Morning Sun, Scratched Curtain
by wsargen

Comment by Gracious:
Ahhhhh and that profile tips us off to the outlaw who did it. That darned CAT! Actually I have two myself and love 'em. They get into mischief but are so entertaining and cute.

Morning Sun, Scratched Curtain
by wsargen

Comment by alanfreed:
Gotta be honest... this doesn't grab me. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at, I guess. It's just not a very compelling subject, I suppose.

Morning Sun, Scratched Curtain
by wsargen

Comment by dasser:
I like a lot. Very similar (though better) than some I have been trying - a 9 for me.

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by ursula:
From the Critique Club

Hello!

This is a nice entry. A good sunset always works in a postcard, and this is a wonderful sunset. The colours are beautiful. Meets the challenge with no problems.

The horizon line is straight, but the stone fence line and the columns are not - that is somewhat disconcerting. Straightening out one would make the other look slanted. Maybe if you could have gotten a bit closer and to the right, and lined up the horizon to the top of the stone fence, and kept the columns straight?

The use of the arches as the frame for the postcard is a good idea. IMHO the postcard could be improved if there were not such a big black area towards the top, and if the sides were more similar (one side has a black column, the other not). Again, going in closer and to the right might have helped.

The colours are absolutely beautiful! The sun behind the branches and the reflections on the water really make the picture shine. I love the soft reflection on top of the inner stone fence. The colour is the best part of this postcard. Focus also is fine.

The font/size/color/placement of the lettering is good, maybe a little on the shy side for a postcard, but nice. The only problem with it is the spelling, it should be "Olympic Peninsula", not "Olympic Penninsula".

Keep up the good work!

Ursula I Abresch

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by Artifacts:
Good sunset view and patio silhouette. Nice getting the shot blocking the sun with a branch. I've hiked the Olympic National Park beach section between towns and it is beautiful territory.

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by frisca:
very serene and warm mood created by the sunset and the silohuettes, I like the way you've framed the sun using the archway.

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by magnus:
Great idea, but I'd prefer the text on the top right, to use the natural black framing. Also, if you rotated the photo to straighten the columns, would anyone notice the slightly tilted horizon?

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by DennisF:
Nice colors. The mist on the water against the sharp pillars is a good touch. However, attention to details is important - needs to be straigtened. A white border would have been a good touch.

Work Tools
by wsargen

Comment by frisca:
Hello from the Critique Club, wsargen!

I looked up your profile and see your name listed as "Winthrop" but after looking at your multi-image composition, I think I should just call you "officer, sir". ;)

Onto the meaty stuff:

Challenge: multi-image composition

At first blush, I thought this was one strange image, but after looking for a few more seconds, its obviously 3, though I was too naive to know what the gun was without reading the comments below! You met the challenge requirements for sure!

Composition, contrast, colour:The 3 C's.

I looked quite carefully at the first picture, and it looks like its the back of the gun, just at the top of the handle. Lots of people knew what it was, but since I had a bit of trouble, i wonder if the image might have been more powerful if you pulled back a bit and got more of the gun in the shot? perhaps some of the handle, or barrel or even the trigger? Just a thought on that one. I LOVE the angle you have on the handcuffs, I think its just perfect, with great focus. The only think I'd change is maybe a more contrasting background, perhaps a starker white behind the cuffs? An idea to ponder anyway.

Now the pens.. I'm divided about them. As someone suggested, a badge or nightstick might have been more dramatic, if not a little more cliche. The pens are certainly the tool you use most often I'm sure, and since you chose them, I'm going to assume that you wanted the message they convey about the more "routine" things cops do. Maybe a ticketbook would have been a better choice for the 3rd shot? I hate messing with artistic choices, but if you post why you chose the pens, that might settle all of our minds. :) Nitpick: the lint and dust specs on the pens shot and the gun shot.

I love this blending effect, but the problem is that we have to concentrate pretty hard to see that its three different images, and that really mutes the impact of your triptych. I don't like the idea of clear borders between them, but maybe a bit more whitespace, like each photo fading a bit more to white and then blending them together so there is that gap between shots. I also think the addition of the white will help bring out the cold metal grey tones you have here, since each picture is very similarly coloured.

focus and lighting: You have captured wonderful detail and focus on all the pictures. Besides a brighter background behind the cuffs, I think you've lit these well, allowing us to see the detail without any harsh reflections or bright spots off the metal.

Overall: This is a great picture and a very unique blending effect. With a little bit of whitespace between, you'd really punch this up and have a dramatic effect! I quite like it in any event, well done!

Kalaloch Lodge Sunset
by wsargen

Comment by sherryk471:
Like the use of the foreground shadows and the color is great.8