my private lab
by ytshuva

Comment:
This is well executed, the colours work really well with the blues in the liquid and the oranges and yellows of the tweasers. Blue/Orange is a dramatic colour choice and this sense of drama is great in any image provided its used correctly. I'm not sure it is here, as I struggle to understand what this picture is about. I'm not sure of the connection between the liquid and the tweasers - why are they there? Because of this confusion the image doesn't quite sit right with me and the concept fails. If there is a reason these items are in the photo you need to demonstrate this in the image itself so that the viewer doesn't flounder too much. Overall 4.

Health or Death
by Lelez

Comment:
I see where your trying to go with this still life, the concept of drugs and health fits the challenge well but I feel you need some improvement in the execution of the idea. A couple of things which jump out - the arrangement of the pills on the tray looks a little slipshod - with a still life you have total control over the image and I'd have concentrated on the arrangement to add emphasis to your idea. You've titled your entry health and death and if this was thought out in advance of taking the picture I'd have tried to fit a 'death' element in there somewhere as this doesn't shout death to me.

You've used an interesting selection of colours in your image and this is good - particularly when placed against a stark background like you have done, but the colours are under utilised for me. They're dark and don't pop enough.

Lastly, the thing on the right hand side. I think this is a glass of water for taking the pills with? I can't make it out, maybe this is because of the crop and the reflection working against you? Whatever this is, its pretty confusing for me as a viewer and I'd have been tempted not to include it or to replace it with another object such as bottle of medicine. I give this a 4.

Last Dance
by lauraodom

Comment:
This is a subtle response to the challenge, but I'm thinking its the chemistry of love that you are trying to convey here. I suspect the less patient will not appreciate this aspect but I think its commendable to try something a bit different and that requires a little thought by the viewer to 'get it'.

Having said that however, I think some elements of the photo could do with a little improvement. If I'm right in my assumption that this is to do the with chemistry of love then the couple who are your subject matter should dominate the photo. As it is, you have put them in a real life perspective and I'm not sure that really adds anything to the photo. Cropping off the right side of the image might have helped, and a black and white or subtle sepia would really have added an intimate feel to underline your concept. Overall, 5 from me.

c12h22o11 is a soluble white crystalline ...
by GeneralE

Comment:
This is a pretty unique approach to the subject matter, the black and white with cranked up grain is a stong photojournalistic type of style which adds a lot of drama and interest to what could be an otherwise fairly dull shot. your composition is strong and the tilted angle adds to the image I think. I'm not sure about the object in the background though, with backgrounds its always helpful to think 'does this add anything to the image, and if so, does it add the right effect and fit in with the rest of the photo?'. In this case I'm not sure what the object is but I suspect it was added to add extra weight to the 'chemistry' element. Overall a strong entry I think, and a bit more risky than a typical 'colourful chemical' shot. 8 from me.

R--COO- H3 N+ --CH2 --CH2 --SO2- Y + H2O = Liquid Pearls
by hotpasta

Comment:
A very strong abstract shot, I'm going to assume you know what those chemical compounds in the title are and am not going to bother looking them up :)

Theres a lot to like here - the lighting is subtle and effective, it doesn't draw attention to itself and instead focuses on your subject which is exactly how lighting should work, but seldom does.

The contrast and clarity of the bubbles make them a really strikig subject and this offset with the smooth background adds a sense of drama that works really well.

My only slight niggle is the top left corner - I think you just caught the edge of the container that this was being shot in? Overall 8.

Dance On A Volcano
by tcc

Comment:
There's a lot going on in this shot - the smoke, the red vial, the hot coals in the foreground and the purple-ish tinged background. The colours all work really well and the lighting is pretty much spot on too. But in terms of your subject matter I think you maybe have a bit too much going on. I'd have preferred this as either a volcano shot or a shot of a red vial with smoke coming out of it. As it stands everything is competing for my attention in a way that is without harmony so I give this a 6.

Biochemistry
by pointandshoot

Comment:
This is, I think, the most artistic response to the challenge I have seen. I really like what you have done here, a strong sense of narrative prevails. I'm left wondering whats going on in this photo, why the guy is peering through a hole, whats going on under that tarpolin to the right.. a real interest feast here. The negative space works really well too to focus attention in on the main areas of interest.

So technically, obviously there is a blown highlight in there but I do think this is an example of a shot where a blown highlight doesn't impact the overall effect. We couldn't see the detail in the guys head anyway so its moot. Other that that there's not a lot else I can fault, so I give this a 9.

Water Chemistry
by IreneM

Comment:
Very clean shot, the toning really works well for it. The different elements of the photo come together nicely, the smaller bubbles inside the syringe add some texture to it, the larger ones form great shapes which hold the interest of the viewer well. I might have preferred this a bit more with a steeper incline angle to the syringe but overall its a great shot - 8.

It's Alkaline....Or is it?!
by ahmadbaara

Comment:
There's a lot going on in this shot and what I like most about it is that its very balanced. The square crop has been used to full effect here to draw attention in on the main areas of interest, the varied colours work well and the different elements come together nicely. This is one of the better shots from this challenge but a couple of minor faults made me mark it down a little - the blown highlights on his head being the more obvious. The second one, and this is somewhat subjective, is the guys expression. I cant place my finger on exactly what I dont like about it, but I think I'd prefer it without the raised eyebrow. I gave this an 8.

lesson of the day
by apixie

Comment:
I took a good long look at this last night and was struggling to come up with any comments I could make, but after sleeping on it I came back to make one :)

Although this technically meets the challenge as the drugs/medicine is obviously chemistry related I'm not sure this has enough interest in the shot for my taste. You've chosen to use black and white for this image which is a good choice for most subject matter, but then you have left it as a fairly flat black and white which makes the subject matter appear fairly boring. If you'd used some really harsh black and white contrast it would have added a real sense of drama to the image which would have helped it a lot I think. The title suggests that maybe these are narcotics rather than medicinal drugs? If so, more drama would have been even more important I feel.

Although that all sounds pretty critical, this is pretty well executed, you've clearly spent some time thinking about the arrangement of the photo and the texture of the power and pills is evident and strong, but for me that wasn't enough to hold my interest. Overall 4.