Comments
Amp34
Nice movement captured in both the clouds and the water. A good B&W, though I don't think I'd want the contrast that much higher. Good work
The sky works really well for me, but the foreground is just a bit too dark. Some of the rock detail would work really well.
A very nice capture with real atmosphere; on target for the theme, but a little heavy on the contrast.
Andy90
I was wondering how many watch shots we'd get this round. It's well executed for what it is though - good use of DoF and nice processing.
My main issue with this image is that the foreground isn't in the right place. There's too much dead space in the picture - the whole right half of the image seems redundant.
One of the many watch pictures, but a well executed one with crisp sharp details.
ChroniC
Interesting shot - I like it. One of the things that grabs me is the pile of clothes on the left, though. Surely it can't have been that much of an effort to move those on top of the setup for the shot in the first place?
This is a great image, because it's not an obvious long exposure. The lighting effect works really well. Some of the stuff placed by the door is a little distracting though and a more minimalistic approach may work better.
This is a really intriguing shot which draws you in towards the light, but the scene is messy which distracts you from the centre piece.
Combat squirrel
The HDR process has taken all of the contrast out of what might have been a very effective shot. There is a time and a place for HDR, and for me, I don't think this is it.
The impact is a little off here because the image feels a little flat. I think it's a combination of the composition and the colouring that just makes it feel a little dull. Better framing of the foreground with some punchier greens would help a lot.
The image is a little flat and dull for such a vibrant and lively scene, the portion of stream captured is also insignificant in relation to the remainder of the frame and is a little lost.
Cyclopopcicle
A nice variation on the light trails theme. I can't say that overall I'm wowed by it, however - it might just be that the scene is a bit mundane.
It's a nice image, with good colours and detail, but could be framed better. Whilst the effect is nice, the effect with a decent subject is even nicer. Also, this image is really too small.
Striking light trails but a fairly mundane scene.
Denyerec
I like the way the image is presented; there's a definite timeless quality to it. I don't think it would have quite the impact it does if you'd cropped out the edges of the film, so thumbs up for thought.
The atmosphere here is great - a good example of how a lot of shadows can really help an image, as long as the highlights are done properly.
This is a perfect example of how B&W photography should work, with in your face impact and crisp darks and lights.
Derek W
The image lacks something that would make it jump out at me - perhaps the fact that the centre of the image doesn't really contain anything, so I'm not really sure what you want us to be looking at. I can't really find any particular fault with it apart form that.
I like how this has been coloured. My main grief is the foreground on the left is a little too imposing without enough detail to warrant it.
It fits the theme and is a well executed IR but it lacks that va va voom!
DiG
I don't think this is a particularly comfortable image to look at, the slight skew of the fountain bowl doesn't seen right to me. Saying that I can see the thought that's gone into attempting to make an interesting image out of something pretty ordinary.
To me, this is quite bland - I'm not sure what image is trying to be.
It’s a long exposure and shows this with the fluid motion of the water but its not a good subject.
Famas
Nice image. Lots of interest towards the back of the scene, but there's also some detail in the foreground, which is nice. Well-processed and well thought out.
For an image that's quite busy, this works rather well. The contrast of colour as well as the combination of the still-life parts on the right with the fireworks on the left means there's plenty to look at. The lights on the right hand side are a little overpowering, and the foreground rocks aren't sure whether they're meant to be in the shot or not, but these are minor issues.
A very well composed image with something to view where ever the eye travels.
Greengiant
I'm not entirely sure this has benefitted from the infrared treatment necessarily. The tree, which takes up most of the image in terms of space, is quite dominating in it's colour and rather confusing detail.
This feels a little unnatural - the waterfall almost looks like it's been pasted onto the image. It's also not altogether clear which part of the image is rocks and which is trees which is a little confusing at first.
The IR process has merged the foreground and background making it hard to distinguish any details. The waterfall is a small piece to the composition but significant enough to the theme.
