>>> LPS#1 Feedback/Critique from the Judges

Shay Stephens

The lighting, steam in the back, and all the props work really well. I could see this in some magazine ad for a cold remedy. Nothing is really suggesting itself to me right now as to how it could be improved. It looks contrived, but that is the spoofy nature of the photo and how it would be used in the real world.







A very conceptual piece, it does make you think. It lacks a little eye-catching contrast, but there is a danger is leaning to far to the zaz factor too. I do like the moodiness of the photo and the selective focus imployed. I still think maybe some brighter highlights would help for a stand alone photo, but if this were part of a series or an illustration to a story, it might not need anything done to it.








For me this is a bit too clinical and steam centric at the expense of the context for the steam. The details of the pot are kind of visible, but only enough to bother me in not being able to see more. I would have prefered to see the details hidden or more fully revealed. Pulling back some to get a better idea of what is producing the steam would have helped me too.

I see the colors in the steam, and might have prefered to see more of just that in a tight composition. But as is, the photo is just a half and half depiction that doesn't really satisfy me on way or the other.








I like how the liquid looks like a twirly piece of glass, and the slight splash of color. I might have liked a more satured color to go with bold black/white stark theme. I would have liked to see a wider DOF too and maybe a pinch more exposure to brighten the highlights.







My first reaction is why? But it does produce steam, but then again, the concept would have been stronger if there was something bright and colorful in the basket with the potential for being there for a reason, like peppers, or corn or something. The shot for me suffers from a weak message. If there were peppers in there, it would have worked much better for me.








This has a good balance of composition and exposure. Exposure might have been able to handle a bit more brightness, but I do like the texture in the snow. I don't have anything really to recommend, it is quite pleasing.








Forme this was the perfect literal interpretation of "steamy", bold color, nice highlights, simple design. The steam darkens toward the end and looks like it was post processed, but more likely it was traveling out of the spotlight. So perhaps, tailoring the light to better encompase the steam, or making the steam fade out in a more natural fashion, even if you have to fake it, might help this the last little bit.







It's hard to critique a photo that is almost just artwork, but I do like the composition, and the whole works for me overall. The post pocessing is complementary to the mood and feel of the photo.







I think I metioned this in another thread, but a pano crop of this image would do wonders to tighten the message. The sky isn't interesting enough to hold it's own with that much space for me. And limiting its diluting effect to the image with a long pano crop (e.g. 10:4) would tighten it right up.







There is a lot of featureless detail in the shot that, for me, doesn't really help it. Too much gaussian blur. A crop would do wonders for me. I do like the overall color tint and the eye detail. I would try a pano crop on this photo too as a start. Work it until you find a crop that really highlights the eye without sacrificing too much of the overall feel of the photo and minimizes the wasted space. Or better yet, maybe pull back on the amount of blur, or at least try to mimic a shallow DOF a little more naturally.