>>> 2.3 (Feathered or Scaled): Critique/Discussion Thread

2»

Comments

  • Michael AtkinsMichael Atkins Registered Users Posts: 116 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    30 - Michael Atkins - 16lbs of Cuteness <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

    Very cute! I totally didn't see the scales when judging, however. I guess because I kept bouncing between her eyes, which needed some more light, the big pink flower and the yellow shoulder strap.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>

    Thank you for the feedback Greensquared and thank you for being a judge. It's much appreciated. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >
  • samsplacesamsplace Registered Users Posts: 144 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    #
    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    25 – samsplace - Scale Modeling Tools <o:p></o:p>
    I really like the soft tones in this image and the concept is great. There's something missing for me that I can't put my finger on, however. Maybe it's lack of a specific focal point.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>

    Hi
    Thank you for posting your review of my photo.

    Gil
    Take Nothing But Memories:rofl
    Kill Nothing But Time :clap
    Leave Nothing But Footprints :thumb

    http://www.samsplacephotos.com
  • GreensquaredGreensquared Registered Users Posts: 2,115 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Thank you for the feedback Greensquared and thank you for being a judge. It's much appreciated. clap.gif

    You're very welcome! It's a pleasure, truly!
    Emily
    Psalm 62:5-6

  • GreensquaredGreensquared Registered Users Posts: 2,115 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    samsplace wrote:
    Hi
    Thank you for posting your review of my photo.

    Gil

    You're welcome. I hope we see a photo of the model once it's built!
    Emily
    Psalm 62:5-6

  • cmorganphotographycmorganphotography Registered Users Posts: 980 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Thanks for the comments ev'rybuddy! I'll try to be less obscure next time. :Dmwink.gifrolleyes1.gif
  • HoofClixHoofClix Registered Users Posts: 1,156 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Thanks to all of you who are writing up a complete list of critiques for all of our entries. A lot of work and thought goes into doing that, and we all appreciate it.

    As for my entry, I knew for certain that mine was a real stretch on the them, if not actually breaking the connection totally. I appreciate the eye of those who I assume are not "horse" people in pointing out important things that I have perhaps trained myself to not even notice. Mostly folks in here seem to notice the head chopped off. This "shot" as you see it is actually a standard in the gadget bag of any equestrian photographer, as it focuses on the horse in action, not the rider, but I see that I could have cropped it in a bit.

    Thanks all!
    Mark
    www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
    and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
  • GreensquaredGreensquared Registered Users Posts: 2,115 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    HoofClix wrote:
    Thanks to all of you who are writing up a complete list of critiques for all of our entries. A lot of work and thought goes into doing that, and we all appreciate it.

    As for my entry, I knew for certain that mine was a real stretch on the them, if not actually breaking the connection totally. I appreciate the eye of those who I assume are not "horse" people in pointing out important things that I have perhaps trained myself to not even notice. Mostly folks in here seem to notice the head chopped off. This "shot" as you see it is actually a standard in the gadget bag of any equestrian photographer, as it focuses on the horse in action, not the rider, but I see that I could have cropped it in a bit.

    Thanks all!

    I figured you knew it was a stretch, but I totally appreciated the image for its intended purpose!
    Emily
    Psalm 62:5-6

  • HaliteHalite Registered Users Posts: 467 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Conclusion to my feedback (whether you asked for it or not :D ):

