of the sky. The photo though doesn't really hold my interest. The trees are not in focus enough to provide much more than a distraction from the nice sky.

tree2.jpg
by saintaugust

Comment:
I think a different crop would work better - getting the sun out of the center of the shot.

Jurassic Park
by saintaugust

Comment:
I like it - I think... But seems to be missing a subject (not being a smartass, it's like I keep looking in the trees for a bird or something).

A candle of hope in the darkness
by maguero

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

First of all, I think this met the Darkness Challenge very well. Yes, candles were a somewhat common theme for this particular challenge, but I think your shot has some very strong merits - separating it from the rest.

I like the detail on/in the candle and the flame itself. The composition is good - except for the fact that the candle's bottom isn't horizontal (I'm sure that this probably detracted from your overall score). Another thing that probably detracted from your score is the background. As some of the other commenters mentioned, the blue & green dots are distracting and there's almost enough shadows to the images in the background to make them out, but not quite. I think a solid black background would have probably done more service to your image.

I like the soft glow that the flame has (as well as the overall pic's soft glow) - that adds a very nice warm touch against the dark background. So, I think you scored some points for "mood" in this piece. You might consider cropping off the bottom portion of the image until the candle's bottom can't be seen - that would eliminate a couple of the issues above.

Overall, though I think it was a strong entry and with just a couple of modifications could have been a contender. Nice work.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions or comments on my feedback. Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy

lurking in the shadows
by zenelf

Comment:
* Greetings from the Critique Club *

Absolutely met the challenge perfectly! I really like this image a lot. Your use of lighting and color was exceptionally well done. The composition is great - although I think you probably could have cropped a little further to the right (allowing more of the scene to be visible - just a touch).

I do have to agree with a couple of the other commenters on the red spot in the middle - that is distracting to me, I think mostly because I don't know what it is. I think it'd be cool if it was a flame, but I really can't distinguish what it is.

Your detail & focus are terrific and the use of reds really brings everything together. It's a very dark/demonic/pagan statue that really intrigues the viewer (I think).

I know that I scored this image highly (8-9 I think), as I remember it vividly from the Darkness Challenge. I think you did a great job all around. You have certainly proven your skills with lighting and mood.

Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have any questions - I feel privileged to comment on this one!

Jimmy

Journey Through Middle-earth
by Joey Lawrence

Comment:
Fantastic job - I was completely fooled into thinking someone had stolen a frame from LOTR. Beautiful job! Never would have guessed it was a cardboard cutout - you hid it well in the mist!

Congrats on another well deserved top 5 finish!

Feeling Proud
by scuds

Comment:
Love the shot - very well done; but like some other commenters below, I don't get the fantasy connection. I think that's probably the only reason why it didn't score higher in the challenge.

Escape
by nico_blue

Comment:
Congrats! WELL deserved blue! Fantastic work!

Metal Tree
by bole

Comment:
Beautiful, simple, & elegant. Nice job! 9