wood

Intriguing and captivating.  I want to know what is going on and what is the setting.  That wondering makes this a successful photo.   The tonal range and DOF help to create a wonderful mood.  This is a fine photograph.

Generally a pleasing portrait but overall it's a little too bright and her face could use some additional lighting to make it more a center of focus.  The background is a major distraction for me.  Placing her farther from the tree, or selecting another background, and using a shallower DOF would help remove this distraction.  The blurred grass in the lower right would provide such a uniform and pleasing background.  There is also a small blown out portion of her blouse on her shoulder.  Perhaps using a diffuser would help.

Thanks for your comments.  Your impression of 3D is what I was hoping for, along with your appreciation of the detail.  The lighting was ambient light from a nearby window on a cloudy day.  The background is a piece of black velvet I use for such work.  Thanks again for commenting.

Upwards shots of trees are not too unusual, but one that has a large bird in the center of the sky is unusual and adds a great deal of interest.  I do wish the bird was a little sharper.

Very interesting capture and I like your composition.  I do wish to see a little more of the terraces to the lower right, if that were possible.  Fine photo as it is.

I actually like the hand, especially with the detail showing the lines in the skin.  My only issue is the upper right of the frame.  This gray triangle detracts a little from the main subject.  Interesting and eye-catching as it is, though.  Nice work.

Unusual and captivating.  My personal preference is to have her eye open a little more, showing more definition in the eye.  This is a very minor thing for an excellent image.  Well thought out and excecuted.

You have placed your horizon right in the middle of the frame which is static and overemphasizes the uninteresting sky.  The left side contains space with nothing of interest as well.  I suggesst cropping the photo severely from the top and less from the left side.  Something like the attached.  Also, the sharpness is lacking overall and has the appearance of a cell phone image.

Normally I like a shallow DOF for images like this, but I think this needs more DOF and better overall sharpness.  The background should remain out of focus.  The highlights are also blown out a little.  The composition is ok if you want to include the stem as an important part of the photo, but it needs to be clarified a little.  Otherwise, the flower should be a little more to the left, facing into the rest of the frame.

The darker areas in the field provide a very nice path for the viewer to travel into the image.  My only suggestion is to not place the line created by the junction of the field with the hills right in the center of the frame.  Tilt the camera up or down, or change your perspective so that this line is not in the middle of the frame.  Also, the clouds are a little bright and a little blue.

This is a nice scene but I have a couple of suggestions.  First, I would consider not centering your main subject, the mountain, as this creates a more static image.  Setting it to one side would allow the viewer to travel more through the image.  Secondly, there is way too much contrast.  Stacking two or more images with different exposures might help, or perhaps a further, but subtle, HDR treatment.  There is not enough detail in the trees  and foreground and the sky is blown out.

This would have been a very pleasing scene without the post processing (draganized?).  As it is, it lacks depth and definition of separate objects.  The carpet of leaves provides a nice base that invites the viewer into the image, but then I am brought up short with the overdone processing.  Composition is fine.  I would be interested to see a less processed version.

A very difficult shot indeed.  This has great detail overall and you have managed to capture the detail in the wings.  Beautiful work.

. . . all comments & critiques. This was taken during the 2010 "Creative

Close-ups" workshop at Pt. Reyes, CA. An excellent workshop led by

Harold Davis.

I don't usually like tilted images, but this does work for me.  The geometry of the small buildings in the foreground provides a base for the rest of the scene, which then establishes a angular discordance with the tilted ornate buildings in the background.  Nicely seen and the HDR is well performed.

I see what you were going for in this, but it has some major issues.  There is not enough detail in the rock areas and your horizon is tilted (a major problem for this type of photo).  But even more of an issue is the lack of something to hold my interest, like a sea mammal, or a boat, or a more prominent rock.  Something besides just the low profile rocks and water.

Innovative and well composed.  The surrounding small droplets seem like satellites around a larger planet.  The drops have a metallic look which adds to the impact of the photo.  The two colors play well with each other.  Very creative work and well crafted shot.

I think this could be improved by increasing the DOF enough to see some sharpness in the leading edge of the leaf.  Also, the upper third of the image does not contribute much ot the photo and perhaps should be cropped out.  But overall I like this type of photo your choice of subject and perspective is very creative.

Roger is right.  The reds of the flower are the main attraction and the stem with it's bright areas is a distraction.   Good bokeh and the lighting on the flower is fine.

A pleasing scene but one of millions like it.  Nothing original here.  Your horizon is also tilted slightly . . . a big no-no for most images like this.

Great action shot.  The sharpness and the exposure of the dogs head could be better.  I also wish to see a little more space on the right to allow the dog to move into.

I love the simplicity of this as well as the pose.  Normally. centering a subject like this is not a good idea, but in this case it adds to the impact.  The shallow DOF gives a sense of depth.  This is a fine image.

Excellent detail and I love the background color.  The arrangement creates and interesting, albeit constructed, geometry that initially grabs your attention and then holds it while imagination kicks in.  Nice work.

Thanks, Roger, for addressing my question.  As usual, I appreciate your thoughtful comments.

Normally I don't comment on  balloon photos (not sure why), but this is a photo that shows great composition and is worthy of praise.  The simple elements of the balloons, Ship Rock, the car, and an interesting sky are all there and arranged perfectly.  I think the car is key to making this work as it makes it easier for the viewer to place themselves in the scene.  The panorama shape to the frame is a good choice.  It seems possible that this may be a composite, but it's still an image with substantial impact.  Very nice work.