>>> SF4 - Feedback Thread

DoctorIt · February 6, 2008

I know I won't be able to get to it within any reasonable amount of time, but perhaps our 6 other judges can post some comments here...

ChrisJ · February 6, 2008

Here goes....
Comments/Critiques:

#2 - Autumn Harvest - 3rd. Striking image. So sharp it cuts me. I'd love to see a behind the scenes for this.

#3 - Unplugged - Very unusual composition. Interesting as a piece of art. One thing that bothers me is that the monitor should be facing the opposite direction in MHO.

#4 - Susan Marie - 4th. Haunting. The eyes really pull me in and make me wonder what she's thinking. Great use of negative space.

#5 - Double Dog Dare - This one almost made my top 10, and it obviously did for a lot of the judges. It's a great shot, very Rockwellian. A Christmas Story inspiration?

#6 - Waiting - 9th. It grew on me the longer I looked. It did not initially make my top 10. I'm wondering what they're waiting for and where they are. So I keep looking for clues.

#7 - Planet Princeton - 8th. Great execution of a panoramic spin shot. Good subject matter, great light. The variety of trees make it really interesting for me. Nice job.

#8 - Hanging the Moon - 5th. Beautiful, god-like. Excellent Moon composite and I like the star field in the background which gives it more depth.

#9 - One More Day is Ending - 7th. Wonderful soft light and an interesting locale. Great title. The lines lead me right to the setting sun. Just the right amount of dust.

#10 - Needful Things... - This one didn't do much for me. I want to see the woman's face, at least.

#11 - Contemplating the City - Sigh, reminds me of home. My biggest problem with this shot is that the lines (Needle and body position) lead me to her shoes. And while her shoes fit Seattle very well, I don't think they should be the focus. Still very nice.

#12 - 2nd Look - Another that didn't excite me. It's a nice portrait. But there's nothing to grab me.

#13 - The Steps of History - Good exposure of the monument and city. Cool purple sky. I think there's too much space in the frame taken up by the columns/steps.

#14 - Drip - Technically perfect. But I just didn't get it. The droplet is nice, but very small. There's no context for me.

#15 - Colored Light and Ammonite - Again nothing technically wrong. I like fossils, but there's not enough here to interest me very long.

#16 - For Gold - Very well done composite shot. But it looks just like that. Harder for me to suspend my disbelief here. It looks like a nice advertisement for Rossi skis.

#17 - Crystal Sunrise - Almost made my top 10. I like the colors and textures and the sunrise reflection. Maybe I wanted it a bit wider angle? Not sure, it's missing something.....

#18 - Sunrise Over Misty Valley - It's a nice sunrise, but there's no color in anything except the sky. I want clouds and/or foreground illumination. The sillhouettes look a bit soft. Horizon tilt, but it might be an illusion, I haven't checked.

#19 - My Kiss - Great pucker and DOF on the woman. What bothers me here is that the man's face shouldn't be so smooth. He's scruffy, and he should look like it!

#20 - Pint-Sized Philosopher - 6th. This one initially didn't make my top 10, then it kept moving up my list. Maybe it's because I have a toddler... but I love the expression here and the eyes really pop. If I'd had more time to contemplate it might have gone higher. Great shot.

#21 - Oriental beau..tea - Another technically excellent photo. It's a very nice still life. I'm not a big fan of selective color, and it just doesn't work for me here.

#22 - Moondance - 1st. Incredible. It pops and has wow factor. Great use of moon. Wall hanger for sure.

#23 - Power on the Patuxent - Very nice reflective of... a power plant. The sepia does fit the picture, and I could see it in a pollution example.

#24 - Twilight Afterglow - Two Seattle shots in one round, nice! I think this one splits the foreground/background too much. Each detracts from the other instead of complementing to my eye. The city might be a tad overexposed. Worthy of a re-shoot IMHO. Note: The EXIF on this didn't show up for me when I clicked. I wanted to check the exposure time.

#25 - The Collector - Very creepy and almost made my top 10. Icy blue eyes, dramatic lighting. Good shot.

#26 - Snow and Creek - Pretty snow scene. It seems a bit flat to me and there's nothing to grab my attention. That might be the point, it is serene.

#27 - Floating Market - 10th. Wow, I've never seen anything like this. The fisheye perspective makes it feel vast. I might have chosen a more panoramic crop, but it's still got a great feel to it. Makes me want to visit Vietnam to see it.

