Candle in the wind
by avermaa

Comment:
Great idea and nice, warm tones. The scale is a little bothersome - the candle just seems overly huge next to the glass.

Autumn Reflection
by vonautsch

Comment:
Wonderful - nice framing with the trees, beautiful deep depth of field. It looks a little crooked, but it's still stunning

(Golden) Wedding Anniversary
by davidus428

Comment:
<< Critique Club >>

Initial Impression:
Very "realistic" card - looks like something you could buy!

Composition:
I like how you composed the shot. The sweep of the rose & the candy kisses cradles frame the rings & text nicely. I like how you have one of the kisses sideways - it gives a sense of spontaneity & enhances the romantic quality of the photo.

Color/Tone:
It's not bad, but I think I would prefer the background to be a true white. Perhaps you were going for a soft candlelight-type white balance, but I don't really get that feeling from it. Also, I don't care for the orange-ish color of the text - a deeper red to match the beautiful color of the rose would have been more pleasing, I think.

Focus/Exposure:
Very crisp focus! The highlights could be considered little too bright, but I think it works for the type of photo it is. Did you think of trying some gaussian blur to it?

Title:
Well, the challenge said to name it the type of card it is, and you did, so the title was very well done! I don't think the parenthesis around Golden are necessary, but oh well!

Meets the Challenge:
Yes - you've met the challenge extremely well.

Summary:
Very commercial looking - I can totally see this on a "real" card. You really have created a beautiful photo in honor of your wife - congratulations!

Going Global
by RulerZigzag

Comment:
<< Critique Club >>

Initial Impression:
Very flat & the colors aren't very eye-catching. Average.

Composition:
This is not a thrilling presentation. My response to it is, "Yup, there it is." The map is extraordinary, and I can tell from your comments that you wanted to share this wonderful object, but I don't get any sense of [i]your[\i] artistic vision from this photo.

Color/Tone:
The color of the background floor is not appealing to me, personally, but that's my problem. It looks like you've done a great job of capturing the true colors - there's no cast to it that I can tell.

Focus/Exposure:
Focus is excellent - exposure is fine, except for the light in the lower left hemisphere, which is a little distracting - I'm guessing that's a ceiling light? or maybe the flash?

Title:
Nice alliteration, and relates perfectly to the challenge & the subject.

Meets the Challenge:
Yes, it meets it exceptionally well.

Summary:
Like I said - average shot, mostly due to the unexciting composition. Possibly a lower angle, or from directly above it, or a tighter shot of the map would have been more interesting?

Guess The Final Destination......
by JOHNBOY1970

Comment:
<< Critique Club >>

Initial Impression:
"Man, that's huge!" Humorous, interesting color, looks like a poster to me (for some reason)

Composition:
It's not exactly thrilling - the tombstone is kind of just right there in front of you. Also, as people commented, the white stripe at the bottom is a little off-putting, but it seems more like an error in cropping, rather than a conscious choice. Otherwise, you placed the subject nicely in relation to the other sides of the photo.

But then, the power of the shot isn't in the composition, I think. It's in the large-sized presentation of the gravestone, with it's unusual name, tied humorously to the challenge with the title. I don't think a different angle would have been better, and would probably have hurt your photo.

Color/Tone:
I'm torn about the coloring. At first, I kind of recoiled at the brownish rust tone, but the more I look at it, the more it grows on me. It has a sort of dusty, "died-with-his-boots-on" Western cowboy feel to it... which could be another destination Of course, that has no connection to the challenge, but so what? I think you're color choice has probably made this more interesting than it would have been if you had gone for a more realistic look.

Focus/Exposure:
You did a great job on both - the tombstone is in crisp focus, and you can see all sorts of grimy detail.

Title:
Like I said earlier, you did a nice job tying the name of the decased to the challenge through the title. Very well done.

Meets the Challenge:
Well, we're all heading to the grave, that's for sure. I think it meets the challenge extremely well.

Summary:
As a commenter said, it's has a nice graphic quality to it. I won't lie and say I love it, but apart from the white stripe at the bottom, there's nothing really to fault it, either. It's a clever, solid shot, made extra special by the humor you found (in death, you sicko!)

Lighthouse on the Hill
by ShutterPug

Comment:
<< Critique Club >>

Hi, I'm Ted, and you have the dubious honor of receiving my very first critique as a member of the CC. Congrats!

Initial Impression:
Great colors, well-composed & meets the challenge topic well.

Composition:
The framing of the shot is perfection: I love that the water, land & sky each take up an approx. 3rd of the shot, with the lighthouse positioned using the rule of thirds -- mmmm, wonder why? ;) I disagree with the commenter who suggests that the foreground needs some interest - the slight texture of the waves is plenty interesting to me, and does not distract from the eye-catching red of the building. Which leads me to...

Color/Tone:
You have presented some deep, vivid colors, here. The sapphire blue of the water, the deep greens of the foliage and the bright punch of red all add up to an image that indeed, as one commenter praised, looks like a postcard. I think you may have taken the saturation one little tiny step past the optimal, but certainly not to the detriment of the overall presentation. I say this because there are little bits of red (lighthouse) showing through the trees that are really, really noticable, and I think that may be why "the trees look a bit funny," as a commenter noted. Also, another reason for funny looking trees may be the...

Focus/Exposure:
To my eyes, the focus is not exactly sharp - it seems just the tiniest bit soft, especially in those pesky trees. Since there are no post-processing notes, I'll suggest doing a little bit of unsharp mask to sharpen the image, although you may have done it already. As for the exposure - no complaints, only praise! You've captured great detail of the waves in the water and the rocks on the coastline - even in the branches of the "soft" trees.

Title:
This may be a controversial aspect of my critiques, but having a degree in English Lit., I feel the title is an important part of the presentation. Otherwise, why bother to have a title at all? Your title is servicable - it certainly describes the photo well enough. And it does have a little assonance with the repetitive 'hu' sound (HOUse, -HIll), and the cadence is pleasant to the ear.

Meets the Challenge:
Well, yeah it does! Like I said above, the water/land/sky division of the frame, and the placement of the lighthouse, brilliantly follow the rule of thirds.

Summary:
This is a a colorful, inviting & simply beautiful photo. I found it to be one of the best in the challenge. Great job!

Red Red Ride
by Tuckersmom

Comment:
This is one of my favorites. Great angle, and the intense red is gorgeous

"I never saw the sea..."
by fotodude

Comment:
This is beautiful

Overachiever
by scalvert

Comment:
This is great! Hilarious idea, perfectly executed - Is this a genuine Scalvert or some other clever DPCer?

Girls
by bucket

Comment:
I like this a lot - the coloring & lighting are great, and I like the DOF w/the slight blur on the sign. The slightly menancing stare is intriguing - there's a mysterious story being told here, and it's very compelling. Well done.