Much better critiques here than on the other boards I post on so here are two more images I'm unsure about. First is a heavily cropped image of Greece from offshore at sunset. It might not look like it but it's almost straight out of the camera, heavily cropped with a lot of noise reduction and some sharpening. I like it, but I'm worried about entering (as a print) in one of my club competitions.
Second is a B&W reworking of three blocks of flats (apartments) at Gosport Hampshire UK.
C&C very much appreciated
Niall
As to the first one ... it seems as it is going to be intended as a graphic interpretive, so rendering is totally subjective @ in that regard. On the technical side of things, the noise & halos are a bit distracting, but the noise is also a bit reminiscent of film grain.
As to the color balance (i.e. sooc), I think that is just going to be a matter of mood that you want to present as to where you want it to be. With a strong graphic / interpretive as this, there really isn't a "correct" ... unless you want to try and correct it to a neutral WB, but I think that'll just transform it to more boring ... but I might see about some cast removal @ darker area.
On to #2 ... much goodness here ... IF the viewer goes looking for it.
I'm diggin' ...
tones
lines & shapes
cascading/tiered buildings
reflections
repetition of three @ buildings (linear) and buoys in the water (triangular)
Personal preference might call me to tweak on processing for something a bit more dynamic ... but then again, that might be a wrong move.
That being said ... I wouldn't expect much of a response from a club as they have a certain "non-wow" factor that people are often looking for. I expect few will give a strong appreciation for them, but ... ya never know.
Here's a rough @ what I had in mind cast removal for shadows, and a little creative preference @ color (totally subjective), as well as a slight crop off the top.
Note: I didn't even try to address the halos ... those would likely be something to contend by not sharpening as much (or even at all) for this kind of image.
In #1 I see a number of artifacts - doubt it would survive the scrutiny of competition. Perhaps more NR? WRT to composition, try cropping about 1 inch from the top, placing the third ridge-line from the bottom slightly above the midpoint of the image...seems better balanced to me that way adding a nice symmetry between top and bottom areas.
#2, viewed by obviously a total stranger, strikes me as static and uninteresting. Aside, you might clone out the buoys and it appears to suffer very slightly from distortion. For someone familiar with the scene, I sure it would hold more interest.
I don't see #2 doing well in competition. There just does not seem to be much in the way of impact. There does not seem to be anything in the way of a center of interest or story telling or anything beyond a simple snapshot. At least that is the way I see it. Although RustyBug, Kent, sees lots of positives, I believe he also sees there is not much in the way of any wow factor to catch a judge's attention. Subtilty doesn't usually do well in competition.
#1 has some nice layers, shapes and colors. Unfortunately you did not do a good initial capture and now you are stuck trying to fix a heavily cropped and noisey image. I certainly don't have the skills to bring this image up to a competition level and I would not feel proud about submitting it as is. I guess I see this as a learning experience. Next time you encounter a similar scene, you need to make sure your focal length and photography techniques are suitable. Winning a club competition is of minimal value. Part of the value of competition is being able to look at the flaws in your images and improve your technique.
Thank you all for your helpful comments They are both images I personally like but had doubts about as competition entries - good to have confirmation. I do like the colour change and crop suggested by RustyBug
Niall
Camperjim wrote:
I don't see #2 doing well in competition. There just does not seem to be much in the way of impact. There does not seem to be anything in the way of a center of interest or story telling or anything beyond a simple snapshot. At least that is the way I see it. Although RustyBug, Kent, sees lots of positives, I believe he also sees there is not much in the way of any wow factor to catch a judge's attention. Subtilty doesn't usually do well in competition.
#1 has some nice layers, shapes and colors. Unfortunately you did not do a good initial capture and now you are stuck trying to fix a heavily cropped and noisey image. I certainly don't have the skills to bring this image up to a competition level and I would not feel proud about submitting it as is. I guess I see this as a learning experience. Next time you encounter a similar scene, you need to make sure your focal length and photography techniques are suitable. Winning a club competition is of minimal value. Part of the value of competition is being able to look at the flaws in your images and improve your technique. ...Show more →
I agree with the others that #1 had potential but the noise is just excessive... #2 is a nice shot but not for competition... Jim
