Tempe Town Lake
by rcrawford

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... The scene is well exposed and lit, nice vivid colors...nice deep blue sky,,, if you're not using a polarizer you should try it and see how bluer the sky turns out :) Two things I'd mention composition-wise... The airplane is way too small to make much of an impact in the scene. I would have waited for it to pass. If it were conveniently flying overhead just as you snapped the shutter, that would be another story :) I also find that the orange overpass in the background detracts and clutters up the scene. My crop would be a little lower at the top, and cropped on the right just enough to exclude the orange overpass. I think that even results in a nice leading line in the image...your main bridge would then extend from the left border in the foreground to the right border in the background, strengthening the composition. I like the foreground objects,,,they add interest and almost frame the bridge. Too bad there wasn't overhanging branches of a tree or something similar to complete the frame :)

TECHNIQUE... Light's a little harsh and direct. Some evening or morning light would be excellent. Dramatic clouds too but you can't control the weather :) Nice sharpness, excellent image quality.

OVERALL... With a little cropping I think the composition can even be better, but still a nice colorful shot. I always try to keep elements that are too small to see out of the composition, unless they are part of a larger scheme, like people in a crowd...

Delightfully Yellow
by margie

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!,

COMPOSITION...composition seems a little haphazard - or rather its a standard placement of objects that can perhaps be improved by using a different viewpoint or arranging the elements in a different or unique perspective. Parts of the banana are bring cropped out of the frame as well. Cropping like this can be okay if intentional, but it looks like an accidental crop here. If you pull out just a tad, the banana would fit completely in the frame. The tablecloth and wooden background are a little distracting. Try using a material (usually a neutral color) that can you can pin up so that the background appears seamless. Or you can try draping it over a chair if you can't pin the material up. If still life photography is your thing, you can find all sorts of interesting backdrops at fabric stores - you can stock up on materials from the bargain bin and I'm sure they'll come in handy for future projects...

TECHNIQUE... the image suffers with focus - I'm not exactly sure why... your aperture is adequate enough...At a shutter speed of 1/1025, I doubt camera shake is a fator. I'm surprise yor shutter speed is that high granting the lighting conditions and your aperture setting... I don't find any part of the photo that's exactly in focus though...some unsharp masking in photoshop could have improved the photo in this area somewhat... a slight boost in saturation also gives your photo an added "punch" Lighting's slightly harsh. looks like you're using a natural light - excellent for still lifes. You can change the angle the light is hitting the objects. Maybe some more side-lighting would help in this case. Or use the warm window light of a rising/setting son...

OVERALL...Hope some of these tips have helped... with some practice, trial and error, and sometimes luck, you can get amazing still life photos with minimal equipment in your own home. Keep trying, and good luck!

120 Seconds of Fame
by stephan

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION...Interesting background, though it could hurt the eye if you stare at it too long :) Certainly an interesting departure from the usually solid backgrounds. The pattern's a little intense, but it nonetheless makes your subject stand out. Placement of said banana in frame? I'm trying to imagine how the image would look if the two ends of the banana were placed at the intersection points of the imaginary rule of third lines (rotate banana a little more clockwise, etc)... Its hard to say how much an improvement it would be since the shadow would be displaced somehow also and that should be taken into account... As for the shadow, I don't find the way its placed here helps the image - it makes another likeness of the banana that overlaps the actual banana and at an odd angle. I think a slight angled shadow would work better (ie, overhead lighting)

TECHNiQUE... Just two concerns here - banana doesn't seem to be in focus. Close, but not as sharp as can be, and the bright white spot on the banana... its bright enough to have started burning away the detail of the banana surface. You can reduce the intensity of your light source, move it a bit further away, or diffuse the light with some opaque material... Or try to angle your light source so that the effect of the hot spot is reduced by aiming it on t he side of the banana perhaps, or at an area that is already very dark.

OVERALL... A nicely composed and graphic image, strong yellow colors add to its punch, you couldn't fit into the theme any better :) Lighting can be tricky, lots of problems you don't see until after the photo is taken and its too late to do anything about it (in your case you ate your banana :) :)

Yellow Belly
by greenem2

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION... While I don't find the subject matter to be particularly evocative on a personal level, I would suppose that if you wanted to take a decent photo of a pillow, this would be it. I like the simplicity of the photo (just a couple of different shades), and you really made the yellowness of the pillow stand out by putting it against a black background and removing color from the hands. I'm not fond of how there's more black space on the left and right sides of the pillow. I cropped a bit off these sides in photoshop and despite it being a small adjustment, I think it justifiably improves the photo. If you wanted to even make the shot more symmetrical after that you could have had another person holding the bottom corners in a similar fashion as the already existing hands :)

TECHNIQUE... Nothing much to add here. You managed to render the background nice and black while keeping the pillow evenly lit... There seems to be more noise than I would expect on the pillow itself...could this be a post-processing result?

