After the storm
by xsnrg

Comment by Beautiful-Joe:
Hello there. I ran across this because I was wondering if anyone else owned this camera. It's a fantastic photo. The ice and the seagull really are the best parts. If only the water had picked up a little blue from the sky. But really it's great. Better than anything I could've done.

After the storm
by xsnrg

Comment by saintaugust:
i really like this shot. clean and the bird adds to it, nice touch.

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by Artyste:
Hello from the Critique Club. I am Artyste, and I'll be serving you today.

Initial Thoughts

A lack of focal point here, with the fence in the foreground being a distraction. The subject you've chosen is far too far away to be effective, and without the title, one could miss it as a subject far too easily.

Composition / Content

The composition lacks a number of points here. There is no true focal point, as I've mentioned. The Cathedral is just a small object in the background, and not the true subject as you seem to have desired. The horizon is just a little too central, which also detracts from giving the viewer a path of viewing, setting them up to wander all over the photograph. As for content, it's a nice shot of a part of a city, but, again, no real interest.

Background

Your problem here is that your subject *is* the background, and while that isn't always a *bad* thing, you generally want a path of interest leading to your subject, if it's in the background, and this photo doesn't have one. The river *almost* works, but because of the clutter of the architecture around it, the fence in the foreground, and the fact that the river is cut off long before reaching the cathedral, it ultimately doesn't work.

Camera Work - Technical

The camera work here *is* good. You have a great sunlight exposure, focus is crisp, and DOF is deep and clear.

Digital Processing

You didn't give any details on your post, but I'll assume that you probably played with the basics such as bright/contrast, USM, and the like. Nothing you've done in post, if anything, has taken away from the image.

Fits the Challenge

Being a Free Study, it definitely fits the challenge.

My Opinion on the Photo

I feel that it's an average snapshot of a city, that had a lot more potential. I'm a little confused as to your choice of subject, it being so far away. If you had a stronger path to the subject.. a horizon that was closer to the bottom of the photo, giving you more sky and a stronger look at the cathedral, it might have helped.. or just had simply been a lot closer *to* the cathedral, this photo would have worked much better. Keep shooting, and good luck in the future.

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by agrimace:
I would have zoomed in more or placed it of center. Your eyes are not drawn to the cathedral.

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by AutumnCat:
Pretty scene. Fence in foreground is distracting.

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by gmirsky:
postcard quality

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by claudia26:
a lovely city view but the front railing does not match the style and is distracting

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by techtraum:
Great subject, nicely focused too. Would be a better photograph without the railing in the foreground.

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by terje:
Lacks a tad contrast for my taste. Good luck

Notre Dame Cathedral
by xsnrg

Comment by Bud:
Nice photo, but just a little too distant from the cathedral itself.