MotorCycle
by TheStick

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

I didn't vote in this challenge so this is the first look I've had at your image. My first impression is that I like the balance of the three images, as the center image of the gages really help tie the top and bottom images together. However, the three images aren't really that sharp and the top one looks distorted somehow. Reading through the comments you received, many of the voters agreed.

Reading through your process steps I noticed that you intentionally added blur to this image. Was this part of a post processing style you were trying to emulate or an attempt to soften the sharpening artifacts on the engine image?

When I first upgraded my photo editing software to Paint Shop Pro I spent a whole month reprocessing my old images to learn the program. It was the best 30 days away from my camera ever spent. I think you have three very nice images for practicing your post processing skills. I love the composition of these three and hope you will take some time working on them.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Boat House Reflections
by alexjack

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

I didn't vote in this challenge so this is the first look I've had at your image. My first impression is that all three pictures look very nice but the combination of the three doesn't quite look balanced. Reading through the comments you received, many of the voters agreed. This was a good solid entry into this challenge and your score reflects it. I've always like waterfront images and all three of these are nicely captured.

To me, the most logical focal point in the collection is the red boathouse. You captured this boathouse in two of the three images but need to include it in the middle image. If you can go back and re-shoot, I would suggest a straight on shot with the red boathouse in the center to act as a transition between the two perspectives shown in the top and bottom images.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Take your Medicine
by menele

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in this challenge andI really haven�t looked at many of the other entries, so my critique will be based on what I see here and not in comparison to the other images. I like the concept for this image and the color works for me, as it adds interest to the image. However, as noted in the comments you received, the execution could have been a bit better. The biggest area needing improvement is the clarity of the image. I would think a faster shutter speed would help here considerably (20/20 hindsight on my part). Once the bubble clarity is solved, then the composition might be next. This is one of those subjects where it is hard to pin down what is best compositionally. In all likelihood, a simple vertical crop with the subject centered would probably be the strongest composition. There is no need for negative space on either side but some at the top could be useful. Overall, a good try and I hope to see more of your work in the future.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Move
by brendant19

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

Let me start off by congratulating you on your first 6+ score. Way to go!!! Now for the reason I�m here, critique your Rule of Thirds entry. This is one of those images where the technicals are pretty solid except for the lighting being a little harsh on the models chest. The hair does convey the motion indicated by your title nicely; however, the models facial expression doesn�t look comfortable. Then there is negative space on the left side of the image. This is one of those things where some people will love it and some won�t. I think you could have removed most of it and kept the model�s eyes in the rule of thirds node very easily. Would that have improved your score? If so, not by much. You have a very strong entry here, as shown by the score you received. I can see you will be a force to be recognized in future challenges. Congratulations.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Message edited by author 2007-05-05 16:48:04.

Big Boat
by Andres Arango

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in the Rule of Thirds Challenge so this is the first time I�ve looked at your image. My first impression was �The image meets the challenge and the tilt of the boat looks intentional and provides a dramatic affect�. I can tell from coloration of the image that your intent was an artistic conversion of the image you captured. However, as stated in the comments by many of the voters, the focus is really blurry and the post processing looks overdone. I would suggest next time you try to shoot from a moving boat or vehicle that you increase your ISO so you can shoot at a faster shutter speed. This should help the blurry focus issue that this image has.

If you like artistic post processing, I say good for you. However, they don�t score well at DPC and you should get discouraged over a low score if you achieved the effect you were trying for.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Twilight At Lake Logan
by Elliottjms

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in the Rule of Thirds Challenge so this is the first time I�ve looked at your image. My first impression was �The image meets the challenge very nicely but there is a lot of negative space at the bottom of the image that isn�t really contributing to the image�. I think you could have safely cropped the bottom of the image such that the reflection of the big tree was at the bottom rule of thirds node without the horizon looking like it was centered. This would have given the large tree a bigger presence in the image. I do like how you made the trees a nice black silhouette and how the colors look very natural and not over saturated. Overall, I�m glad you found a dominating subject to include in the composition, as the sunset itself is a typical Ohio sunset, not very dramatic (Yes, I live in Ohio). However, the tree is still just a tree and in itself, an average subject for a shot like this. I think you squeezed about as high of score as you could have for the subject matter.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Bubbles of Fun
by JawnyRico

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in the Bubbles Challenge so this is the first time I�ve looked at your image. My first impression was �Wow, this is a fun image�. The joy in the girl�s face is infectious and the lighting and focus are perfect. Obviously, a lot of people had the same impression, as your score was very good on this shot. I think the comments you received sum up the few short comings this image has very well. The horizon looks tilted and the crop needs to be a bit tighter on the girl, as the background is fighting her for attention. With a simple 5 degree rotation counterclockwise and a crop to place her at the right third of the image, the girl and the bubbles take on a stronger presence. A great capture and I�m sure your cousin loves the shot you took of her. Nice job.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Spring Training
by Angadeon

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in the Rule of Thirds Challenge so this is the first time I�ve looked at your image. My first impression is that the image is rather busy and I had to search to find the main subject. Probably what hurts this image the most score wise is that the subject isn�t isolated very well. The two people behind the skaterboarder really diminish the impact of the main subject. However, when you are shooting street shots, it is hard to control the environment around you. The focus on the skater also looks a little soft. Your shutter speed looks more than fast enough for the action in the image, so I�m left to wonder if it was a focusing issue or did you forget to sharpen after downsizing the image for the challenge. If it was the later, try a little Unsharp Mask with a radius of about 1 after downsizing.

Overall, you captured the action of the skateboarder very well and I love the fact that the colors in the image look very realistic. You found a great shooting location and I hope you go back and keep shooting.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Double Bubble Trouble
by marvin

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club:

I didn�t vote in the Bubble Challenge so this is the first time I�ve looked at your image. My first impressions are that the big bubble is so overpowering due to being out of focus that the visual effect of the light reflecting off the small bubble gets lost. What I would suggest is that you crop the image almost in half to remove the left half of the big bubble (Which is primarily negative space) including the bright spot at the top of the bubble. This would help feature the small bubble more and the big bubble would provide a dramatic line through the image from the bottom left corner to the upper right corner. I think the colors and saturation are well done in this image and you might have made to 6 with a different crop.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim

Carnivore
by Geocide

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club,

As your score attests, the post processing of this image is very dramatic and well received. Using the tray from an old toaster was a brilliant idea to help set the mood. Where I think this image falls a little short is related to lighting. The shadows next to the black handles really makes the image look less three dimensional and takes away some of the effect of the post processing. Maybe a reflector or two could have lightened up the shadows a bit. This is a very well done image and a pleasure to review.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding this critique.

Tim