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03/11/2006 08:25:48 AM |
Greetings from the Critique Club
by strangeghost
The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.
TECHNIQUE
There is so much to see in his photo it's hard to know where to start. Focus looks great, considering it's obviously a very long exposure. Everything is very sharp and contrasty and very pleasing to the eye. I love the very sharp starburst on the nearest streetlight. The deep blues of the sky and the very pleasing, gentle gradient to the horizon is just too well done. The minor lens flares are a bit of a distraction but when the theme is painting with light, those flares add a ghostly light echo to the mix as well. During your exposure, it appears as though someone walked through the composition, or maybe a bicyclist, creating some extraneous ghostly trailing at the bottom center and left. This is the only disappointing element I see. Very well done technically!
COMPOSITION
This composition shows some very significant thought and planning, IMO. The building is perspective distorted, which, along with the car headlight trails, creates a melange of lines flowing from right to left, converging on a vanishing point just at the left edge of the photo. The starburst streetlight is placed at a satisfyingly decentered position that strikes eye as a well planned element. Some might quibble and wish that you had followed a strict rule-of-thirds mandate and re-think this placement, but rules are nothing if not to be broken when the circumstances demand. I love the way this light is seemingly floating in a pool of brilliant blue sky. The perspective distortion then gives us a second vanishing point out of the top of the frame, created by the leaning of the streetlights to the right, and the lines of the building leaning inward. It's really quite amazing, how many lines there are to follow in this image.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
Well, I certainly like it, though I wouldn't describe its impact as strictly emotional. It has a vague, otherworldly feel to it, like something out of a film noir or a science fiction movie. Something about the scene does ignite my imagination and make me speculate about other possibilities. It's a true visual treat that should reward anyone who takes the time to appreciate all the subtleties. In my view, this is a very creative shot with the right mix of the unusual and the ordinary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm very surprised that you were accused of not meeting the challenge. It never even occurred to me as I was writing this that your photo didn't meet the challenge. It's a wonderfully unusual take on the challenge, and definitely deserved a higher score than the 5.4 it earned. Ah well, keep shooting. I look forward to seeing more of your stuff! |
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 Photographer found comment helpful. |
Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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03/05/2006 03:54:36 PM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/05/2006 02:09:08 AM |
| It's a great shot, but you didn't follow the guidelines of the challenge: Use a non-stationary source of light to illuminate your subject. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/03/2006 01:41:26 AM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/02/2006 09:16:04 PM |
| It doesn't seem to meet the challenge of a "non-stationary light source". |
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03/02/2006 08:24:49 PM |
| Nicely lit, and the star is great. 6 |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/02/2006 06:46:16 PM |
| I really love the composition and lights, great perspective. One of the best picture of this challenge, hope you'll get a blue.. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/01/2006 08:54:08 AM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/01/2006 05:44:03 AM |
| Good focus on rest of shot. |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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03/01/2006 01:05:26 AM |
| Don't see the painting with light theme. |
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