Yours forever
by joisteini

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I gave this a 6 in voting because it's pleasing to the eye, nice pov and dof, and a wonderful use of tones, but felt it was a bit busy. I think you could have easily got rid of the bottle/glass on the left (or moved it out of frame so it wasn't in the shot). The lettering and symbols on the bottle are also in focus, which makes them compete with the lettering inside your wedding band.

Either I would have scooched the bottle on the left back a bit, so it was still visible and providing interest, but just out of focus enough to add some mystery. Or remove it altogether - there's nothing wrong with negative (aka 'white' space).

Otherwise your lighting is very good, there are highlights but not glare, and lovely tones which helped you get that tantalizing near-6 score! Might I also suggest a tripod for future still life/studio shots, as you were shooting at 1/400 I would guess you shot handheld. A tripod will free you up to try all kinds of exposures and play with the comp, without worrying about holding still long enough :-)

Feel free to PM me,

Susan

My stamp collection
by joisteini

Comment by PennyStreet:
I like the dof and the way this is laid out... not a boring collection at all.

My stamp collection
by joisteini

Comment by Neat:
Great stamp, nice PP.

My stamp collection
by joisteini

Comment by grahamgator:
Best of the stamp collections, imo. the shallow dof works well.

My stamp collection
by joisteini

Comment by giantmike:
Great use of depth of field. Nice stamp to choose as the main subject.

Yours forever
by joisteini

Comment by giantmike:
Beautiful use of tones.

Yours forever
by joisteini

Comment by Neat:
I like the golden tones, but there's just too much clutter happening here, to be interesting, I feel. Still I love the tones, already voted.

Yours forever
by joisteini

Comment by blindjustice:
Great warm gold tones, echoing forever.

My stamp collection
by joisteini

Comment by Denielle:
Lovely collection. The DOF is a little to much, I think. Perhaps keeping the entire "focal" stamp in focus would have created a better overall feel.

Sunset run
by joisteini

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Nice tones here and an interesting story to go with the giant metal ball.

There is a lot going on in this photo, which can either help an entry or hinder it. On the one hand, there is a lot to explore and see, which is always good; but on the other hand the eye goes wandering around too much, searching for a focal point to work from. Composition is a bit cluttered as a result. The runner blends a little too much into the pathway, a lower and closer POV to isolate them against the sky would have had more of an impact.

To me, the ball/River Harp is the focal point, mostly due its size and shape - everything else is angular. If only everything else on that stretch of path was gone, the image as it's shot would be a bit stronger.

If you are able to reshoot, by all means do; experiment with different heights and angles as the locale looks very promising. It just needs more exploring. Keep on shooting and entering!

Feel free to PM me,

Susan