Helium_Junkie
Simple, and effective for it. Overall, I think it works very well, but I can't help but think that I've seen the same scene from you before - am I right?
This is a great idea - My only criticism is that there's possibly a little too much sky. Cropping some out makes the image feel a little less woolly and sparse.
A simple and very effective picture, my only recommendation would be to clone out the mound to the left of the trees a level horizon would be a more satisfactory image.
Kei
Effective image, for sure. Good reflections captured in the water and hence a good highlight on the theme. The sky appears to be slightly blotchy, though I'm not sure if that is an issue of the jpeg compression.
A great reflection, with good colour and lighting. The banding on the sky is a little distracting but I guess that's an image compression thing.
A very nice scene that lends itself well to the theme and you have done it justice.
Lucklessloser
I have to say the first thought I had was that it's really washed out. A simple contrast tweak improves the image ten fold.
I can't help feel this could be a bit more exciting. It's very white, and a clichéd take on the theme means there's not a lot of interest here.
It needs some more contrast and sharpening to bring some life out of the picture but it is still a clock shot.
Mark A
Apart from the light trails, which appear to be pretty incidental, as far as I can see, this is just a picture of a car. As an image of a car it's fine, but the link to the theme is dubious and I can't say it has particular impact.
The highlights are too overexposed here and the colours are oversaturated. The idea's good, but it's just overdone.
There is no real subject to this shot the car is to dark and the light trails are only small all that really stands out is the light flares.
Martinturner
Good image. I like the leading lines, the interest in the foreground and the colours in the reflections. Not much to find fault with here.
The colours here are fantastic - perfect for the theme. The composition and lighting is also spot on. It's a little noisy, but that doesn't detract significantly.
Isn’t much to say about this one good work.
MikeHunt79
LED headlights: the bane of the photographer. I think you're suffering from a bit of overexposure here and the flare of the lights coming around the corner doesn't add to the impression of the image.
It's another good idea, but not particularly well executed. It's too messy and without anything to significantly draw the eye.
It is overexposed so the light trails don’t stand out as well with the background showing to much detail.
Oxygen
An interesting manipulation, but I don't think it's up to your usual standard somehow - I think it's lacking a real purpose other than to just have some fun with Photoshop. Nice house, though
This is slightly creepy. I'm not sure whether all the different elements on this work together particularly well - the hallway doesn't seem to fit with the light trails and face, which seems to be a bit of an afterthought.
I really like the idea behind this one but would have found it a more striking shot by simplifying it removing the light swirls and just having the floating head moving down the corridor.
pabloB
Interesting idea and a well executed image. A strong link to the theme, obviously, but the technical and especially the impact side of the image I'm not so sure about.
An interesting idea, but I'm not convinced this works. It's too harshly lit and there's just not enough interesting things to look at
I can see the thinking behind the shot but it hasn’t come across quite so well in the actual capture.
Panzerbjorn
I generally like abstract interpretations of the theme and this works well for me in this respect. The quirky nature of the images and the storyboard style definitely adds to the overall effect.
An interesting take on the theme. I like the idea, but I don't think there's much depth. Once the viewer understands the story, I don't think there's much more to get from the image series.
A really nice take on the theme an imaginative idea that has been well portrayed.
Peterattheboro
It could be 1 second, it could be 100. Generally, I just don't think I'm particularly wowed by the subject matter and the composition.
A bit of a snapshot this one, there's not a lot here that's very interesting.
I really don’t think this one works.
Pug
The horizon doesn't seem to be quite level to me and I don't think it's just the tree line playing tricks on me. One of only a couple of car light trails that aren't badly blown in this round, so well done for that.
A really nicely done motorway trail, there's nice consistency in the light trails and a good sky.
One of the better motorway trail shots but still a mundane subject.
Punt
Very simple and effective. The colours in the sky and the lights, and the detail in the road markings gives this some finesse above the standard light trails shot.
