signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by BAMartin:
Critique Club Critique

(1) COMPOSITION (CONTENT) I find the layout of this photograph to be one of its great strengths. Both the horizon and the lighthouse are strategically placed to draw the viewers eye into the photograph.

I like your use of leading lines here, the way road and the line of clouds both draw the eye to the lighthouse is very powerful. Unfortunately, this makes the lighthouse the subject of your photograph rather than the sign.

(2) BACKGROUND The background of this photograph is the sky and the lighthouse. They are presented in such a way that they have overwhelmed the subject. This is almosst forgiveable because of the beauty, but I do believe the voters will not be able to over look this and you are likely to suffer for that in your score.

(3) CAMERA WORK ,TECHNICAL Exposure might have been more appropiate for a landscape rather than a "signs" challenge photo. I think the sign needs to be more the center of interest. Perhaps if it has a little more light suih as some fill flash. You might have also tried reflecting some of the beautiful sunset light onto it with a large reflector.

(4) DIGITAL PROCESSING ,TECHNICAL Your post processing is very good. You might have added to the strength of the composition by cropping it a little tighter and losing a little of the upper part of the sky.

(5)MEETING THE CHALLENGE This photo does a fair good job of meeting the challenge. When you have a background as beautiful as this one, its rather difficult to focus on the sign.

(6) MY OPINION ON THE PHOTO The scene here is beautiful. I think perhaps this is a photo that you might try to reshoot in many different lights and times of day and in different seasons. This is a great location to get some really neat shots. Well done!

signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by emorgan49:
This is beautiful. Am I the only ten? I like to go back to my tens (I only give three or four) and see where they place. I hate it when they end up way down here.

signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by Jacko:
Cute composition. Great colours inthe sky. Maybe try to use the fill flash on your camera next time to highlight the sign. Good job. Jacko.

signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by Bullwinkle:
Good sense of humour. As a suggestion perhaps a bit more sea in your shot to emphasize the sea dog quality. The lagre area of sky tones are nice and tend to draw the attention to the background instead of the sign and sea. I guess you need a 20 ft ladder to work the vantage point here. Not a bad shot

signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by kandyj:
I like the use of empty space here, may have liked to see a sharper focus in this shot.

signs of sea dogs
by andres

Comment by mjcecil:
Great title. Flash with slow sync to make the sign stand out. Sign dropping into the field of the inlet is unfortunate. 6

tired of sex
by andres

Comment by emorgan49:
Hello from the Critique Club. Sorry I am a bit slow. I don't know how to take this photo. I'm not sure what you were thinking when you submitted it since it is your first and only submission. There are several ways I can take it so I am going to write three different reviews.

Review #1 - You are a jerk!
What is THIS? I am a little old lady. Do I really need to look at this? There are kids as well as oldies who submit to and vote on these challenges. There was a discussion of that was appropriate and inappropriate. Several images have been disqualified for blatant sexuality. Is this submitted for it's shock value? If so, go look for attention somewhere else.

Review #2 - This is a joke!
And a pretty funny one too. I find that photographers are a pretty up tight bunch. I think they are always trying to prove to the world that photgraphy is art, that it takes talent. and is not just a cheaters way to paint or draw. On this site people get really worked up about their score and the rules. It is refreshing to see a tongue-in-cheek submission.

Review #3 - This is a serious submission!
Believe it or not, I gave this picture a seven. I don't know the song but I've heard of the band. Didn't they do that Buddy Holly song? I'm tired So tired I'm tired of having sex (so tired) . I imagine loud rock, lots of drums, screaming lyrics and some feedback.. Am I close?

The composition of this photo is very nice. the package and the condom make a strong diagonal and the shadows make a weaker diagonal in the othe direction. nice. I like the upright torn part of the package and it's corresponding shadow. they seem to represent....ummm...you know...uprigtness. The condom is is certainly tired looking. The colors are nice, the three colors balance eachother. The lighting is very good.

Techinically I agree with the commenter who thought that the white balance was off. I also think that the dark values are off. If the contrast was increased slightly do you think the browns and blues would look richer and less washed out? The lighting is very good, as is the focus.

How sad to be tired of sex. And how sad that the condom has become the symbol of sex. Back when I was young and wild and the dinosaurs roamed the earth and HIV didnt, a condom was just the least preferred method of birth control. This picture, with it's title, packs an emotional punch. It represents the ultimate in youth alienation. Yep, this picture looks bored (but not boing).
I'm tired of having sex (so tired)
i'm spread
So thin
I don't know who I am (who I am)

Now for the disclaimer- remember that this review is just the opinion of one (far from expert) person. And sorry for the duplicate review. Just shows how opinions can differ.


Message edited by author 2003-01-20 11:58:18.

tired of sex
by andres

Comment by timj351:
This is nicely focused and well lit but it has very little impact on me aside form it containing sexual content. I don't know how showing a condom out of it's package conveys the idea of being tired of sex. If anything, it suggests that you are about to enjoy sex. It just doesn't seem to match the theme to me. It is too well lit and is absent of any kind of mood. Your choice of colors and the softness and length of the shadows are good. Compositionally it is pretty ordinary with the content placed squarely in the center of the frame. The lighting and the composition are probably just the way you wanted it and for that you did a fine job in execution, however I just find this photo to be lacking in visual and emotional impact. Score 5

Tim
Critique Club

tired of sex
by andres

Comment by jimmythefish:
Weeezer...nice, though the lighing is a bit harsh. The image starts to degrade towards the left, and is a bit blown out at the right. White balance isn't really nailed. Good composition, though.

tired of sex
by andres

Comment by HBunch:
Well, what can I say? Focus and clarity are excelent. As well as lighting. The subject matter however does nothing for me. The background is good, nothing distracting in the photo. Good luck in the challenge.