Portal
by stare_at_the_sun

Comment:
Love the image, don't love the color of the sky though. I'm sure it was meant to look like a fantasy type shot, but I'm just not a fan of the color. The rest is really neat though. Lovely Tree.

5 minutes Left
by barndog

Comment:
At first glance, I think you'll get hammered cause the 'subject' couldn't be more centered. For those that actually look at the photo though, i think they will see where you were going with it. I think most people will be looking at the watch as the subject, and therefor wont get the connection to the challenge, but it's nice out of the box thinking.
Focus is nice, and lighting is good as well, except for the white spot near bottom left. Lighting is a bit harsh righ there. Nice color, interesting watch. I do think though that the 'off center' is going to be too subtle. ~Heather~

self portrait
by photogrl

Comment:
Sorry, I can't even tell what this is. Looks like a bodice and an out of focus belly button?? Not very much of the photo is in focus, and what little IS in focus, doesn't make sense to me. This must appear different to you, since you were there to see the whole picture. The title doesn't even help, maybe even distracts, since I'm looking for some type of body part, or person. just something down there in the bottom right that looks similar to a belly button. Again, sorry, I really tried. ~Heather~

Photography may be hazardous to your health
by quiet_observation

Comment:
it's a nice sign. The color looks a little off though. Not sure, but it just looks a bit TOO blue. Focus and clarity are nice, and nothing distracting. The subject doesn't have a high visual appeal to me personally, however, technically well done.

Le Bleu Nuit
by pawdrix

Comment:
This fits the challenge very well. Perfecly actually. While technically well done, I think the photo lacks a real interest. Looks like a photo of a girl picking up her cell phone? The lighting is more on her arm, which leads me right to her arm, and away from her face, which to me is way more interesting than her arm. I wish there were a bit more light on her face. So that I wouldn't be looking at the arm. The background is nicely blurred, and I like the lights in the bckground. The thing growing out of the guys head on the left is bothersome, if not down right hilarious. He looks like a rhino. lol. I like the blue tones. It gives the photo a point of interest, but unfortunately, it doesn't hold my attention long. Light on the face, not on the arm, would have changed this dramatically in my opinion.
~Heather~

Blue Over My Heart
by Judi

Comment:
*Critique Club*

Per your request, here is you in depth critique from The Critique Club.
First impression is that I'm not really sure what the point is, and your lack of comments doesn't help me to figure out what your intent was for this photo, so my critique is based solely on personal opinion since I do not know what your intent was.
I cannot tell what part of the body this is, and why your hand is there. Is the jewel heart over the actual heart? The only purpose I see for the hand is that there are 2 little jewels on it, which kind of ties it in with the little jewels of the heart, but still, the hand seems to serve no purpose and doesn't add to the 'shapes' theme for the challenge either.
The focus seems soft, but I wonder if that's a biproduct of the neatimage? The skin just seems to have no texture whatsoever and appears quite odd.
The freckles on the skin distract slightly from the subject due to the similar shape, size and color.
This would have been more effective if the heart were symetrical. There are more beads on the left side than on the right side.
Lighting is very uneven. It's darker on the left side (shadow of hand) which gives the skin an unnatural green tint on the left side of the photo. Also, the light reflections on the nails distract from the jewels on the nails.
Overall, I think this fits the challenge properly, but leave me saying 'huh?'.

