Wild Iris
by thilom

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

Very pretty flower, and good shot. There are a few things which could give it some more "pop".

First, I can still see the background a little. In a shot like this, it should be totally black (which is what you were going for, I imagine). Boosting the contrast up just a little bit would have completely removed the background. The image is sharp in focus and the depth of focus (depth of field) is also very good. The leaf on the bottom right is a little bit distracting, perhaps you caould have ripped it right off. As stated in a previous comment, using the rule of thirds here would have helped the composition. And lastly, in my opinion, either getting closer to - or farther away from - the flower would have helped. As is, it lacks just a little bit of interest.

Still, I fine shot. Good job.

milo

The World Is B&W
by Long

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

This is a very interesting shot. There's a lot to look at. I like the buildings and the "courtyard" area. It fit's the challenge and the toning is nice.

I do notice 2 problems, though, which kind of jump out at you. First, the tree on the left is distracting. It's dark and big and cut off the image. Sliding your position to the right possibly would have gotten rid of the tree all together. Second, the sky is very bright and featureless. Our attention is usually drawn to the bright parts of an image, which in this case would be right up and out of the image towards the blank sky.

Overall, well done.

milo

The Tree ("Vintage" Duotone)
by digitaldave

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

I think this is great. I'm envious you have such a great place to photograph. I can picture 4 of these exact shots, one for each season, mounted and framed in my house :)

Anyway, on to my critique. I like the composition a lot. The leading lines pull you right in to the photograph. The tones are nice, it fits the challenge nicely.

Couple things I don't like: One is the signs on the right. Not much you could do about it, but they do distract a bit. And second is the sky. Shots like these are greatly improved with an interesting sky. Big billowy clouds can really give it some punch.

Well done

milo

Rock Run Mill
by LN13

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

Well, much of what I'm thinking about this shot has already been addressed in some of the comments below, but I'll echo my thoughts anyway.

It's technically a very well done shot. The leading lines work very well, the composition is perfect. I don't think the sharpness is off too bad, but F5.6 of f8 would have improved the crispness of it. A little more contrast would have been nice, but I wouldn't say it's bad as is.

At the end of the day, I'd say it's a great shot - there's just nothing to really "pull it out of the pack" during voting. Tough to figure out what the voters are going to like :)

Well done

milo

Middlecoast - the band
by Drummerjd356

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

Very nice shot, fits the challenge. I like the tight crop and the location, however I think a few things could have improved it.

As one commentor suggested, the horizon is straight across the middle of the image. Changing the angle of the camera (either higher or low) would have given a more interesting perspective. I like the sepia tone, but it is just a little bit too orange (maybe not, though).

Other than that, I'd say the band members could engage the camera a bit more. A couple of the guys look almost nervous.

Still, nicely done.

milo

Natures Beauty
by train

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club ...

This is excellent! Everything's in sharp focus (except for just a tiny bit on top), the colors are great, the rose is perfect. It's fit's the challenge nicely. There's not a lot of contrast, but it's not needed - the softness is very nice.

The Composition is good, but I think it would be a bit better if the center of the flower was right dead on an intersection of thirds. In my opinion, here at dpc, it's hard to predict how a flower shot is going to do. Sometimes people just like 'em, other times - not so much.

Still, this is excellent. Well done.

milo

Cliché
by liebe

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I've always liked this type of shot. And having tried it myself, I know how difficult it is to achieve. This is a very respectable take on it. I like the colors, although the blue seems to glow just a bit too much for my liking. The image is sharp and the centered composition works here because of the subject.

On the down side, I see three colors - blue, black, and dark grey. I suppose it could be argued that dark grey is just a tone of black, but in a specific duotone challenge, this may have hurt your score a bit. Also, the grey of the base makes the image seem just a little ... "off". The best photoshop is photoshop that can't be detected, and this particular part is a little too obvious, in my opinion.

Still, it's a very pleasing image. Well done.

milo

Hide Romance
by LaMerry

Comment:
Greetings from the critique club...

Let me start by saying I like this shot a lot. I like the fact that it's an abstract, but not so much that you can't figure out what it is. There's just enough detail showing on the smaller leaves to hold my attention. It's crisp ... sharp ... well done.

I don't particularly like the leaf on the right. It's partially in focus and partial out of focus which makes it a bit distracting, and I don't think it needs to be there anyway. Just leaving that area blank would have been OK I think.

Normally I would say that the eye is drawn to the brightest part of an image, which in this case is the background and not the subject, but it works here because of the silhouette you've created.

Great Job!

milo

Manhatton view of New York City.
by jayita

Comment:
*critique club*

I like the shot, there's a lot to look at, perhaps too much to look at. It's hard to get the top of the building as well as the surrounding buildings. The main subject is off center which is good, but the fact that it's cut off at the top takes away a little. The bottom 10% doesn't really show too much, so perhaps it would have worked better including the top of the building while at the same time cutting off just a bit at the bottom (not too much, though).

I agree with the other commentors that the image needs some more contrast. As is, everything looks washed out, or maybe faded is a better word. I like the toning, but keep in mind when it comes to sepia toning, different people like different things.

milo

Road Side Diner
by MsMia

Comment:
excellent shot ... nice tones and sharpness