Pretty Lady
by Jean

Comment:
Excellent lighting and composition, only looks slightly underexposed. A small levels tweaking would fix this.

Alligator Alley
by ploogiea

Comment:
My take is that cropping out any part of the image that contains water (leaving a panorma that consists of the lower 3rd to 1/2 of the photo) produces an almost abstract shot thats more appealing to me. What immediately draws me to the photo is the mass of alligators looking in different directions and the muddy, refelective water draws your eyes away from all the action.

This candy has been chromed
by camelotnorth

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS... Just a note on my impressions of extreme photo manipulations such as yours. I don't know if it contributed to your low placement, but I would hope it didn't. While it is true that Photoshop enables anyone to easily make extreme modifications such as yours, there was a time where photographers who produced these kinds of shots had their work published and admired. Well, maybe not by everyone admired them, but they were still considered valid works of art... 'Course, to keep things fair, this kind of effect in a darkroom was more difficult to accomplish, and at the time it was new and experimental...

COMPOSITION... Shot at an interesting angle, the slight crop on bottom and right are immediately noticeable and I'm trying to decide whether putting in the little bit that's missing on the bottom and right frame would help the photo or not, was that an intentional crop or just accidental? The reflections in the glass from the various shapes are nice, as well as the candy. Lack of color in a candy shot? Without the original shot of the candy, its hard to say whether this shot would be aided or suffer with the addition of color -> an ultimate judgment for the photographer to make. Perhaps it is this extreme effect that makes the subject stand out as it does, and the shot could have been quite mundane if rendered in absolute realism. I personally like the effect, sure the candy doesn't look like candy or anything any kid would want to touch, but that could be part of a message trying to be conveyed -> candy bad for you? :).

TECHNIQUE... Hard to evaluate this part. Hard to say if good lighting was used, at al. Technique seems pretty straightforward, nothing else I can add.... Curve adjustments also do funky things with your photos... you can try that too :)

OVERALL... It's pretty bold to submit an extremely manipulated photo. Such a departure from a typical photo is usually not met well in any forum, but if it worked for you and you like it, that's what counts in the end. I find it interesting and different, and would have probably rate it a 6 or 7.

Flabbergasted
by lionelm

Comment:
Have the makings of a great photo here. With some editing, I think it can be enhanced...try one or several of the following: 1) Levels adjustment: Move left and right siders to the edges of the histogram to improve overall contrast 2) Selective Color adjustment: Under the "Whites" option, move the black slider to the left to your liking, if any. 3) Crop: I find taking out some negative space improves compo. -> Top and bottom for a panoramic shot, or all areas around bird except for a little space... Give these a try if you like...

Excellent capture!

To Bring May Flowers
by Gracious

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... Love the blurred out background here, with the image in the drop seeming to be in focus, I think it adds a nice touch. Problem is, we are just to far away from the drop. These kind of shots are best suited to macro mode, or even with a macro lens attached so you can get the closest shot possible. That brings up another problem though, and that's ensuring that the photographers themselves are not in the reflection... The reflection in your shot is so small its not a problem, but its something to worry about as you get closer.. Unless its the effect you want you'll have to experiment with different angles or trigger the camera from afar while its being camouflaged in leaves or whatnot. Perhaps in this case it would have been nice for the other branches in focus too, there's maybe too little for the eye to focus on, maybe a vibrant color like a flower in the foreground could help...:) Just pulling ideas here

TECHNIQUE... A histogram of your shot shows good tonal range. A little soft, some very slight unsharp masking may help...

OVERALL... This kind of shot is something I want to try ... with the difficulties involved in finding the right spot, time, and location, I appreciate any clear shot of a reflective dew drop :) Keep trying it every-time it rains :) Good luck on your future dew shots as well :)

Seductive Symmetry
by Anastasia

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION... I really like the tones in this image, as opposed to keeping it in its original color. Also would work well in black and white! Cropping's okay... I would lean toward's briphoto's comment on the image being cropped too tightly. Symmetry works here, maybe not as strongly as some of the other challenges but its still there, despite the asymmetry of the tattoo - its close enough not to count in my books. Not sure if there is too much water - its just an unnatural part of the body for drops of water (simulating beads of sweat) to appear, so maybe sparser drops of water could have been called for, or maybe even none...


