She Wore Pink Shoes
by Herblacklist12

Comment:
Interesting idea. The background has seams in it that kind of make me think it is a skirt or something. Next time you might want to purchase some black velvet or even just some colored paper. The lighting isn't very good. It just looks like you used the flash in your camera. The shoes have shiny hot spots and the color lacks depth.

Eyes to the Sky
by ClickyChicky

Comment:
I'm sure you have probably read this by now, by her eyes are very out of focus. I don't know if it is because of the technique or not, but iher eyes have a very milky, glazed appearance which is exteremlely creepy. A closer look makes me suspect you painted the color in somewhat transparently and this is probably what gives them the unatural appearance. The photo was out of focus to begin with, so it really wasn't the best choice for an entry, particularly a tricky one like this.

Sally (Black and White)
by melismatica

Comment:

Originally posted by cris: Nice Dog portrait. Reminds me of my dog when i was a child. She was a Collie Cross.

Thanks for your comment. This is my mom's Australian Shepherd. She is the littermate of one of my own Aussies, a blue merle named Bijou. The funny thing about Aussies is, in their scrappiness, they do rather resemble crossbreeds. Since their recent acceptance as an AKA breed they are more commonly seen in my parts of the country but not long ago, people would assume my dogs were mongrels. Sally has been a great comfort to my mom over the years. She (my mom) suffers what is effectively a chronic form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Power Forward
by epeteranderson

Comment:
This is a nice action shot but your headline doesn't suggest a story. It's not really a headline in fact. A headline would inform the viewer with facts and lead him into the story.

The title "Power Forward" makes it hard to view this as an event. What saves it for me is the onlookers which suggest that this is more than just two kids playing one-on-one. Presumably this is some kind of sporting event that took place. If I saw this in a newspaper with that headline I would have no idea what the photo was meant to inform me of.

It's good photo. I'm not sure about the central placement of the subjects.

Wedding Season Has Arrived
by Paige

Comment:
Hmm...this could work as a more formal set-up shot for the Lifestyle section I suppose. So, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you actually tried to create a journalistic shot and this isn't just a shot of some friend's wedding.

Photographically, it isn't great. If this was meant to be a candid, their faces should be visible. If it is meant to be a more formal kind of shot depicting one aspect of a traditional wedding, the glass in the foreground should have been removed. It adds nothing to the composition. The harsh midday light is hurting this shot. The whites are extremely blown out. There is virtually no detail to the icing on the cake or in the fabric of her gown. His suit is also lacking detail. What I'm suggesting is, pay attention to those middle values. They are what give a photo depth. Unless you are going for a very abstract high contrast quality (which is rather inappropriate for the subject matter) you need those middle values.

The focus looks a bit too soft to me which doesn't work well with the harsh light and extreme shadows.

Construction delays postpon new highway
by DefyTime

Comment:
I think you need a proofreader next time you submit. LOL!

This is a good effort. The subject has relevence and the headline is factual and to the point (one of the few I've come across so far). Unfortunately, the photo doesn't really make that much of an impact. A traffic jam, indicating the need for the new highway would add immediacy to the story. As it is, it doesn't look like the delayed construction is causing problems for anyone. A photo for a story like this should reveal some kind of conflict or tension and I'm just not seeing it here.

The News is Blues
by joek1d

Comment:
The challenge was not merely to include a newspaper in the photo. It was to take a journalistic photo. "Take a journalistic shot that would appear in a newspaper. Make your title the headline."

Journalism is meant to inform a wide public (ideally in an objective, factual manner) of current events and issues. This is a still-life set up illustrating one opinion of the news. Itis highly personal and subjective. It does not supporting an actual news story or tell a story other than in the most abstract way. Therefore, it fails to meet the challenge.

As for its photographic merit, while I appreciate the effort involved in covering your guitar with newspaper, I don't consider this to be a good photo. The set-up is very contrived and the composition lacks cohesion. The case and the newspaper in the background are uneccessary elements. Overkill. The floor and wall do not make a good background.

Had you focused soley on the guitar covered in newsprint and situated it in a less awkward position, it might have worked as an interesting still-life.

Flooding Continues
by weaverc

Comment:
Flooding continues where? How long has it been going on? Days, weeks, months? Let's remember you are trying to inform a wide public. As a journalistic effort this works okay but it lacks the human element required for a greater sense of immediacy. There is no real sense of the impact the flooding has had on the community. Without the human factor, in this peaceful setting, it has more of a formal landscape feel than a journalistic one.

Photographically, it's a compelling subject and decent composition but it lacks midrange tonal values. Some dodging of highlights in the middle to create greater contrast between the very dark trees and the water which is nearly as dark.The white structure appears quite grey.Then there is the matter of that large white reflective area behind the middle tree. That is a very distracting element that is not helping the composition.

Portland Rose Festival
by christie3

Comment:
Portland Rose Festival is a title not a headline. A headline should lead a casual reader into a story about the event with some kind of information or tantalizing tidbit. Assuming this is a story about the Rose Festival, this is not the kind of photo one would see supporting it. This looks like a submission from someone unwilling to go outside the safe boundaries of their favorite subject matter to find a newsworthy subject to photograph. A human element would have added some journalistic integrity to your effort. Without that, I have to conclude you couldn't be bothered to make the attempt at photojournalism.

Photographically, it is a nice flower shot but there is nothing about the composition that makes it stand out from the hundreds that can be seen on DPC. It's kind of a 'if you've seen one, you've seen them all' subject that requires that extra effort to make me sit up and notice. For starters, I would suggest a square crop placing the rose dead center.

Rising Homeless Rates Plague National Standard Of Living
by Spanish_Grease

Comment:
This photo of a street musician doesn't really support the headline. The headline itself is kind of iffy. I don't think plague is the right word to use unless you are writing for a very right-wing conservative propoganda rag. "Lowers" is more objective, and more to the point.

Back to the photo. What does this really tell a wide public about the rising homeless rates? This guy might be homeless but to me he just looks like a busker. The photo needs to lead the viewer in to the story. There is no real immediacy to this portrait of the musician to alert me to the plight of the homeless or the plight of the national standard of living for that matter. He looks happy enough and doesn't appear to be bothering anyone. In fact, it doesn't look like he is even on the street. It looks more like some kind of warehouse or garage judging by the concrete floor and the doors in the background. What kind of street musician is he without a hat, cup, or guitar case to collect contributions. The more I look at this photo the less I'm convinced it has much journalistic merit.

Photographically, it's kind of a wierd POV. It looks like you were looking down from a greater height.The concrete support in the background is very tilted. The lighting is very flat and literal. The sepia isn't really the right mood for journalism.