OVERALL... Pretty good shot that could have benefitted from some more symmetry since its already halfway there to being perfectly symmetrical :)

Empty promenade
by mirac

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION... The photo has very strong compositional elements... The path is placed on the lower 3rd of the photo, and the eye naturally follows it from one end to the other. Trees are sometimes difficult to arrange in a pleasing manner, but here they are at even spaces away from each other, and I like how dow the road, two branches almost seem to meet and form an arch over the roadway! Nothing else clutters up the picture... As for the person, as a standalone photograph, if an element like this is too small and obscured to see, then I don't find it does much for the photograph, and can even hurt it in fact - since its something that doesn't have to be there - if an element can be removed without it seriously affecting the mood and strength of a photo, then its extraneous and shouldn't be there. But challenge-wise, without it the photo could have scored lower. I think its the nature of the contest that caused all these small elements to be in photos that didn't need them.

TECHNIQUE... Great choice of black and white.. might not have been as strong if you stuck to color. The contrast is just excellent - adding an extra punch to your image. Sharp, clear image, and neutral, effective border...

OVERALL... An excellent shot!, Congratulations on your first place win!

Joanna Giraffe
by BAMartin

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

FIRST IMPRESSION..Wee! This was the last photo I added to my favorites last night after the contest ended! Guess you're going to get a favorable review :)

COMPOSITION...The only thing I did not like about the placement of objects in the photo is the person! Wouldn't fit the contest anymore I know, especially when I say I don't like the fact she's hidden and in a corner... That was the whole point of the contest, granted, but I find her position in the photo to hurt the rest of the composition... I just love the way everything else in the photo fits together! The giraffe is slightly off center and facing inwards, the lines in the foreground seem to have the same effect - leading the eye inwards and then those strong horizontal lines are balanced by the verticals in the painted columns, and the structure on the right. The photo as a whole has an inherent surrealistic feel to it - doesn't look like a giraffe fits in there at all - which is exactly what makes it stand out all the more. Does not look like your typical zoo :) The colors are bright, and all tones in the photo go well together, as well as the giraffe. I guess one last nit-picky thing about the composition the object on the foreground wires that looks like its there to feed the giraffe, also gets in t he way. Too bad you can't have that moved...sometimes ya just gotta go with what's there cause you can't make better of the situation...

TEcHNIQUE.... Photo looks great. There's not much I can mention here except the blur on the giraffe's leg - A faster shutter speed would rectify that. If you are at the limit of your camera, (looks like your aperture is anyway)well there's not much you can do.

OVERALL... Excellent job on a great capture! Your score may not reflect how I feel about the shot but beauty is in the eye of the beholder :) At the end of the day, its taking shots you admire and are proud of that counts.,

Curves
by Natasha

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... I don't think I'll find anything to complain about here...The flower's graceful curves gives some very strong lines for the eyes to follow, and its a joy to look at. I like the touch of softness in the image, I think it all fits together to produce a calming and soothing still life. You've provided a background that contrasts well with the subject, and filled the frame with the flower, and picked a great angle with the petals almost covering the flower's insides but not quite... The colors are nicely saturated, providing further contrast with the background.

TECHNIQUE... Though I do like the small lack of sharpness, it would be a more technically sound image if the flower in total focus. I'm wondering if the cause of this was distance to subject. If you're in macro mode and you're too far, or in normal mode and you're too close, this will happen. The other obvious cause such as depth of field (not likely with an aperture of 7.8) or camera movement may have been a possibility... I find the highlights slightly blown out. Having the light slightly diffused could solve this problem, or in a non dpc world, perhaps the offending sections could be dodged so they don't appear as bright

OVERALL.. A breathtaking image, and an adept subject for the challenge. Excellent lighting except for the two small problematic areas, but still a shot to be proud to hang up on your wall :)

display copy only / pop art revisited
by SharQ

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!...

COMPOSITION... I find the way this shot was composed to be very appealing - shooting low, a different vantage point from usual, can yield effective results as we se here. Also like the steps that lead the eye outward, and the textures on the surfaces - walls and the models clothing. I'm not crazy about being able to see anyone's face, but I surmise that's the point of the picture - makes it look like its the woman who's for display purposes only... I also wonder if there was an alternative angle that would prevent the window "growing" from the man's face. Its really not as obvious as the usual examples we see in this area, but I do think the composition would be better without that window there.

