Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by Gracious:
I love the inclusion of the tulips. Makes a wonderfully interesting foreground.

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by Swashbuckler:
While the focus is on the person (you?) with the camera, the "subject" seems as if it should be the flowers. I see what you were doing here, but I'm sorry, it doesn't seem to work for me. Add the glare from the window behind and the slight fuzziness (I believe from the mirror), not good. 6 Swash

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by David Ey:
FINALLY, a soft focus that works...........good job

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by PTLParsons:
Why is the whole thing hazy and out of focus. Am I missing something or not understanding. This doesn't appeal to me at all, personally.

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by erin_m02:
Very nice abstract. 7

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by irae:
A very interesting effect here. Very painterly. The overexposure at the window behind you makes me cringe, though, and steals useful tonal range from the rest of the image.

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by justine:
Is this a filter...? Diffuse? Pretty colors, good composition.

Digital Photographer/Artist
by shedonist

Comment by JamieWillmott:
Picture seems rather blurry.

Got Water? Water Bottling Company Draws Protests
by shedonist

Comment by Yomi:
"Critique Club Comment"

This was a good shot for a photojournalism shot.
COMPOSITION- This is a good shot for the challenge. I didn't know bottled water created any conflicts with people. Shows what I knew. She doesn't look in protest with a smile. I would have liked to see it cropped a little less to get the rest of her feet into the shot. The angle where you took this is great, you've done good in not getting your shadow into the shot with where the sun is. I like how you've got the website on the sign too, that tells the story. Good work.

BACKGROUND- The background is kind of plain. I wonder if you could have used a bigger aperature to blur out the background and just have her in focus. If there were more people all lined up with signs that would have worked too.

Camera Work- Focus and detail on her are great. Colors are nice and not messed up. Have the sign and her in good detail is what this shot is about.

DIgital Processing- you've done a great job with it. The colors and everything are good. I don't know what causes the compression artifacts but it looks like you have a very small amount of them around the top part of her chair in the shadows. I wonder why its like that in shadows. I think if we could save it with a bigger file it would have totally got rid of those.

My Opinion- I thought this told a great story. I had rated it above average during the voting. Great shot and great story behind it. Thanks for sharing.

Got Water? Water Bottling Company Draws Protests
by shedonist

Comment by shedonist:
Thanks to all who commented on my picture. Yes, she is smiling and looking at the camera. In other pics I took she was busy talking, not as well lit (sun came over the trees at the end of our 7am-9am protest), and not in as sharp focus. C'est la vie. She's a hellraiser, and she happens to be a happy lady - I guess that's the story here. Her property borders the property where they want to build this bottling plant. Even though she uses a cane to walk, she is always at our protests and she's always writing letters to the editor and state officials. One of the big wigs in the Department of Environmental Services in our state called her "THE VIOLENT ONE". So... looks can be deceiving.