Waterfall (Animal Kingdom)
by sukuriant

Comment by wyverndragon:
I see the potential, but I think the image just loses too much detail in highlights and shadows.

I live in a forest just like this. You may be one of my locals for all I know. :) I kept getting frustrated because I could never make a photo that caught the magic of the little dappled-sunlight spots I found in the woods. Then someone pointed out to me that sunny spots are full, bright, direct sunlight. So, like, f/22 or so. The shadow spots don't get a lot of ambient light because the forest is generally kind of dark. So, like, f/4 or so. There's just no earthly way for a single exposure to make dappled sunlight look good. With that thought in mind, I started working HDR techniques for a while, and eventually it added tons to my forest shots.

I highly recommend HDR for shots like this.

Waterfall (Animal Kingdom)
by sukuriant

Comment by GiorgioBaruffi:
beautful place and good shot... i like the composition...

Waterfall (Animal Kingdom)
by sukuriant

Comment by giantmike:
Good job getting the sense of motion in the water. I know others won't like the branches that cover the top falls, but I think it adds a bit of mystery.

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by PixelKing:

Originally posted by alfresco: My opinion on why it scored "low" - no good separation between the subject and the background. That was my first impression when I opened the image, and that impression stuck with me for about five seconds. As voting goes that's about as much time as you get (unfortunately). In a different environment where the viewer is not constrained by time the "score" (read: overall impression) may be higher. I still feel the photo's background detracts from the subject instead of enhancing the subject. Anyway - my two cents! :)

Totally agree alfresco and I'd even go one step further. Isolate and darken the background as much as possible. Leave just a hint of what the background might be so the viewer almost has to guess. The longer someone looks at you photo the higher the score. (Most of the time LOL)

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by alfresco:
My opinion on why it scored "low" - no good separation between the subject and the background. That was my first impression when I opened the image, and that impression stuck with me for about five seconds. As voting goes that's about as much time as you get (unfortunately).

In a different environment where the viewer is not constrained by time the "score" (read: overall impression) may be higher.

I still feel the photo's background detracts from the subject instead of enhancing the subject.

Anyway - my two cents! :)

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by Alicia:
I haven't read the thread, but I remember this image - gave it a 7.

Why did it score low? It has edgy processing (not classic, straight photo look), and the whole photo is very artistic - in my view. Here on DPC, the majority of people love stock-like photos. If you look at the eagle shots that do well, they have nothing artistic about them, usually.

5.6 is not shabby for a Free Study - the bar is set very high for this challenge. I think it should have scored better, but I could have told you it wasn't going to - because of what I said above.

However, don't let this influence your style. At some point you have to make the decision if you're going to shoot for the score or shoot for your artistic integrity.

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by PennyStreet:
Beautiful details. But maybe because it's a little dark people didn't look close enough?
Though subtle, the streaming light is pretty awesome.

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by Germaine:
Nice detail in the feathers.

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by kvartanov:
Awesome shot. Well done

Golden Eagle
by sukuriant

Comment by mrbig65:
wow,,,, "he got killers look",,,, great shot,,,,,,,,,,