TECHNICAL... I just love the surreal colors applied to the shot! What technique did you use? I also didn't know you could blur things for DPC...I love softening my photos but since I started participating in the contests, I never tried, thinking it was illegal...Some parts look more out of focus then blurry, which definitely would lower your score, seeing as there's a bias towards blurry photos. Of course there is a distinction between blurring and softening your shot, one which may be DPC legal but the other not. I believe in this case you did a straightforward blur, which just made the picture look slightly out of focus. I also find to be too much shadow in the man's suit - no tonal information present in the entire area. I know that sometimes it can really add to to the picture, but seeing how the rest of the shot is not made that way - only the upper wall is in shadows - having one of the main subjects almost enshrouded in darkness just seems a little odd.

OVERALL...apart from that, I think its a very unique shot -> Which might not make it belong in the cliche section, and which might explain a low score despite the originality and creativity of the photo.

A:\
by Konador

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

FIRST IMPRESSION.. My first impression is that what are the odds, of doing about 6-7 reviews from what I guess is 250 photos, to review your shot again :) On to the photo... :)

COMPOSITION...once again, your description says it all... If more people self-critiqued their work it would make our jobs easier :) You're right, some shots cannot be improved by using the rule of thirds, and I fail to see what would be accomplished by shifting the diskette over to one of the sides. I do think the diskette should have been taken straight on though - the perspective makes the diskette look less of a square than it could have been head on. And not a very photogenic diskette - I guess it would be hard to find a diskette w/o a serial number, but I find as a main element of the photo, the numbers are a distraction. Perhaps also a very dark or very light diskette would have really stood out against the sea of CDs. Just a tad nit-picky, but we all must be sometimes :) ... I've also been wondering what kind of different effect you would get if you stacked something underneath the diskette - stacks of cards, folds of paper, etc...to lift the diskette off the surface of the CDs and therefore providing some depth... Just an idea that popped into my head...

TECHNIQUE... The lighting on 90% of the shot is first rate.I'm talking about catching the reflections off the CD - they came out splendidly. The light was too harsh on the diskette metal piece and I'm sure it could be corrected by moving your light source in a different position. If you ever find that moving your light source does not solve this type of problem, or that moving the light source ruins the lighting of the rest of the photo, you can always try diffusing the light (placing translucent items in front of the light source) or even try lower exposures to see if the problem is reduced. Course if you were doing this yourself you could a double exposure trick in photoshop: Use the above shot, then take one shot underexposed so you don't have that very bright spot in the photo. Layer both photos on top of the others and mask the top layer in such a way as to allow the underexposed shot come through in the right areas.

If that sounds too advanced, I can explain it further...its a technique that can solve lots of exposure problems when people are not moving and I'll try to teach it on any photo that can benefit from it, however small...

OVERALL... A pretty good shot that needed a head on composition, and some lighting solution to the overly bright portion of the disk. See you again next week :) :)

Breakfast - your first square meal
by psychephylax

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

COMPOSITION...This area could use some improvement. Objects seem to be placed in a haphazard fashion and are not tied together. There is also no main subject - nothing that the eye can immediately settle on or follow. Don't forget before snapping to try many ways of looking at your still life and don't hesitate to rearrange your items ad nauseum unitil you have some arrangement that stands out from the rest. Perhaps a more angled shot where some of the food items were at the forefront, (in this case it should be the square ones) with others playing a minor role in the background, would have worked better.

TECHNIQUE... To tell you the truth, the food items do not look appealing. Well its true that whenever food is photographed, so many (non-edible) treatments are applied to the food in question to make it look edible, but I doubt you or I would have access to this kind of stuff, or if we did, we wouldn't know about it. All I can think of is adding a bit of soft focus to the shot (for DPC, using an old filter with glycerin or vaseline smeared on it, or stocking net over the lens). That should hopefully soften out the "greasy" look which is really hard to avoid - food never looks appealing when photographed the way it is, one of the first things I learned in my studio still life course. Light is average, photo looks like it can be lightened a bit but I'll need to look at the photo on a calibrated monitor before I could say that. Background is simple and effective.

OVERALL... well, despite the food not looking appealing, its still a very good attempt which I imagine would take some effort. Food is a very challenging subject to try to photograph, kudos for taking it on :)