TECHNIQUE... There's an overall softness to the photo that I can't account for. Perhaps its the inherent softness of digital images, as opposed to shaking the camera or other errors... You can try a little unsharp masking to correct this. Contrast in the photo can be enhanced in the highlights range if you look at a histogram of the image. A minor levels adjustment can correct this.

OVERALL... A very artistic and interesting abstract... Nicely toned and appealing to the eye :)

mat with 2 π(pi) toothpick around
by kenbo

Comment:
I don't think I've ever seen an illustration that better explains the meaning of pi! Nicely colored and textured to boot!

Liquid Life
by Tarbini

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION...I found that this image particularly stood out among the competition in kitchen art. The high contrast and monotone colors are what give the image its appeal I find, and having an undistracting background and purely frozen motion helps a lot :) I think also the angle and closeness the hands were shot at also suggest an intimacy with the subject - it really feels like the photographer and their camera is not present, and we're viewing the scene from the owner of the hands (though not really, the angle's a bit too low, but still, that's what it feels like). Perhaps the only advice I would impart here, is that the way the hands are positioned, with the faucet almost centered, suggests a symmetrical composition, and yet that symmetry is broken because of the angle the picture was shot at... Shooting the faucet straight on may have enforced the symmetry better and added some more strength to the composition.

TECHNIQUE... You lose some focus towards the back and front of the hands, but not enough to hurt the photo. Highlights are blown but it creates a surreal, high-contrast image that is still appealing.

OVERALL... A highly effective image. Would have just tried enforcing the symmetry that is already present. Kudos!

Spring Above Fredericksburg
by BAMartin

Comment:
GREETINGS FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB!

INITIAL THOUGHTS...Ahh Fredricksburg!! I live in Montreal Canada but work brings me, when I do get to travel, usually to the small town of Fredricksburg (or Waldorf, one of the two :) Nice to see it on DPC :)

COMPOSITION... I like the placement of the car, the road, and the angle chosen to take the shot. gives a nice view of the town... but overall the composition could have been a little stronger - just mainly because the scene is a little cluttered, nothing that really draws the eye in, and the sky's a little washed out. Would be nice with some nice blue water as well, but I think the number of rivers in the US, or even North America, that are clear and blue are quite few. To improve the composition? I'm not really sure, I'd have to check out the landscape to see if there was a better viewpoint, but perhaps one that had a flatter terrain with a view of the town in the background... I think when I mentioned the scene being cluttered, I seem to think its the trees, or placement of the trees that's causing this feeling. I imagine the scene with the trees not included and it already feels better.

TECHNIQUE... The image is well exposed, and of good quality. I would have set for even a faster shutter to make sure the car was completely sharp. A little afternoon light might have given the photo some extra punch as well.

baby snake
by LanSnake

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION... Mostly favorable composition... I would have loved to have seen this against a more solid background..white or black, to go with one of the snake's colors. Would look less like its shot in the house also... Might also be nice to get more of the snake in a more coiled or windy position, but like this is good also!

TECHNIQUE... There is a little details lost in the shadows. Perhaps your monitor does not show this but I try to keep mine calibrated. This could be fixed in photoshop if the information is there, or by exposing the shot a little more, but I wouldn't go much more. Focus is also not as sharp as it could be, perhaps due to the wide aperture. I tried sharpening the image in Photoshop and it does help the focus somewhat. Every image always needs a little sharpening :) Only thing left would be the slightly uneven lightning on the background. If you ever find this to be a problem in natural light, try using a reflective surface to bounce light back into areas that may not be lit properly. Overall though, its still a compelling and effective shot of a snake.