    #26 #62 and 49 on the life cycle (The Curious Camel) Wow, what a gruesomely beautiful display of nature in action! Feathered and scaled, as well—Not Fair! Really great color and sharpness. Not much to complain about, except maybe a bit less tight of a crop on the top. It leaves me wanting to see more of the curve of the wings.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #28 Colour, Scale, Sky (cmorganphotography) A beautiful capture with a strong story. The image would be strengthened by a bit more contrast on the engraved words to make the text less of a struggle to read. I understand what a technical challenge that task could be. While I like the image, the connection to the challenge theme is too stretched to make it a contender in this round.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #29 You’re being watched? I’m being watched (photobrando) Bold color and great texture on the leaf and lizard. It’s cool how the brown circles of the lizard’s eyes are repeated in the blemishes on the leaf. I would’ve preferred enough depth of field to see the front leg and the two red spots of the lizard in focus.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #30 16lbs of Cuteness (Michael Atkins) Very, very cute! Love her expression and the point of view you chose. Those beautiful eyes would’ve shone even better if they weren’t in the shadows, but turned toward the light. More depth of field and a slightly less tight crop would’ve made the scale a more important part of the picture so that the viewer wouldn’t have to work so hard to see the connection to the challenge theme.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #31 Point of View and 5’ Apart (shatch) Clever visual sleight of hand, not to mention a cute portrait of your daughter. Love the deep blue sky to play against the pinks in the stone and the carriage. Possible changes would have been to move away from the grass so it’s lit less (doesn’t add to the illusion) and change the position of your daughter’s head versus the treeline in the background.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #32 Zoom (eL eSs Vee) Nice composition, the lighting and contrast seem a bit flat.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #33 it’s the style (Karrie McD) It’s turned to a red X again!? I liked that you explored a unique definition of feathered. <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #34 Longest Beak on the Block (mycaptures) Lovely bird. The white background highlights the geometry of the bird and the branch. The crop is confusing—why so much white space to the right and a cut off tail?<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #35 Weighing the Air Above Me (jko) The full spectrum of colors and repeating circumscribed circles make this image very appealing. Really well executed lighting, composition and post processing.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #36 Nature v Greed – a fine balance (puzzledpaul) I like the concept, but the vertiginous perspective and the tight crop don’t strongly say balance to me.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #37 Balancing act (sunita) This was one of my daughter’s favorite images. I liked it a lot too because of the strong colors, clarity of light in the bead and the compositional balance. It misses a bit on the theme for me because the feathered aspect of the image is subordinate to the glass bead—my eye goes to the high contrast first and then only toward the end of viewing slides over to the feathered edge.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #38 Try Me (jeffmeyers) Great color and detail. What an incredible stare! Only negative is the tight crop on the left—I’d prefer to see the ends of the head feathers.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #39 Maillot Jaune (jrnylst) Nice scaled juxtaposition. The lighting needs to be more balanced between the figurine and model to work well.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #40 Eye 2 Eye (jwear) A cool capture of both feathers and scales in the food cycle. It’s great how the two eyes line up with each other. The flash is too harsh. Would’ve been better if it had been a bit more balanced with the ambient light in order to avoid the paparazzi outside the nightclub feel.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #41 Jailhouse Rock (mwgrice) Cute enough subject—an attempt to fight urban blight with bright paint and humor. The feathers on these birds are too abstract to strongly tie the image to the challenge theme. From a technical standpoint, the crop seems slightly askew and too far to the right.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #42 Watching The Dawn (SciurusNiger) Beautiful portrait of this little bird in its environment. I can almost feel the morning sun and the dew by looking at your image. Bravo! <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #43 Feathered (Firetreee) Plethora of feathers sharply captured, but too jumbled of a composition to work for me.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #44 Feeling Clucky? (tamplum) Funny title. Beautiful feathers. The odd angles and busy background make this feel rushed. Also needed a faster shutter speed to get that great plumage sharper.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #45 Metaphyte Scales (NikonsandVstroms) This image is dark and foreboding to the point that it’s hard to tell what I’m looking at. It has potential, since there are some great textures here. Maybe a bit more light raking across the image from the side would’ve brought better highlights into key parts of the image.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #46 Wavy Skin (TPBinKC) Pleasant abstract take on ‘scaled.’ Would’ve been stronger with more color variation or perhaps lighting that provided more graduated tonality along the curves of the tiles (rather than the harsh contrast between top and side).<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #47 Relaxing in my pool (bkatz) Nice detail in the frog’s face. I would’ve preferred to see more grass and less murky mud in the composition. Neither feathered nor scaled is the biggest problem.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #48 There Goes Tokyo (imax) Great playful interpretation. I like where this image was heading, I just don’t think it got all the way there. To really bring it home it needs even more dramatic lighting to bring out the scales and heighten the drama. A bit of smoke or fog in that light would be cool as well.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    #49 Going back to the beginning (Jet) My preference in an image is show me, not tell me. So this one is too much of a stretch for the theme for me.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
    <o:p> </o:p>
  • shatchshatch Registered Users Posts: 798 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Halite wrote:
    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    #31 Point of View and 5’ Apart (shatch) Clever visual sleight of hand, not to mention a cute portrait of your daughter. Love the deep blue sky to play against the pinks in the stone and the carriage. Possible changes would have been to move away from the grass so it’s lit less (doesn’t add to the illusion) and change the position of your daughter’s head versus the treeline in the background.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>

