coffee culture
by whiteroom

Comment:
I understand you were going for the over-processed feel here, but this picture, to me, seems... over-processed. :)

SOMETHING is crying out to be in focus, and here about all that looks reasonably in focus is the spoon sticking out of the right side of the saucer.

I think this is a great scene, I just wish I could see more of it.

Homemade coffee = priceless!
by TOY

Comment:
Initial reaction: This is a nice photo of a calm and happy scene.

Technically, the exposure is right for the forground subjects, but as a result blows out the highlights outside the window. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except that the top bit of the glass is also blown out, which for me, detracts a lot from the subject. The reflection of the camera in the pot is a lot less than I expected it would be when I first looked at this picture, but is still a lot more than would be preferred. Also, the straw/stirrer in the coffee cup should either be removed altogether or included entirely. Cropped as it is, it leads the eye too far out of the frame and leaves me searching for the "rest of it."

Focus and DOF, sharpness, color and crop are great... just wish you had filtered down that outdoor light a little bit! :)

Good job on a plesant photo.

Pourable Breakfast with a Side of Sunshine
by Coral

Comment:
I totally miss the connection with "coffee shop" on this image... in fact I don't even know what I'm looking at here.

On technical merit the edges of the pear/spoon thing suffer some jagged edges (probably from JPEG). Perhaps Neat Image could get rid of those. Also, the halo in the top of the pear thing is distracting. In fact, the entire giant white blob in the lower center of the picture distracts from the main focal point, though I can also see why you framed this the way you did, it adds a lot of impact.

Into the Sea of words
by Willtorecord

Comment:
Very interesting scene, just bustling with energy. I like the composition, and the sepia, usually way over done, actually works for me on this picture. However, the image suffers technically from JPEG over compression, digital noise, or something else that makes everything look blocky and jagged. Look at the bottom of the "WITTENB..." sign and the guy's chin. Neatimage, and/or Unsharp Mask will usually clean this up to some degree.

de-sat not de-caf
by tenfrozentoes

Comment:
In my opinion the de-sat doesn't add anything to this picture. There's no action or emotion in this photo, it doesn't try to tell any story. Technically it's well composed and focused, and the DOF is right on for the desired effect. There's just no "wow factor" to me on this photo.

enjoy a starbucks
by chris_23

Comment:
This photo suffers mightly from lack of focus and a red cast from the lights inside the store.

High-Quality H2O
by Commando303

Comment:
Not very exicting, this shot...

The contrast between the edge of the glass and the black background is so strong that the camera couldn't reproduce it well, leading to the jagged edge along the left side. Not so good. You did do a good job with focus and sharpness, and I imagine exposure was tricky for this as well. The subject is very well lit.

An interesting macro study, but just not very "Wow!". Sorry.

Wine Red
by RobotBanjo

Comment:
An interesting shot... and I think I know how you did it... :)

Technically well done, composition is spot on, focus, depth of field, tone and color are all good. Technically a very well done photo.

But... There are a lot of distractions in this photo. Bubbles where they don't belong, ripples, splashes, all things that take away from the main point of the image. Understandably hard to avoid, but essential to correct in order for this to be a really remarkable picture. A good overall effort though.

Looking in for Parts
by neophyte

Comment:
Saw this in one of the forums...
I like this photo on an expressive level. It documents something that most people don't see. The conversion to B&W was a good choice, because it adds to the 'grit' of the scene.

There's something slightly off about the composition, though I can't say I know right off the bat how to fix it. I'd have to play around with the original. My best idea just looking it is to do a tighter crop so that only the three guys with their backs to the camera are in the shot. I think there's a conflict for focal point, between the guys in the foreground and the guys looking into the front of the tent.

There's something to be done with the bike parts on the ground too, but I just can't put my finger on what it is. Were these guys willing participants? I've found that if I'm working with a subject that allows me to take pictures from several different angles, the one that works best is usually not the one I tried first.

Overall I'm not suprised that it didn't get a ribbon, but I am suprised it didn't place higher than it did.

Coffee break
by dzone1

Comment:
The greenish color cast makes this photo very hard to look at. It's awfuly busy and doesn't really tell a story. The countryside looks very pretty, perhaps if you had posed the guy in the bed of the truck with the mountains behind him, or something like that...