That Only a Mother. . .
by cycleboy

Comment:
*Criitque Club*

In response to your request, here is your in depth critique from The Critique Club.
I read your comment, and do think that the image was probably voted lower due to challenge relevance. When looking at the shot, the first thing I think of is animals, ocean, sad. I don't think in a million years, I would have thought 'mother'.
That being said, on to the image itself.
First thing I notice is focus. I think it's the texture of the seals that makes them look soft focus, cause when I see the wiskers, they appear to be in focus, but not much else does. This may have been a trickier shot than it originally appeared. She is shiny, and reflecting light and color, and I think that throws off the appearance of the focus. Not really sure if there's an easy fix to that, but I sure couldn't come up with one.
Next is the lighting. Doesn't seem like the most flattering lighting conditions. Not sure what thos conditions were, but seems a bit flat. Notice there's nothing in her eyes. Her eyes are just blank holes in her head. Would love to have seen some depth to them. Maybe some kind of front light? Again, might be trickier than it sounds, due to the reflective surface of the seals, but non the less, I think the eyes need something.
Composition is lacking. We have a seal butt to the left, and 1/2 an overturned seal to the right. Subject seal, smack dab in the center of the photo. No negative space.
I'm not sure why, but the 'rule of thirds' seems to be popular, and it works. Visually cut your photo into 9 squares, those lines are your 'thirds'. Then, when you take your photo, place your subject on one of those thirds, leaving negative space or background for the rest of the photo. Check out the Rule Of Thirds challenge for examples of how this adds to the visual appeal of an image.
She's an interesting seal, but I don't think the photo captures that interest. overall, lacking visual appeal and 'wow' factor.
It's a great start though, and keep trying. You can learn a lot from DPC. ~Heather~

maternal instinct
by thehitter

Comment:
*Critique Club*

In response to your request, here is your in depth critique from The Critique Club.
I've read your comments, I think the problem was that if a person were to look at the image, the first thing that jumps to mind is baby, or child. This would have been lovely for a baby or child challenge, but for a mother challenge, I think it might be a bit of a stretch.
As for the photo itself, the focus seems just a bit too soft for my taste. Would love to see some detail in her eyelashes and hair. The eyes are lovely, nice bright blue. The really draw the attention and make her face the main attraction, however, then they seem to be in soft focus, so it's almost as if it's a let down. I like that the background is blurred, but see her left (our right) cheek? It's blurred almost INTO the background. Otherwise, I like the DOF.
The background is soft, nice colors, and nothing distracting there. It adds interest because it's not just a plain background, but it's not too much that it distracts from the baby.
I like the position of the baby within the photo, very nice composition.
The red tips of the fingers on the bottle seem a bit odd to me, and being right there in the front, it's somewhat of a distraction, but nothing major.
Overall, I think the image is lovely, and only suffered for challenge relevance. Congrats.
~Heather~

The Beehive Shape
by KiwiShotz

Comment:
*Critique Club*

In response to your request, here is your in depth critique from the Critique Club.
The first thing I notice is the most commented on aspect here. The cropping. I would like to see all of this building, but I like the position of the building within the photo. I like having it off to the right of the photo, with space to the left, however, wish that the whole building was in the picture. Maybe if you just took the photo from the same spot, and just zoomed out a bit, or took a few steps backward if possible. That would help show all of the building, but also keep the composition as is.
Focus is spot on. I love the detail you show us in the building, and the trees really add a little burst of contrast, which is really nice.
The colors are nice, and that sky is just beautiful.
The shape is definately in interesting one for the challenge. I certainly have never seen anything like it. Thanks also for the background/history of the building, interesting facts.
~Heather~

Hip 2b²
by fotomann_forever

Comment:
*Critique Club*

As you requested, here is your in depth critique from The Critique Club.
The first thing I noticed before reading your comments was the pink reflections on her pants. It is most clearly down the back of the left leg, the zipper area and her left knee. I figured there must have been some red lighting coming from somewhere, but upon reading your comments, realize that this is probably reflection from the (once) pink background. The pinkness stands out (at least to me) a lot and seems quite odd given the photo as a whole.
That being said, I like the yellow background, it's bright and attention getting and adds a bit of wow factor. There is a lot of visual appeal in this photo.
Focus and clarity are great. I like the texture it brings out in the pants.
I like the angle and the cropping as well. I think that it accentuates the 'shape' and makes it a very nice shot for the challenge as well.
Lighting is very nice, the only little shadows I notice are under the bottom of the jacket, and (while the one shadow also has the pink tint) I don't find them distracting at all.
Very nice shot, I really have no complaints or suggestions, other than the pink reflections on the pants where there is no apparent reason for the pants to be refecting pink. Not really sure how to fix the situation. Maybe if you did a saturation adjustment and desaturated all reds? Not sure if that would affect the rest of the photo, but worth a shot anyway.
~Heather~

Message edited by author 2006-01-11 12:13:52.