Kamakura Buddha Statue
by PhilipDyer

Comment:
I really like the framing of this shot. However, it does take away from the sensation of the Kamakura Buddha. If a human had been allowed to enter the frame, that sense would have been preserved. The bland sky also detracts somewhat. You live only a few train rides away. You can go back on a beautiful day if the mood takes you.

Touch me baby, touch me!
by bitfarmer

Comment:
I'd have chosen another title for this funny entry. LOL!

Touching 34 Years Ago
by SteveJ

Comment:
I really like the sentiment embodied here, but the hand is portrayed rather uglily.

Fire Ant Bites 36 Hours Later
by Mark of SRQ

Comment:
This is a gruesome photo. Do you really think that it'll do well in a challenge?

Phone touch
by morpurgo

Comment:
I take it that the effect is deliberate, but I'm left relying on the title too much to get the connection to the challenge theme.

Whisper
by digistoune

Comment:
I like the effect a lot. However, on my screen, it's just a touch too brigh for perfection. 8

Beep Beep
by elru21

Comment:
*critique club*

Greetings!

First of the bat, I'll bet you're wondering why you got 4 positive comments yet a score of under 5. I'll try and answer that here. But before we begin, I looked at your 'baby botanist' tryptich and my wife said 'kawaii' and 'toriaizu, taberu ne', which means 'cute, I like that' and 'just for the moment, I'll try eating it (as babies do)'. Fun shots, and they'll be a welcome addition to your family album.

Compositionally, your photo is fine. You've got two very clear sections, the one with the action and the other, neatly set off by the background grass, showing the reflection. You've shown the challenge theme well here. You needed to realise the negative strength of the top left side: having so much out of the main focal range and in such an important area makes the whole photo feel like a snapshot, not a winning DPC entry. The arm, placed where it is bang right in the centre, brightly coloured and having such a strong line, is a clear candidate for the main subject, even though it's not. So, compositionally, you needed to deal with that problem by cropping. If I had had the same file, I might have used a horizontal cropping, using only a touch of the unreflected head, extending rightways to the mirror and deleting everything unhelpful.

I feel that the greenery is too dark for the bright mood intended. I don't know which software you use, but all allow for overall brightening and some allow for spot brightening. I'd brighten and blur the grass a bit.

Computer processing is obvious on the shirt sleeve on the bottom left. It looks unnatural. (Cropping it out would save a lot of heartache) but otherwise, you need to be careful how you deal with pure whites in digital photography.

The last point I'd like to make is about the face in the mirror. Simply put, the more the better.

I'll put up an edited version of your photo in my portfolio for a while. Look at it and tell me what you think. It's 'elru1.jpg'.

Best wishes,

Jim

ps. My edit isn't at all perfect, just a few strokes to show the ideas I've mentioned here.

Back Yard Fun
by Crafty Sue

Comment:
When the challenge is over, ask in the forums about this. You'll get a lot of help.

Breakfast kaleidoscope
by Jinjit

Comment:
*critique club*

Greetings!

There's obviously been a lot of thought put into this photograph. Well done on a neatly arranged piece.

My only real comment is about the colour scheme you chose. Mirrors darken on reflection. Darkening is usually the opposite of the 'wow' feeling DPC requires for their winners. Rather than feel at ease with the presentation, I feel depressed by it, due to the darkening scheme moving rightwards.

Also, mirrors reflect. In a photographic frame, we need to consider the total effect, yet when we know that mirrors are involved, it becomes difficult to look beyond the reflection. The line that the eggs, in total, make is negated by the knowledge that it's just a reflection, intensified by the darkening of the furthermost eggs.

I'm not sure why you choose your colours as you did. The lighting is skillfull and indicates an awareness of lighting possibilities. But I can't see any impact of your technique on the impression. Sorry.

If you have any comments on this critique, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes,

Jim

Larus fuscus
by Amason

Comment:
At first I thought, 'nice'. But after looking, I began to feel confused. 1 The silhouetted bird needs a proper reflection, and 2 the horizontal lines are very dynamic, adding movement to the bird's stopped action. However, the waves inhibit a clear water-based reflection, which ultimately impedes the overall composition. Still, a very good photo. 7