#28 - Collective - The colors are nice. But why is the focus on just the stem? It simply doesn't work for me.

#29 - Abandoned - This is an interesting scene. But the railway isn't powerful enough to deserve the selective color. I want to see the mountain in the background without the cloud and the color of the fields. Definitely worthy of a reshoot.

#30 - Alien Invader - Crisp and colorful. It's a great spider. I don't like it that the left leg is cut off. Nice macro, but nothing to really wow me.

#31 - A Hindu Astrologer - This is a nice travel portrait. But I don't get the title's feeling by looking at the image. He looks more annoyed to me.

#32 - On The Shore - 2nd. Terrific landscape shot with great DOF. The interplay of the cracked ice and the clouds make a nice S curve in the frame. This one will shine printed really big.

#33 - Sky Fire - Great sunset/sunrise colors. But the foreground is completely uninteresting to me.

#34 - Pacifica - More good color, and the exposure isn't too long to obliterate the waves. But the pier itself is too industrial to match the tranquility of the water. Still a nice shot.

#35 - Room to Play - Very cute boy with a great expression. I don't like the haphazard clutter (though I completely understand why it exists!), especially the diaper pail. An object toy in the foreground might have helped. The one cut off on the right distracts, as do the loops on the wall.

#36 - Serrated Wave - I imagine this was executed exactly how you wanted it. But I just didn't get it. It's a fish bowl inverted in a droplet, with a serrated knife in sharp focus. I'll read the forum and see if that helps...

#37 - Optimum Time - Beautiful horse. But I want *something* in focus. Good for some panning practice.

#38 - Revenge of the Reform School Debutantes - In your face, harsh flash. If the woman had been in the middle of a cityscape with a bunch of people around, I could see this being really cool. As is, it's not that appealing to me.

My voting: This was incredibly hard. I've picked out a top-10 before, but never tried to rank them. I encourage everyone involved to try this task...... I easily could have gone up or down on a number of shots (and did a few times!).

#1 - 22 - LiquidAir - Moondance
#2 - 32 - annnna8888 - On The Shore
#3 - 2 - bgaras2001 - Autumn Harvest
#4 - 4 - seastack - Susan Marie
#5 - 8 - Greensquared - Hanging the Moon
#6 - 20 - urbanaries - Pint-Sized Philosopher
#7 - 9 - Awais - One More Day is Ending
#8 - 7 - pyroPrints.com - Planet Princeton
#9 - 6 - pemmett - Waiting
#10 - 27 - ravic - Floating Market

Great work everyone...

Izzy Garavito · February 6, 2008

Hey Chris, thanks a lot for your comments and your quick response! Also, for taking the time to judge and rank the images. I can only imagine how tough it was

Izzy

pemmett · February 6, 2008

ChrisJ wrote:

Comments/Critiques:
#6 - Waiting - 9th. It grew on me the longer I looked. It did not initially make my top 10. I'm wondering what they're waiting for and where they are. So I keep looking for clues.

Thanks for your feedback. Just to put you out of your misery the people were on a overpass which goes over a skating rinkand were not actually waiting but rather watching the people below ice skating. Sorry to disappoint you

I was actually photographing one of the young ice skaters doing a routine and saw these people standing there watching against a bright background, so I purposely underexposed to get their silhouettes.

Dalantech · February 6, 2008

Thanks Chris :cool

eoren1 · February 6, 2008

Thanks Chris! It's incredibly helpful to see how a judge viewed not only my entry but the entire field. Greatly appreciated.
E

KurtPreston · February 6, 2008

Thanks for the feedback Chris!

Jet · February 7, 2008

Thanks for the effort u put into the feedback! tis very helpful

ChrisJ · February 8, 2008

pemmett wrote:

Sorry to disappoint you

No worries... still a cool shot!

Dalantech wrote:

Thanks Chris

FWIW, I really like your favorite wolf spider shot. I think the green color background (leaf?) adds interest.

And you're welcome Izzy, eoren1, KurtPreston, and Jet!

shatch · February 8, 2008

Thanks ChrisJ for the feedback. It is much appreciated.

ravic · February 9, 2008

Dear ChrisJ
Thank you for the feedback. Wish you to visit VietNam. Thanks for your comments again.