Just out of Reach
by mark082

Comment by Tom:
Nice shot! Good timing

Just out of Reach
by mark082

Comment by Luci11e:
I hope that's the "golden" egg hidden up there - if not I don't wanna hunt eggs with ya'll !

Elusive Warmth
by mark082

Comment by sarampo:
Hi Mark, greetings from the Critique Club!

Regarding your photo:

Composition
Your sharpness and bokeh is great, we can really feel the cold in the picture just by looking at the ice on the lantern.
I don't think the black bar hurt this photo, in fact it adds a strong balance point for the rest. I just wish there was some more space above or under the lantern, like this in the middle is not the most perfect position for it. Also, a wee tiny bit of the ice was cut from the photo.

Technique / Lighting
Very moody shot, at 1/40 it's amazing the clarity of this photo. Your DOF is brilliant for this photo, the background is just so slightly blurred as to enhance the front element.

Processing
I would probably try to tweak the white balance of the snow, since it's a bit blue instead of white, but since this being basic then it would mean that probably the lantern light would be off. Still, I'd like to see a whiter picture. The contrast is great!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao

The Window to the Soul
by mark082

Comment by sfalice:
GREETINGS FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

this is one of those serendipitous critiques. Members of the Critique Club have no control over which image they receive next. The last one I did, just a while ago, was from EL-ROI, and also featured a cute little baby whose image made me giggle. here we go again. Oddly enough, though your sweet child has a few more years under her belt, the critiques could be close to identical.

First, you both received decent scores. I think you probably know kid images, unless they are spectacularly wild, will rarely make the front page. Still, one hopes to get close. I do wonder if a different crop might have made some difference. Say, take the crop from the right (top to bottom) from the child's ear and take it 1/2 the way through the plaid blanket. That centers the action on the cute kid.

Then, and I know you say you are not conversant with Photoshop to any degree, but when you are, try selecting out the background area that is left and blurring it even further than you already did with your excellent exposure.

Other than that, I have nothing to add to your already excellent subject matter and your fine cooperation of your subject.

I hope you find this critique helpful.
:-))

Alice

Elusive Warmth
by mark082

Comment by 777STAN:
Most Unique! Great Work! :)

Elusive Warmth
by mark082

Comment by mrturtell:
good pic

The Window to the Soul
by mark082

Comment by bvy:

Originally posted by mark082: Originally posted by bvy: Agh! The title... Cute shot anyway. I am the worst when it comes to titles. If this image were larger, though, you would notice that the reflection in her eye is of the light coming in a window. The title served a double function in this case. Thanks for leaving a comment. :)

That particular title is kind of a running joke in the forums. A real cliche. But I see where you were going -- the catch light is quite nice, and I'm a sucker for natural light window portraits. Keep it up!

The Window to the Soul
by mark082

Comment by mark082:

Originally posted by bvy: Agh! The title... Cute shot anyway.

I am the worst when it comes to titles. If this image were larger, though, you would notice that the reflection in her eye is of the light coming in a window. The title served a double function in this case. Thanks for leaving a comment. :)

Elusive Warmth
by mark082

Comment by james_so:
Interesting idea, not sure about the block of blackness at the left though. Unavoidable I know, just my humble opinion ;)

The Window to the Soul
by mark082

Comment by bvy:
Agh! The title...

Cute shot anyway.