Classic Cat
by WonderDude

Comment by bvy:
Processing is too heavy handed. A car like that needs no help standing out.

Downtown Sunset
by WonderDude

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Ouch, coming in 2nd from last...been there, done that, not much fun. I think in this instance you may not have realize what 'painting with light' is, and when you look at the homepage you realize it's the controlled use of light to enhance a subject, whether it is with a flashlight or tiny LEDs.

Still this is quite a good cityscape-at-sunset shot, and I do find my eye going from the neon sign to the tree on the right and then up to the setting sun. It has a dreamy feel to it, but sadly not a painted light feel :-/ This is one of those learning-curve challenges, so hopefully next time a painted light challenge is announced you have an idea as to what to shoot for.

Hope this helps, please keep shooting and entering!

Susan

Fireworks At The Space Museum
by WonderDude

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Daniel, my most sincere apologies for not congratulting you sooner on this shot - and your first ribbon to boot! Very well caught, great comp, even the lights at the bottom don't beat out the fireworks for attention. The rocket draws it all together and you got nice colour drift to the right of the fireworks, and of course the iconic red/white/blue.

Now just go out there and keep shooting and entering challenges, glad to see you doing so well!

((hugs)) Susan

Fireworks At The Space Museum
by WonderDude

Comment by Lydia:
Oh! Nicely done!

Fireworks At The Space Museum
by WonderDude

Comment by hkpdso:
Nice location and fireworks color choice

The Bridges of Madison County
by WonderDude

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I think this is one of your best entries, Daniel. Lovely tones, very sharp, great colours, you obviously took care with the subject matter choice, comp and framing and of course used a tripod so you could use absolutely bang-on settings. Love the texture in the clouds, looks like a thunderstorm coming or going and the sky lightening in its wake. And scoring 22/105 in a Free Study is pretty decent!

Keep up the good work, please keep shooting and entering.

Susan

Distorted Panorama Matrix ...must be 2 - 5 images wide and 2 - 5 images high
by WonderDude

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

*scratching head* I don't really get what Jake is on about, honestly I do not see the warped distortion - and it's shot with a fisheye which is the epitome of warped distortion!

Great exposure and tones, looks like a lot of thought went into where you were going to shoot, when and how...and I think it worked beautifully. Nice and crisp, lots of detail. Perhaps b/w might have come across in a more powerful fashion. I would attribute the low score less to the actual image and perhaps more to the challenge suggestion description - it's probably just a little too technical to actually become a real challenge.

Hope this helps

Susan

Now where's did that designated driver go?
by WonderDude

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Daniel, this isn't as bad a shot as you think it is. Especially as this was a Minimal editinhg challenge, the exposure is pretty good - no blown hihglights, no areas of pure flat blackness. I just wish that a) the Dutch angle weren't quite so extreme, and b) that there were a human element in the pic to draw us in. A city shot like this in particular should have at least some people in the frame. Maybe pack along a tripod, set yourself up for a long exposure and catch cool shots of half-blurred people as they walk through...just an idea!

Hope this helps

Susan

Faux Autumn
by WonderDude

Comment by ciaeagle:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

What a beautiful location indeed! I am always a sucker for tree-lined roads or trails, so it is rather fitting that your image wind up with me (and for my first critique too!).
The road and lines of trees definitely draw the eye to the sun and illustrate that you did meet the challenge criteria for contre-jour. The backlight from the sun lends a warm glow to the vibrant autumn colors and the blue sky helps balance out what might have been a whole lot of orange. I’m not a huge fan of the sun-spot-circle, as its size and opacity are a bit distracting from the overall scene. Yet, there is something appealing about that full circle … maybe it’s a portal to another dimension?

In terms of the “faux autumn” processing … overall it seems to work well. I am wondering if the processing might have compromised some of the details though. Some of the grass and leaves on the left look a little chunky to me but that could also be an effect of the bright light from the sun. Just an observation as this does not detract much from the shot at all. Nicely done! If you need me, I’ll be following the road off into the sunset.

~Cia

Faux Autumn
by WonderDude

Comment by gipper11:
This is a very nice photograph, I like the composition and the color scheme.