At The Fishermans Capen
by Krisby

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

Camera Work/Technical: Great focus on the subject, especially considering the slow shutter. Slowing the shutter gives a nice, soft feel to the water. Your tonal range here is also very, very nice.

Lighting: Could not have been better. There are no distracting highlights or harsh shadows. You did a great job with this natural light exposure.

Composition/Content: A little bothersome. As others have said, the cropping is a bit too tight. Chopping the hands off almost always looks accidental rather than intentional. I'd also like to see the camera position shifted to the fight a bit and the field of view opened up to contain more of the waterfall and the cabin.

My Opinion: While it may be an environmental portrait, it is not immediately obvious. My view of this challenge was capturing someone immersed in their work or play while posed and looking at the camera. I think that this one would have scored better with the subject doing something, but pausing to glance at the camera for a capture. I hope this helps out.

Breaking the New Horse
by collie65

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, always try to include some info about the shot in the Photographer's Comments section. It really helps out when we know what the photographer was thinking and what equipment/lighting/etc. were used, especially when you request a critique. Secondly, always try to use the full 640 px parameters that DPC allows. Smaller images lose detail and tend to do poorly with scoring.

Camera Work/Technical: As far as I can tell with the small posting, the focus and WB are where they should be. It also looks like you did a good job with exposure control in an obviously harsh lighting situation.

Lighting: Harsh, but handled very well. I think that this one would benefit from early morning or either late afternoon lighting. This would help reduce some of the shadows and even out the lighting over the subject.

Composition/Content: The fence really hurts the composition, but I understand that it is necessary for your safety. It's just a bit distracting. I do like the positioning of the cowboy, but I'd rather see the business end of the horse.

My Opinion: You were on the right track here. It looks more like an environmental snapshot than an environmental portrait. I'd like to see more of the cowboy and have him looking at the camera with a set expression. I think this one scored pretty close to its potential,

Oregon 420
by vikas

Comment:
Hey there from the Critique Club

First off, congrats on your highest scoring photo to date and a well-deserved top 20 finish.

Camera Work/Technical: Nice exposure control and a great clear focus. I am going back and forth as to whether or not I like the hand with the motion blur. I think that you could have achieved the same feel with a quicker shutter.

Lighting: The lighting is one of my favorite elements in this photograph. Everything is evenly lit and evenly exposed. There are no areas of harsh shadows or blow highlights, and no detail was lost anywhere.

Composition/Content: Great subject, but the composition feels a little too tight for me. I think his missing right elbow and the chopped off guitar neck force the viewer's eye out of the frame and compete for too much attention. The elbow does this a bit more than the leading neck.

My Opinion: A well-deserved high finish. This was one of the better environmental portraits in the challenge, and the voters showed the same thought. I think by altering the composition a bit, this one would have poked its way into the top 10.

Relapse
by cutlassdude70

Comment:
I see the failure very well, but I'd like to see a bit different composition. The depth of field is nice, but centering the focus really leaves nowhere for the viewer's eye to go.

Flipped
by vtruan

Comment:
He's doing it wrong! I really like this one, and it was actually the exact idea that I had. I just didn't get to make the 4 hour ride up to the river. Nicely seen and very well captured. The composition is excellent and the crisp, stopped motion is spectacular. This is one of my top 10 in the overall challenge, and it should finish pretty well.

escape from the truth..
by Chinhyuk

Comment:
Interesting composition and great exposure, but I do not get the failure in this one. I like the intentional tilt, as it really serves well to lead the viewer around the frame.

An End to those Rubix Failures
by lucienaw

Comment:
I like the flame shot, but I don't feel the failure here. The WB you chose gives a very nice, warm, moody feeling and your focus is nice.

Failure To Communicate
by SherwinJames

Comment:
Nice composition and a very interesting way to present failure. I think that it works very well. It seems like your focus is a hair off, and it's definitely time to clean that sensor.

They got me!!! Won't make it to the line
by marcellieb

Comment:
The image looks very pixelated on my monitor. Great sports capture and strong expressions, but I don't really get a sense of failure. It seems like just a small portion of a much longer game.

Going Downhill Fast
by e301

Comment:
Great toning and interesting composition, but I think that I would have lest the man out of the frame. His direction of travel really leads the viewer right out of the frame with anticipation of his next step.