Dead Photographers Cult
by ClubJuggle

Comment by AlexSaberi:
thought this would be top 5. Great lighting!!

Softball
by ClubJuggle

Comment by phinbob:
This is a nice outside shot that could be a portrait. Other than that, I do not see the link to the challenge:

Photograph a portrait that says something about the subject within the framework of their own environment.

Overlooking 222
by ClubJuggle

Comment by neophyte:
Nice long exposure shot. More impressive is that ther'es very little if any over exposed areas.

Overlooking 222
by ClubJuggle

Comment by beefykoala:
I've got a shot just like this!!

Overlooking 222
by ClubJuggle

Comment by MTPixels:
I like the curves.

Softball
by ClubJuggle

Comment by JohnBeebe:
I would love to see a plate or more of the ballfield for an environmental portrait.

Dead Photographers Cult
by ClubJuggle

Comment by eschelar:
Looks good. I would like to see a bit less definition in the cloak in the center, near the camera, giving more of a 'floating' look...

The rest of the cloak looks pretty good, save for the wrinkly bits on the left of the pic...

I don't mind that the camera is not perfectly aligned, it contributes to the 'floaty' feel.

Softball
by ClubJuggle

Comment by temba:
This is a lovely portrait - the expression on her face is adorable. One thing would have made this perfect - the inclusion of a ball!

Overlooking 222
by ClubJuggle

Comment by Altamiro:
Easy and extremely good! Though the lane markings distract somewhat.

Elvis Sighted At Parade!
by ClubJuggle

Comment by TooCool:
From the Critique Club:

I'm not sure how to go about critiqueing this one, if I should go from a photographic point of view or strictly from a challenge point of view. Either way, there isn't a lot that I can point out for improving the shot as is...

The lighting on this is harsh. I know in this type of photography we do not have a whole lot of control over the lighting. The lighting on his face and hands at this viewing size are not terribly appealing. Not sure your exposure is spot on either as the whites of the platform/float are not truly white but more of a muddied grey.

Compositionally, the platform that he is standing behind, quite bluntly, looks like crap. The boards going across it take away from the neatness (for lack of a better term) of the shot. In effect, they make it look cluttered. The house in the background is quite distracting too.

Technically, besides the exposure that I mentioned above, the shot seems quite soft. I don't know if it is motion blur (was he in the parade or mc'ing it?) or camera shake (what lens did you use for the shot?) or just not focused in the right place... I'm leaning toward the latter as his hand and the boards on the platform seem to be in focus but his face seems soft.

How can you improve this? I don't see anything that you could really do in PP except perhaps playing with levels to make your whites whiter and maybe mask out or darken the background house. The only real improvements I could suggest would have occured during the shooting. If he was actually in the parade, you could have followed the parade route till you had a better background and perhaps more even lighting. I have seen huge differences in parade lighting between two blocks. One with houses and trees like this and another with business that have nicely reflective fronts to help even out the light or fill the shadows... The only other suggestion I could make would be to zoom in more on the model and in effect crop out that funky platform. However, this may have removed the connection with the event which is important for this type of shot.

Hope you find something useful here. Photojournalism and candids are not exactly my forte...
Yours
TC