Moulting Madrone
by kavamama

Comment:
These are cool trees. I love your capture of the rolling bark, though I wish all the curls were in sharp focus.

Seeking The Light
by autool

Comment:
Very effective lighting. The neg space acts both to frame the subject, but also implies that the plant can reach even outside the frame and into its own mysterious world.

Negative Number?
by JohannesFrank

Comment:
Front and center, the 13 takes the stage and makes the negative space almost invisible, which is an okay choice. I'm sure you've tried moving it to a third. This would allow the negative space to speak beyond the frame of the photo and into this 13's world that we don't see. Different choice, different effect, but perhaps worth experimenting with.

Coffee and light
by e301

Comment:
I like how the neg. space stands mostly between your two objects, adding a sense of mystery as well as some kind of 'connection' between them. Nice lighting. 9

Desolation
by heida

Comment:
I figured you'd be getting a ribbon soon! Great shot and keep up the good work!

Final Sunset
by rcrawford

Comment:
Lookin' good Roger! Congrats on the ribbon!

After the dance
by frisca

Comment:
I love the tones here; very comfortable and inviting. Neg space seems to add mystery to the shot, and communicates that there is more to this world than just the bells. 9

"The Neighborhood Squares"
by christyrack

Comment:
Hi Christy! Greetings from the Critique Club!

I concur with all of the compliments below!

In this shot, i see four children having a good time. Any time you can take a shot of folks having a good time is a worthwhile shot in my book. This shot certainly meets the challenge; right angles are present and easily visible.

The lighting appears quite bright, yet without harsh shadows, so you must have taken the shot during an overcast sky or perhaps in the shadow of some other building. Taking this shot at the time you did paid off with a pleasant highlight/shadow relationship. One thing to look at here may be your color saturation, or simply making the shot darker to capture some inviting tones. It appears slightly washed out from the greens of the grass to the reds of a couple of the shirts. I'm not sure what post processing software you have, if any, but you might want to revisit this shot and punch some of the colors, lower your levels to take down the highlights just a tad and deepen the shadows--or simply make it darker. It may have been just a little overexposed. That's my main suggestion for this shot.

Your composition is good, and I like the high point of view. Someone mentioned the pebbles at lower left, and I suppose they could detract somewhat to some people. Likewise with the curb at upper right.

What you accomplished here outweighs its weaknesses, though. You've captured some kids having a good time, and you met the challenge to boot. The photo exudes joy and happiness and good times. it seems natural, despite the possible call to 'make faces.' It possesses a sense of whimsy, as you meet the challenge, but in a unique and fun way.

Thanks for the look!

If you have questions for me, I'm happy to respond.

David

Morning on the Sonoma Coast
by pncowley

Comment:
i love the rich tones in this image! The fading bluffs in the background and then the neg space imply that this scene continues on and on. Nice. 9

Wasted Space
by Remie

Comment:
The neg. space here makes this factory (?) look very small indeed, and hints at pollution with your title (?), so good meeting of the challenge. The factory lights seem just a bit out of focus, where I would think you'd want that clarity here to contrast wtih the fuzzy sky.