The Unknown
by arnit

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club --

Arnit,
Very nice image for the Free Study challenge. I like the effect you've achieved with the lighting (and it's impressive that your model held this pose for 3 seconds!). One of the comments below mentions that additional negative space above the model's head might help the composition. I agree with this; I think extra space above the model's head would amplify the mystery of the image. What IS up there? What does she see?

I notice that you've entered this image into the Black and White gallery. Did you intend to enter a black and white version of the photo, but grabbed the color version by mistake? Just curious as this image obviously makes use of color...(I'd like to see a black and white version if you have one available).

I like the left/right crop that you've chosen. There isn't much distance between the model and the left/right side of the frame, but this works well here. It tends to increase the feeling of discomfort for the viewer....

Great photograph Arnit!

LanSnake

Going Down?
by Davenit

Comment:
Davenit -- Greetings from the Critique Club:

Outstanding and beautiful motion capture! I feel that any critique I might offer would be nit-picking. Please take the following ideas as my "thinking aloud" about your submission.

I like the long and narrow approach to cropping that you've used, but wonder if it might look more natural to show this as a horizontal composition (dart moving from left to right)? I mention this only because we think of darts being thrown at a target, not being dropped straight down from a balcony! Of course, if the dart were moving horizontally then we would expect to see a small amount of downward motion in the trail so maybe it wouldn't look natural as a horizontal composition? I also wonder if the composition would be improved with a bit more space between the tip of the dart and the edge of the frame?

I notice that you've listed the shutter speed as 1.5 seconds -- is this correct? I don't have experience with this type of photo, but it seems like the dart would be out of the frame in 1.5 seconds?

Anyway, great photograph and congratulations on your high placement in the challenge!

LanSnake

Retrospective in Motion
by Ptman

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club --

PTMAN,
Your photograph captures the feeling of motion very well. The composition is balanced well between the still image in the mirror vs. the motion area on the left side of the photo.

One of the comments below mentioned that you should use your graphic editor to rotate the image (I assume they want the mirror perfectly horizontal?). I'm not sure if all side mirrors are mounted parallel to the ground, so will leave this for you to decide. A person viewing this photo could use a stronger horizontal frame of reference, I'm just not sure if that reference should be the mirror. The trees reflecting in the mirror seem to be vertical (no tilt) and this would indicate that a rotation is not necessary. Of course there are no visual cues to indicate the type of terrain either; ie were you driving up or down a steep hill? ;-)

The shutter speed of 1/250 second is effective in capturing the motion here. The upper right corner (black arc) doesn't add anything to the image, and the lower right corner just shows the mirror mount on the vehicle. The composition could possibly be improved by cropping this small amount from the extreme right side.

Overall nice motion capture!
LanSnake

When the ocean hits the breakwater
by Delta_6

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club --

Nice motion capture that effectively shows the power behind the waves. I really like how your photograph seems to freeze the spray at it's maximum height. The color of the water is also beautiful and a nice contrast to the gray of the rocks.

I wonder if a different perspective might allow the viewer to better see the height of the spray? The upper right and lower left of the photograph don't really add much to the current composition. Would it be possible to move closer to the water, with your line of sight down the length of the breakwall? [I realize this might not be possible with the water spray making it difficult to get a clear photograph]

The focus on the rocks seems a little soft -- is this due to the water spray? If at all possible it would be nice to achieve a tight focus on the rocks, to provide further contrast between the rocks and water. Overall a nice motion capture!

LanSnake

Sudz Down the River
by jitams

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club -

Your photograph has a nice abstract quality -- very interesting to see moving water behind the stationary branches. I think this is a very creative capture of motion, and might be a good study to try this same photo in the different seasons of the year. You could even try using the same shutter speed (1 second) and see if you can see a difference in the amount of water moving past the camera, depending upon the season of the year (more water flow in the Spring?).

Is there a way to change the lighting in this photograph, to make the branches more distinct? Maybe the light in early morning, or just before sunset would allow you to make the branches stand out more?

LanSnake

Message edited by author 2002-12-16 21:16:21.

Moving by night, sleeping by day
by psychephylax

Comment:
Holiday Greetings from the Critique Club:

Psychephylax -- As many of your comments below mention, the lack of strong motion in your subject kept your entry from scoring better in this challenge.

Technically it's a beautiful photograph (and subject!). The strong color contrast between the subject and background work very well here. The Depth of Field (DOF) is also effective to pull the viewer's eye directly to the owl. I might like to see this image in portrait mode, to see if making more of the owl's body visible could improve the composition.

A few months ago I attended a photography lecture presented by a person who specializes in wild bird photography. One of his key points was the importance of showing the bird's eye(s) in the photograph -- and even better if you can capture a slight reflection off of the eye to show the moist surface.

Your image is interesting because it makes me wonder what the owl was looking at. Was there something above and to the right that might work in your composition?

Beautiful photograph (too bad the challenge subject wasn't birds of prey) -- LanSnake

alone
by LanSnake

Comment:
Thanks for all of the interesting comments on this photo. I guess quite a few voters thought there might have been some Photoshop trickery. This duck was swimming in a swampy area, with lots of algae growing on the surface of the water. I agree that the result looks a little odd -- kinda like the duck is stuck in asphalt! No Photoshop tricks required here, just a duck swimming in a swamp looking for food......Alan

Down In Front!
by courtenay27

Comment:
I love Macintosh computers (using Mac OS X right now!)...and this is a very creative idea for a photograph. I might like the composition a bit more if the 'real' apples were not dividing the frame so close to the middle. Maybe a perspective shot that was further away from the fruit, looking up to the computer in the background. LanSnake

Freckled Chiquita
by discomushroom11

Comment:
Nice abstract quality to your photograph. It looks great as a thumbnail (small) image, but the large version reveals a lack of focus. I think a tighter focus here really would make this a nice composition. LanSnake

Too Much Pressure
by lionelm

Comment:
Interesting composition. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at, but as an abstract image I think this works well. I might like the composition a bit more if the orange line in the lower right continued out of the frame (fill the lower right corner with all orange). LanSnake