divo

I like it, but, honestly, that hat is making me think post-apocalyptic-jazz because it looks vaguely military. On the plus side, that gives it an interesting juxtaposition of ideas.

In general, I like it.  I guess it depends on your intent (natural capture vs. full-blown portrait), but I would probably put a bit more focus on the eyes with some creative dodging.

Playing around with shapes and colors. Any thoughts or comments

welcome.

Nice shot.  You've done really well to capture this reflection and to get it so sharp.  It's one of those great photos that makes you pause for a moment and ask, "Am I really seeing that?" The stripe of yellow on the curb really anchors the context of the shot and the splash of colour really gives it life.

Nice capture. I like the way you've framed her in the wake of the board, and the look of concentration (verging on breaking a smile) gives impact to this surfing shot.

There's a lot of interesting detail work in the China Town backdrop, but I think there would be more human interest if the man in the foreground was in focus.  This is especially true because of the interesting juxtaposition of a Caucasian walking through China Town, which says so much about these neighbourhoods in contemporary North America.

I'm a big fan of high contrast black and white, but it would be nice to see at least a little bit of detail in the sky (if possible through RAW manipulation in Lightroom). I also feel that the right shoulder and bag tend to just disappear into the wall.  Would you consider some dodging and burning to give a little differentiation there?

Definitely!

A couple things to check: are you having focus issues with f-stops in the f/8 or higher range? These numbers should give you sufficient depth of field to compensate for technique errors. If you still have focus issues, this could indicate a technical issue with your camera.

Does this only happen when you shoot with shallow depth of field f-stops like f/1.8 or f/2.8?  If it only happens when you are using wide open apertures (smaller numbers), you may have a focussing technique issue.

Another idea would be to do some front-focus, back-focus tests.  There are a variety of scientific tests you can do to see if something is out of alignment, but the most basic would be to put a measuring device (running away from the front of the lens) down on a table (either a ruler or even a newspaper) and make careful note of exactly where you are focussing. Without recomposing or moving the camera, take a photo and see if the focus falls in front of or behind the point where you focussed.

These aren't definitive tests, but they could help you eliminate certain variables.

If you're using manual, is it possible that your dioptric adjustment on-camera got bumped? That's happened to me before.  It doesn't affect autofocus, but might throw off manual focusing. The other sad possibility might also be ...time for an eye exam? Just brainstorming here...

We do indeed! I'm guessing you didn't shoot an HDR series on that. As with my original impression, I think this old truck is begging for an HDR treatment. However, you may still get some striking results by combining and blending these two images as layers. 

Shot this at Anthonij Rupert Wines Car Museum in South Africa. Not

usually a car shooter. Thoughts?

In all honesty, I'm not really sure how to respond to this shot.  Mostly, it comes down to your intent and how this photo was obtained. You listed this under Travel.  If it's a shot of a loved one that was taken while you travelled, I'm sure it makes a fine memory. If it's a shot of a model you worked with while travelling, I would probably have technical issues to discuss.  If it's a stranger photographed without consent, I would point out that you have the right to shoot at the beach, but, depending on location, you may not have the right to publish the shot (without consent). Without more context, I couldn't really say which of these comments applies....

As a general travel shot, it doesn't really tell me anything about a specific location or why I would want to travel there apart from the obvious fun that can be had at the beach.

Like other critiquers, I like this one a lot.  Took a while to visually latch on to it.  Good stuff.

I think this shot has some real potential, but I do find it a bit dark (hence heavy) at the bottom.  I think there are some amazing textures and subtleties that get lost down there.  Would you be up for some creative dodge and burn? I think you could get all the detail of the sky, but lighten up the bottom.

Hmmm.  At first I thought this was HDR from the obvious colour shifts, but I see you used solarize.  The reverse sky pattern does come across as a bit overwhelming, and I'd like to see some of the subtle colour shifts on the body of the truck--much of it is lost in clipped black patches.  Perhaps using layers to scale back the solarization effect a bit? Or, blending a regular and a solarized image might give you more colour and texture here?  I like the 3/4 shot and the composition, but would like to see some other versions of the developed photo.

I agree with Anon. Glare can be an interesting technique, but I think here it just washes out the face of a very beautiful model.

Mostly, I quite like the shot as is. The only thing I could think of would be experimenting  with a bit of dodging and burning. Maybe darken the sky a tiny bit to bring out more detail and lighten the helicopter a bit to make it stand out more.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure the stump in the front is enough to hold my attention on this photo for long. Perhaps adding a human interest element would help? Any way of showing us what this path leads to or from?

I guess it comes down to whether you are trying to produce an 'abstract' and feel you did something wrong, or whether you want to produce an interesting picture that goes beyond a specific genre.  Personally, I think this is the latter.  It's abstract enough that I like it, but it also has a bit of human interest. (scrolled the top bit off the screen and it just held less interest for me, personally.)

LOL, not only have I wanted to, I actually have! Yeah, sometimes I get taken up with a technique or an idea and miss something aesthetic that is painfully obvious the moment I get home and see it on my computer screen. There are still a couple places in Egypt that I need to revisit and reshoot; sadly with that type of once in a lifetime trip that is unlikely. Happy shooting!

I love the composition on this a lot.  I'm a big fan of this type of photo, but I just wish it was a tad sharper around the fire hydrant. I want to rest on the hydrant and trash can, but my eye keeps getting dragged to the back wall because that's where the focal plane is.

Love the colours here. The line of various reds really ties it all together

The Drakensberg Mountains are such a great place for photography.  I think there is some good stuff here, but you've chosen a very natural presentation when most lanscapes go for over the top colour and filtration to achieve breath taking impact.  I think many viewers will have been trained to expect punchier colours and filtration to match exposures for sky and foreground, which makes this image look a bit flat by comparison.