Surf
by JPR

Comment:
Totally washed out highlights... but it works in this photo! When my highlights are blown in my entries, I get picked apart for it... hope it doesn't happen to you - this is a really unique image that's interestingly composed and nicely conveys the sound of the waves.

primary loom
by deceptive

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... First off, I like the stark simplicity of this shot... Not everyone was a fan of the shadows but I think they make an interesting interplay with the actual wires/strings that are casting them. Their intersection creates a focal point in the image... Since the wires are mostly horizontal, you can emphasize this by creating a more panoramic crop - removing a bit from the bottom and top. A bit of subjective preference. -> I tend to like subjects more when they fill up the frame and when the frame aspect ratio fits with the subject of interest. Its by no means a hard-fast rule that must be followed but it does sometimes strengthen a composition...

TECHNIQUE... I really like the inclusion of the shadows and I would not have attempted to remove them. In fact, I would have tried to emphasize them more...The shadows are jet black on one side of the image but much lighter on the other. Could moving the position of the lights rendered all shadows a deep black? the wires/strings on the right side of the image are close to the background and therefore not casting a shadow...It would have been interesting to have raised them up a bit and played with their positioning until you had a consistent shadow effect going from one side of the string/wires to the other.... In the minor category, highlights do seem slightly harsh, and the absence of catch-lights on the red wire is noticeable...Either angle of the light is coming into play here or that red string/wire is made of a different material than the others...Either way you can reduce the harsh highlights by diffusing your light or maybe increasing the distance from subject to light source...

Overall, an interesting and visually appealing abstract image....

Mobil Pegasus
by cmrk74

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... I'm not sure a tight composition fits a postcard challenge, as one commenter already pointed out it doesn't really show "Dallas". Unless there is a connection with the red horse, which a non-Dallasian wouldn't even know about, then this could have easily come from any other city.

Postcard challenge not withstanding, it is different than a typical skyline shot, which you'd expect lots of in this particular challenge. I like the repeated use of diagonals and verticals in the shot. The red horse billboard is the only object interfering with the pattern, and since we're bordering on abstract to begin with, you may as well have cropped out that portion altogether/shot lower and fill your entire frame with patterns of diagonals and lines. Just using my hand to crop out the top half of the photo immediately appeals to me more... Again, unless the red horse has vital significance for Dallas that I am unaware of...

TECHNIQUE...Looks like you chose a really good type of lighting and angle, To my eye, the colors look like they could be a little warmer (using a color balance adjustment, for example.) ... but this kind of evaluation is difficult when viewing photos that may look slightly different on everyone's monitor...

I remain reserved about the border choice. A frank departure from your usual border, I think this could work, only not with pure red. You could try a drop shadow like a commenter suggested, or try another shade, just slightly darker, or a paler (less saturated) version of red. i find type always looks slightly amateurish when its color is mostly composed of a primary (RGB) color..

OVERALL...Maybe not best suited for postcards, your photo is a good skyscraper abstraction. With a shot consisting solely of building patterns, you'd have a very compositionally strong photo of repeating angles and lines.

Fine Wine
by lumbardh

Comment:
You have the basis of an excellent image here...I've honestly never seen such an orderly shattering of glass. Caught at a great moment... The shot nonetheless looks underexposed. A levels adjustment is needed to make some good highlights here :) ... you can also try doding and burning to lighten up certain elements of the photo... Hope you continue to work on it after the challnge!!

On the wrong side of the glass
by carolee

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION...First off, I think the background in this photo is excellent, non-distracting but colorful and I really don't think it would be the same with a simple-toned or duller background. Vertical cropping also suits the subject pretty well. I like the fact the exposure has made the mosquito very dark - in fact I think it would have been a stronger image if only the form of the mosquito was defined (mosquito being pure black)... I think the only thing that perturbs me is the fact that the mosquito is just floating there in a sea of colors without seeming to be flying or anchored to anything (because it is in fact, resting on glass). Otherwise it is a very creative and technically difficult submission.

