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Newhall Park
Newhall Park
cvhs99


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Landscape (Classic Editing)
Camera: Nikon D1
Location: California
Date: Jan 11, 2003
Galleries: Landscape
Date Uploaded: Jan 11, 2003

During a walk in a nearby park, I spotted a cat admiring the first sign of spring.

Statistics
Place: 212 out of 219
Avg (all users): 4.2078
Avg (commenters): 4.0909
Avg (participants): 4.2117
Avg (non-participants): 4.2021
Views since voting: 1113
Votes: 231
Comments: 13
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
01/25/2003 04:00:33 PM
Critique Club comment :o)

Composition:

The first thing that strikes me about this photo is that it feels slightly lopsided - the lines of the roof and the base of the hedgerow both slant down to the left, so perhaps a rotation of this shot would have helped.

The focal point of the shot seems to be cat and the treestump (which I first thought was another cat) by the water's edge. However, they're too small to make out any detail, so there's nothing really to look at, so maybe a closer crop/zoom or a different angle would have helped.

From what I can tell, the bank comes down the righthand edge of the frame (and just out of it) towards the bottom of the shot - if you'd taken this shot a few feet to the right and got this in frame, the curved line of the bank would probably lead the eye more smoothly through the image. Alternatively, shooting from a different angle a good few feet away could give some depth and lines to the hedge, which would be useful in leading into the focal point.

Background:

My personal opinion about landscapes is that buildings should either be out of shot, or be an integral part of the image - the roof in shot here is quite distracting, so perhaps a lower shooting angle could have hidden it behind the hedge.

Camera Work:

The focus and DoF on this shot is good. However, since you've not included your Aperture / ISO / Shutter settings, I can't say much more on this.

Post Processing:

Since you've not provided any details, I can only guess as to the post processing you've done, if any. One important thing to mention is that this shot is only 68Kb, out of a maximum 150Kb, therefore you may have lost quite a bit of detail by compressing the image down to that size - I always recommend that you try to get as close to the 150Kb line as possible, so that as little detail as possible is lost.

This shot feels in many ways like some of the ones I've taken on gloomy days round where I live - unless you're trying to emphasise that gloominess, I'd advise that you increase the saturation and play about with the levels to get more contrast into the shot, and make it feel a bit warmer. Its also worth converting shots to b&w, to see if they work better that way - I suspect that this shot could be one that does.

My Opinion:

I think that this is a potentially reasonable photo, but its let down by the composition and muted colours. There also feels like a lack of depth to the shot, since that hedge is flattening the background. As for the "Landscape" challenge, this photo meets it, but doesn't do anything more than that.

If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via the PM system.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/18/2003 01:26:40 PM
The building in the back detracts a good deal. Have you considered a tighter crop without the left side, and black and white?
01/17/2003 12:47:14 PM
To me, this looks like a photo of the cat in this setting, rather than of the landscape. The lighting is rather dull as well.
01/16/2003 09:56:37 PM
The house roof in the background for some reason grabs my attention and makes me think this is a backyard. Also, because it's such a close shot it looks more like a wide shot of the cat rather than a landscape. On the plus side, colours and exposure are pretty good, especially for what looks like an average day in terms of weather.
01/16/2003 02:04:04 PM
Nice shot. Looks like I see two kitties, right? (the one I think is there is very close in color to it's background, hard to see it) The stuff on the pond's surface obscures the neat reflection (I know you can't do anything about that, but it does). The tree blooming in the background is nice, but further back is a building that I could have lived without. Good color, details seem less than crisp. 7 Swash
01/16/2003 01:42:00 PM
The white buds seem a little blown out in exposure. Too bad there were buildings in the background. Like the reflection and the blossoms floating and the kitty for interest and perspective.
01/15/2003 11:43:44 PM
The house behind the trees is too distracting. And the cat is also a distraction, as it is too small to really be a focal point. better luck next challenge. md
01/15/2003 03:19:46 PM
pond looks very unattractive.
01/15/2003 07:24:27 AM
Kind of a sad little park. Is that a cat? I'm looking at the water, thinking it looks overrun by gunk, but it looks like it might just be the little white flowers off the tree that have fallen into the water? The color is good, but the sky is a little too white. Looks kind of dulled by lighting conditions? Focus and clarity seems just fine to me. Good luck in the challenge.
01/14/2003 07:53:43 PM
I think for a Flora and Fauna pic w/ cat this would fit the challenge.But its not really a landscape. Think of hwre your eyes travel here also , As a tip The building in the upper left is distracting. The tangled brush isnt very appealing either. Its a great attempt keep at it.
01/14/2003 02:15:00 PM
sorry but i don't like it .. messy foreground, can't tell what animals they are .. and not much happening in it, oh and the roof of the building ... not what you want eyes to catch 3
01/13/2003 05:16:51 PM
Very snapshottish, Not bad, necessarily, but no clear subject, and color adjustments are going to be necessary. Please continue to submit... I can see a little bit about where you were trying to go with this, and it will be nice to see you get more adept at relating what you see. Good luck!
01/13/2003 07:18:13 AM
cute moggy


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