    Thank you Halite for the critique. Most valuable. Do you find that going through this exercise strengthens your photographic eye? The few times I did it, I learned a lot. Highly recommend the activity for those who haven't done it. A real growing experience. Thanks again for taking the time.
  • KurtPrestonKurtPreston Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    #8 Overflight (KurtPreston) Love the elegant lines of the bird composed diagonally across the image. This image shouts ‘feathered’ from edge to edge. The downward stare seals the deal. Superb!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

    Thanks! She was right ticked off at me for being too close to her nest and chicks, she don't mind boaters, but she sure hates cameras :)
  • HaliteHalite Registered Users Posts: 467 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    shatch wrote:
    Thank you Halite for the critique. Most valuable. Do you find that going through this exercise strengthens your photographic eye? The few times I did it, I learned a lot. Highly recommend the activity for those who haven't done it. A real growing experience. Thanks again for taking the time.

    It's definitely valuable to look at lots of different images as closely as is required to give a reasonable critique. The EXIF data is really helpful when I'd think through DOF and motion blur in a given image. I found myself playing a game of 'guess the camera settings' before clicking on the EXIF. Yes, I truly am a geek!
  • rparigerparige Registered Users Posts: 18 Big grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    #2 – rparige - The Eating Away<o:p></o:p>
    Really great shot. I love the pattern it has eaten out of the leaf. The theme isn't obvious here, however.<o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>
    Halite wrote:
    As usual, people displayed a variety of creative approaches to the Challenge theme and executed strong images. I learn a lot by seeing your work. I'm going to attempt a full set of comments in batches a la KurtPreston. First batch:


    #2 Eating Away (rparige) Creative take on the scaled theme; well lit image for texture and detail. Big drawback is that the whole right side of the image does nothing to support the theme.
    Thanks for your Critque.

    Here are my thoughts when I submitted this pic

    As Halite pointed, this image is referring to the scaled theme, I thought the right side of the image, the worms skin looks like "scales".

    I will try to reflect the theme more directly in the next contest :-)

    Also, As KurtPreston suggested, I should have cropped this image.
    I was under the impression that, Cropping is not allowed.
    -RP
  • KurtPrestonKurtPreston Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    shatch wrote:
    Do you find that going through this exercise strengthens your photographic eye? The few times I did it, I learned a lot. Highly recommend the activity for those who haven't done it. A real growing experience.

    Yes, very much so! And as you point out, giving a critique may be even better than receiving one. Forces you to think about composition and appeal more because you are emotionally divorced from it, allowing you to really look at what works and doesn't work.

    I've been part of a Critique communnity here on smug for awhile and it's really helped ... especially since a number of the participants were testing out concepts and shots during LPS last year.

