My cat loves my shoesby
ChioComment by Artyste: Hello, and Greetings from the Critique Club. I am your host, Artyste, and we have a lovely critique on the menu today.
Initial Thoughts
A little cluttered with some harsh lighting.
Composition / Content
Your content is ok here, and I can grasp what you were going for, but the way you've shot it and your composition is too, plain. One of the things you really want to avoid when shooting for DPC are objects that leave the frame all around the photo as if no though was given to them, and if you have no clear and intended subject to focus on. Here, there are just too many shoes, placed randomly, with too many of them not having any real element in the image. The cat, also, is in my mind just another afterthought, instead of being a focal point itself. It's hard to explain fully what I mean by this, but on DPC, this "snapshot" look is almost impossible to sell. Experimenting with perspectives, with set-ups, with different angles of shooting.. will all help you start to look at a your shot a little more artistically. Never be afraid to try something different.
Background
The shelving unit is a little too dark, and far too cluttered. It gets the essense of your intention across, but does nothing for the photo itself for me.
Camera Work / Technical
A good job with focus, although you seem to have gotten a little OOF in the front left corner. I don't know if that's a camera issue though. Using a smaller aperature (f/4 - f/5.6) might have helped there, or a slightly faster shutter speed. (1/40 is a tough speed to get a clean shot with). Using flash on a subject so close and in a darker area indoors will also contribute to the "snapshot" look, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Getting a tripod, and lighting the room up however you can can help in that way, as it reduces the harsher highlights and shadows.
Not always do-able, of course, but it helps to pay attention to your light sources and try to make the best of them. You can also try and diffuse your flash by using tissue paper (at various thicknesses), or other form of cloth or plastic items in front of your flash to reduce the glaring light.
Digital Processing
You didn't give any information on this, so anything I say is conjecture. Most of the post-processing on this I would have suggested is illegal under basic editing, but some slight levels work might have helped a bit. A little boost in contrast as well, but unfortunately, as people say a lot around here, even the best icing can't fully fix a poorly baked cake. There are many things before processing that hurt this photo as a DPC challenge photo.
Fits the Challenge
This definitely fits the challenge, and is a *good* idea. The execution was hurried possibly, and as a result suffers, but I do like the creative thinking. Definitely keep that up :)
My Opinion of the Photo
For DPC, this is just too much of a snapshot. A hurried photo with a good idea, but executed without much real thought. It's humorous, but falls a little flat in most areas. I'd suggest looking around at more portfolios and paying attention to compositions, color, etc, and experimenting more. Good luck in future challenges, and keep those ideas coming.
