The First Move

This is a nice idea and well composed, I think. In my opinion, it's a little too dark (it's a strain to find much detail), and I think it would benefit from having the bottom inch of blackness chopped off. The short depth of field works well in that it makes the pawn stand out. You might try playing around with the lighting (on future shots) to cast shadows from a few or all pieces. There are really tons of options--not just with camera work but also with the positions and numbers of remaining pieces. Have fun. JS

The bizarre opening move distracts me -- if you flipped the composition you could open with c4 or even b4 which wouldn't be quite as unusual. The obscure lighting and blocked view especially on the black side does convey an interesting sense of not knowing what the next move is going to be. I also like the way the close perspective has warped the board but it doesn't seem to fill the frame very well, alternatives might be to place the camera somewhat higher or crop to a more panoramic format.

Please critique my photo. This is one of my favourites.

From a chess perspective, I thought that the choice of opening move (g4, Grob's Attack) made a bold statement and fit well with the lighting chosen. As a minor nitpick, I'd like to see the cross on the White King.

the contrast of this image is gorgeous! I'd like to see a little more shadow detail in the dark pieces, but overall it's a wonderful concept.

Very nice lighting. I've wanted to do similar shots myself. Another idea might be to do an overhead shot with some creative shadow angles. There's almost a sort of tension in the picture, which I like.

Beautifully done. Your work should be shown to every joker who ever insisted he had to have $1,000 worth of camera to take a good picture.

Nice shot Emily, though it's a pity there isn't a bit more detail on the black pieces. Minor quibble though.

Very good still life.

Love this pic. It's amazing. I love the feel that this picture conveys. To me this picture says "I dare you" it's bold and challenging. I guess by "conventional photography" standards the black pieces could use a little more detail maybe bump down the contrast (photoshop) a bit to make more detail stand out on the black pieces. If you're like me then you're struggling to make a break through in "conventional photography"

 

Awesome job.

 

Frankie