    'Photographic Eye' is most appropriate because critiquing has helped most in strengthening my approach to a shot in the viewfinder even more than in post processing.
  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,013 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    #40 Eye 2 Eye (jwear) A cool capture of both feathers and scales in the food cycle. It’s great how the two eyes line up with each other. The flash is too harsh. Would’ve been better if it had been a bit more balanced with the ambient light in order to avoid the paparazzi outside the nightclub feel.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

    Thanks for the feed back --only one thing I have to much respect for the wildlife I shoot to use a flash , anyone that has ever shot with me can tell you that ! Even tho my work would improve with the use of flash I hate what it does to the animals . I see why you think that but it was not the case. It was the wrong time of day but for this capture I did my best . this is a flip that was just to bright and too dark --I ask it to move over and over but it was into lunch <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/headscratch.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
  • HaliteHalite Registered Users Posts: 467 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    jwear wrote:
    #40 Eye 2 Eye (jwear) A cool capture of both feathers and scales in the food cycle. It’s great how the two eyes line up with each other. The flash is too harsh. Would’ve been better if it had been a bit more balanced with the ambient light in order to avoid the paparazzi outside the nightclub feel.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

    Thanks for the feed back --only one thing I have to much respect for the wildlife I shoot to use a flash , anyone that has ever shot with me can tell you that ! Even tho my work would improve with the use of flash I hate what it does to the animals . I see why you think that but it was not the case. It was the wrong time of day but for this capture I did my best . this is a flip that was just to bright and too dark --I ask it to move over and over but it was into lunch <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/headscratch.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

    Apologies for misunderstanding the issue. It so looked like flash! OK, I understand the issue now: you can't really art direct birds <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/rolleyes1.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >
  • sunitasunita Registered Users Posts: 210 Major grins
    edited July 10, 2008
    Thanks, Kurt and Halite for your review of my entry (balancing act). It's actually a water drop on a feather, but you are both right in that the 'feather' aspect was not very prominent and was overshadowed by the drop. I meant to reshoot, but didn't get a chance to do so :( Oh, well...

    Thanks again!
    Sunita
  • JAGJAG Super Moderators Posts: 9,088 moderator
    edited July 11, 2008
    Thanks All For Your Time!
    And to give such detailed critiques of so many entries! I appreciate the comments. My entry was actually a something I found while on vacation. I happened to be walking the botanical gardens in Austin Tx and saw the bright sun filtering through the trees and hitting this fur pine just the way I captured it. I thought the bright contrast of light and dark feathery needles against the dark background was interesting. So I remembered the 'feathered" theme of the contest and snapped only one pic. And there it is straight from the camera...as raw as it gets. Not all may like it and it certainly was not in top form with the other great pics here....but it worked in a pinch. thumb.gif I hope to be more available for doing a better pic that pops in the next contest.wings.gif
  • HoofClixHoofClix Registered Users Posts: 1,156 Major grins
    edited July 11, 2008
    Sunita, I personally thought your droplet on the feather was a great interpretation of the theme. I saw the feather immediately, but you see we all have such different starting points!

    It is actually the only image for which I clicked on the exif. I was certain you had some really wide open aperture. How did you get that narrow depth of field out of f7.1?

    Great job!
    Mark
    www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
    and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
  • NikonsandVstromsNikonsandVstroms Registered Users Posts: 990 Major grins
    edited July 11, 2008
    Thanks for the comments, I looked at the image and the other ones I shot that day and compare them to the previous ones of that series I'm working on, and definitely noticed that the highlights were a lot darker, so that's been fixed and hopefully I'll be posting a few in the macro sections soon
  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited July 12, 2008
    The winner was chosen... (bit quiet in here lately, eh?)
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • sunitasunita Registered Users Posts: 210 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    HoofClix wrote:
    Sunita, I personally thought your droplet on the feather was a great interpretation of the theme. I saw the feather immediately, but you see we all have such different starting points!

    It is actually the only image for which I clicked on the exif. I was certain you had some really wide open aperture. How did you get that narrow depth of field out of f7.1?

    Great job!

    Glad you liked my entry, Mark! Actually, I cropped the original (found here) and I used a macro lens, so that's probably why you see a shallow DOF.