TECHNIQUE... everything good, but image quality is a little under average. Was the photo blown up a bit? high iso?

OVERALL... Unless you have gigantic mosquitos in CA, you managed to give to make this one look large and menacing :) The flowers give the shot an "outdoor" look and it makes a good entry into the fauna challenge.

Wanna play woodpecker?
by Anastasia

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... Since you went to bird park, I take it there was lots of fauna around to photograph, so the subject wasn't in short demand :) But the timing was good to get these two birds in the position they are! Glancing at the comments it seems its not only me that would want to see less of the top green portion of the photo, but instead of including the feet, i think its nicer if you make it a landscape crop and take out the protruding twig on the bottom... Nonetheless, I like the tree which runs down the right side of the photo and gives the viewer an idea of where the birds are looking. Effective use of DOF - makes the subject really stand out.

TECHNIQUE... I had no idea the Sony DSC-F717 had the capability of such narrow DOF (unless you were really close to the birds...)... at a decent distance, at F2.4, even my camera can't reproduce what you've done here... Exposure, image quality is great, though the image can stand to use some sharpening. (Sometimes I leave the sharpening alone if I'm going for a soft look so this sometimes falls under the realm of creative license).

Cross Trainers
by KimInNB

Comment:
A really cool abstract! Great exposure, muted complimentary colors, excellent composition with lots of curves and lines :)

14th Street - Union Square
by christo

Comment:
One of my favorites this week. It would be a disservice to give the photo a low mark on account of its overall bluriness. I find the blurring is what really makes you feel like you're in rush hour - it adds to the mood of the photo greatly. Lighting, contrast and composition are great here! A wide variety of tones, + your eyes follow a spiral from the opened door, up the escalator and out of the frame. Good shot!!!

cherry blossoms illuminated at the time of festival
by kenbo

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!....

COMPOSITION... Placement of subject, angle chosen, are all fine choices I think. Your horizon goes right through the center of the image though, making the composition a little static, but the diagonal line of the river gives something for your eye to follow. I don't know how I feel about having the top of the building crop off...I keep wanting to back away from the shot so I can see the whole scene. The reflections of the water add interest to the already beautiful trees.... Apart from the technical problems, night scenes are great to look at because they're a stark departure from the "usualness" of daylight scenes. Objects take on a whole new look when illuminated by artificial light.

TECHNIQUE... What I like about the exposure is how the foreground and background is well lit. But some parts of the trees are a little TOO lit...highlights are blown out too much on the trees. And the noise introduced from the long exposure does detract from the shot a little. 2 seconds isn't really that long, but still too much noise, perhaps the image was blown up as well? In a non-dpclegal world...you could take two exposure of the same scene: one that evenly lights the background, and one shot perfectly exposed for the trees. In photoshop, the images are combined, masking out the unwanted sections of each photo. Its really too bad noise on a digital camera is not equal to high grain in film shots.

OVERALL... While night scenes are great subject matter, digital cameras have a bit to go before they can produce good results. You took a good shot given the limitation of your equipment and rules of the challenge....

Red Clover
by boyte1

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION...I think you've done a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of spring and displaying wild plant life. I don't know if there were other angles that could convey the abundance of the flowers better, but you picked a pretty good viewpoint, where you can see flowers from foreground to back with little hinderance. The wild grass growing in between the flowers, especially in the foreground, is slightly distracting...but your only option is to individually pluck out the foreground ones...Perhaps the bottom right corner could use a nice big flower since there's so much space there, but its a minor detail...

TECHNIQUE... Some comments (but not many) wanting more DOF...I think a small/large DOF will either work, but if it is going to be small, I would place more of an importance in having the foreground completely in focus than somewhere in the middle... Lighting's great, slightly backlit? The light on the flower is traced around their edges giving a very pleasing effect...