Placebo
by meyers

Comment:
I love the idea. Technically - it's a shame you cut off the woody's toe, and I think there might be a tad too much negative space at the top (even though it does work with the message of the image, but I'd maybe cut off slightly more).

Hmm, yes, I see how this might offend the more religious... It genuinely took me a minute to figure out why it would offend anyone.

The bits of spirituality I can personally make sense of do not involve interventionist deities. And I don't think I that makes me that different from a lot of Christians. And the argument goes as follows:

The definition of a placebo is something like 'a substance that has no physical effect, but is given to patients because the belief in it helps them heal.' Now, this is still compatible with a religious person's point of view. The prayer doesn't have to have a physical effect, rather, it's the power of belief that helps people heal. I don't think that's a radical statement. Maybe some people do believe that God physically alters their body and heals them when they pray to him, and they would indeed be offended, but I would've thought the bulk of religious people were less literal-minded, and willing to concede that prayer and belief works in a more roundabout way than that - it's the belief rather than a genuine physical interaction that makes it work. Therefore it's a classic placebo, whether God exists or not.

Hmm, except I suppose it does depend on your starting definition of a placebo. But starting with the one above, the photo is only really countering the beliefs of a minority (people who believe in an interventionist god), and even then should be considered insightful rather than hateful - it could be used as a starting point for a discussion on the nature of God. Does God literally help you? Or does he help you help yourself?

But then, as an atheist scientist, I'm gonna say that...

Enchained
by Haneck

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Why did it score horribly? It's subtle, delicate and artistic, and you've commited the grand DPC sin of soft focus, punishable by a sub-6 score. Those are all reasons. It's not obvious, sharp and jumping out with colour, and I bet you haven't even used Neat Image - how dare you!

As for the actual image itself:
Absolutely beautiful. I love the composition, the darkness all around, the way the chain fades away gradually. The fact that you can't see the girl's face adds to the mystery, and I really like the white trail in the bottom right corner - it looks sort of cloaklike, as if the girl is shrouded by the night. The image looks delicate, emotional and full of secrets.

I could tell you how to get a higher score. But that would be a silly thing to do. I'd rather leave you to capture beauty.

Jelena

The Gothic Chain
by librodo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

I think this is a fantastic shot (I gave it a 7 during voting).

I have a certain personal connection to the subject matter. I spent a number of my teenage years wearing black, spikes, fishnets and heavy eye make-up, and going to school every morning with almost exactly that particular defiant look. I love the fact that this photo manages to capture the entire complex goth culture attitude in a single image - it's that angry, misunderstood, but also confident look, the determination to defend your own choices. The simple red pattern and the pale face work very well for this too - the image has that kind of harsh but appealing aesthetic that a lot of beautiful goths have.

My objection to the composition would be that I'd prefer the girl at the back to be slightly further to the left of the picture - as it is, they're sort of blending together, and there's a bit too much empty space to the left. Otherwise, the distance is just right, the DOF works well, and both the girls' expressions are perfect.

The presence of the other girl is interesting, and sort of unexplained. It could be a friendship, where they both belong to the same underground culture. It could almost be a master/slave thing, but the photo doesn't really have that vibe to it. I think my favourite interpretation is this one:
The girl at the back is a sort of possible world variant of the girl at the front. If she did her hair differently, dressed differently, conformed more to society's images of what she ought to be, she could be that girl. But she's not. And the image could thus be expressing defiance, with the girl saying: look what I could be. I could be what you want me to be, but instead this is the way I am. I've made my choice - I've chosen to be me.

There's all sorts of possibilities you can come up with actually...

But anyway, I think this is a great image. And it's nice to see that you're experimenting. (you know your usual style works. it's good to try new things for a bit instead)

Well done, and PM me if you have any questions.

Jelena

Heavy Lifting
by aubilenon

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

Cool picture with interesting colours.

I really like the way the orange and black frame the shot, I think it works really well. The black specks on the orange surface work really well too. I like the POV - while you can definitely tell the photo meets the challenge, at the same time it's not just an ordinary picture of a chain, which is good.

Things you could have improved:
I don't think the DOF works that well - I don't like the fact that the chain gets blurry near the top. Although looking at the settings you used, I can't actually explain why it is blurry... But then, I know very little about aperture, and almost nothing about macro lenses.
Also, as someone pointed out already, the shadow is a bit distracting.

Post-processing wise: the shot is very orange. I think that works well for the framing, but the chain itself seems a bit too warm. Since this is advanced editing, you could selectively desaturate the chain slightly, and that might improve the shot overall.

Anyway, well done on an interesting shot. Message me if you have any questions.

Jelena

Does SIZE matter?
by JuliBoc

Comment:
Oh yeah baby. That's what I'm talking about. There's a real man :p

Landscape looking west through my living room window.
by cathysapp

Comment:
Nice place to live :) Looks familiar, it's not Akureyri, is it? Probably not.

lone windmill
by ralton

Comment:
Beautiful clouds!

Snowy Morning Mates
by Cuddles

Comment:
Aww, I feel sorry for the left out one in the corner :(
Good picture, nice personification.

Mount Nemo
by Strikeslip

Comment:
How dramatic! I love the diagonal of trees, and the detail in the fields beyond.

Fields
by birkin

Comment:
Elegant sweeping curves. The clouds are nice and dramatic too.