    Cheers,
    Sunita
  • richterslrichtersl Registered Users Posts: 3,322 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    A well-deserved congratulations to you, Kurt! clap.gif
  • achambersachambers Registered Users Posts: 255 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    #13 With a Purposeful Grimace ... (achambers) - Well, I'm a BOC fan so you get points for the title :) I like the concept of the guitarist working the fret as an interpretation of scaled. Just missed my top ten and I have no idea how to improve this :(

    Thanks Kurt, I was just lucky enough to do a BOC concert in the shooting period. As they were playing Godzilla it just kind of came to me.
    Alan Chambers

    www.achambersphoto.com

    "The point in life isn't to arrive at our final destination well preserved and in pristine condition, but rather to slide in sideways yelling.....Holy cow, what a ride."
  • achambersachambers Registered Users Posts: 255 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    Halite wrote:
    #13 With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound (achambers) Really cool musician portrait. Love the brassy colors, especially the play of the warm reds and magentas in the foreground against the cool cyan in the background. Doesn’t really shout ‘feathered or scaled’ to me. Feathered hair? Musical scales? So cool image, not enough theme.

    Thank you.

    The title is the opening line from the song 'Godzilla' by Blue Oyster Cult. The shot is the band at a recent concert that I shot.
    Alan Chambers

    www.achambersphoto.com

    "The point in life isn't to arrive at our final destination well preserved and in pristine condition, but rather to slide in sideways yelling.....Holy cow, what a ride."
  • VanquizVanquiz Registered Users Posts: 199 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    Kurt, congratulations, your deserve it, I put my vote to the the one that I think the best, and it happened to be "Overflight"thumb.gif

    Thank you for everyone that already spent their time giving me your thought on my photo, it's greatly appreciated, I was really busy on these few days, so I havent got a chance to put some feedback to the other photos, but I surely will on the next challenges.

    Great round everyone clap.gif
  • achambersachambers Registered Users Posts: 255 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    13 – achambers - With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    Great job with a difficult shooting situation. The little white light on the left is quite a bit distracting though, so you might want to lose that.

    Thank you.
    You're right, now that you mention it the light does need to go. You sit and play with the picture and something always escapes you, when someone points it out you go "how'd I miss that?"
    Alan Chambers

    www.achambersphoto.com

    "The point in life isn't to arrive at our final destination well preserved and in pristine condition, but rather to slide in sideways yelling.....Holy cow, what a ride."
  • achambersachambers Registered Users Posts: 255 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    Sorry to be tardy with saying thaks to those who critiqued my shot. Unfortunately where I was for the last week (Boy Scout Summer Camp in the mountains of PA) I was without a computer. Had to hop up and down on one foot with your arm in the air just to get one bar on your cell phone.:D
    Alan Chambers

    www.achambersphoto.com

    "The point in life isn't to arrive at our final destination well preserved and in pristine condition, but rather to slide in sideways yelling.....Holy cow, what a ride."
  • KurtPrestonKurtPreston Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    Richtersl and Vanquiz, thank you both!
  • tamplumtamplum Registered Users Posts: 141 Major grins
    edited July 12, 2008
    Thank you to all those who offered a critique of my shot (Feeling Clucky). I noticed after posting that the tail end of the bird was a little fuzzier than I remembered and by then it was too late to switch to another shot of the same guy.

    The whole time I was taking his picture, he was giving me this look like "you talking to me?? YOU talking too me punk?" lol
    **Taking the moments one shot at a time**
    ~Working with my Nikon D80~
    <My dream is to be the kind of mother, my kids already think I am>
  • jeffmeyersjeffmeyers Registered Users Posts: 1,535 Major grins
    edited July 13, 2008
    This was a lot of fun. I didn't participate in the discussion because I've been preoccupied this past week, but I did enjoy and learn from reading everyone else's comments.

    Congrats to Kurt. I voted for yours!
    More Photography . . . Less Photoshop [. . . except when I do it]
    Jeff Meyers
Sign In or Register to comment.