A great car trail. I really like the sky colour contrasting with the red light trail, and the detail on the road adds even more visual contrast.
This is a more abstract take on motorway trails and works a lot better, I like the horizontal banding of colours from the sky down to the road markings.
retrogamer1990
I think it could benefit from being toned down a bit - less background lighting would give more impact to the foreground. LEDs (which I believe you've used here) are difficult to work with, as they're very easy to overexpose, which I'm afraid is what's happened here. As a concept, I like it, though.
I like the idea, but there needs to be more thought put into the framing and the rest of the image.
It is a nice concept but it hasn’t been captured to well and the crop has been a bit harsh you have taken the top off.
Rghjones
I hope that sausage didn't go to waste! Of the two images along a similar line, I have to say I prefer this one - there's just a bit more life in it.
I'm not quite sure what this image is meant to be. I like the warmth, but there's not enough sharpness on a subject for this to work.
I can see the link to the theme but I cant get on bored with the chosen subject matter.
robertgilbert86
You're tough on your watch! I have to say there isn't really anything here that separates this from the standard watch shot, really and I'm afraid the marking will have to reflect that.
I think this is better done than the other watch-themed images in this round. There's lots of nice detail aside from the second hand motion and this gives lots to look at.
This is one of the better watch captures with a well placed focal point and plenty of detail on your well worn timepiece.
Shining
I think I might have preferred to see a close-up of the burning cigarillo (I think that's what it is) - I like the idea and I think that would have been a very good interpretation of the theme. As it is, the only thing that links the image to the theme is pretty sidelined by the rest of the image.
Very intense colours - I really like this image. I'm not sure it's particularly on-theme, but I think it's a really nice composition
I like this one real crisp colours its not instantly obvious the connection to the theme but its subtlety works well and I expected to see drink responsibly in the bottom left hand corner!
Sid
I think I'm more of a fan of abstract stuff than the majority, but I can't say this really does much for me. I think that really it's just lacking a particular reason apart from to fit in with the theme for the month.
A great shot - the two main things I'd change would be to remove the white blob and bump the contrast a bit. Otherwise, great.
It is lacking any particular impact or focus.
Steeps
I have to say I was expecting more of these images, as it was one of the first things that came into my head. Well executed, but I think I might have preferred a slightly wider angle do that we can see the movement in the driver as well.
I quite like the composition and the colour in this shot, but I'm not sure the overall effect works. The traffic light is a little too distracting, and I can't help wonder if the right half was more like the left half, then it'd be more interesting.
I like the idea behind this shot its an interesting take on the theme but I find the camera shake overly distaracting and the clock being blurred is very distracting.
SteveOBHave
One of the most attention grabbing images of the round, I think. A well exposed scene overall that's really added to by the light trails. Top marks from me.
A great shot that makes me wonder how it's done. I like the detail in the white streaks and how it twists. Not a lot I'd change.
Another clever interpretation of the theme that has been captured and processed really well keep up the good work.
TheAlex
Again, I'm afraid there's nothing here that really sets the image apart from a pretty over-done concept. I can't score it particularly highly on impact or technical marks.
There's some good colours, but it's not a particularly stand-out image for me. The highlights on the numbers are a bit harsh, and the composition isn't particularly interesting.
It falls amongst the other timepiece shots but a bit lower for me with a not so good composition and lighting.
Wedge
Very nice. My only thought is to do with the breaks in the star trails - I might have attempted to shop that out, though it might be one of those things that isn't as simple as it looks at first.
The single thing that spoils this great shot for me is the gaps in the star trails. I'm not sure if this is natural or a property of how it was processed, but it's a big flaw in an otherwise perfect shot. Great colour, great composition, annoying star trails
An excellent shot that hits all the right notes but I cant figure out why there are gaps in the star trails,
Willis
I think the colours are a little too surreal for my liking. It looks like something that's walked out of a very vivid nightmare. Saying that, I think the composition and image as a whole is pretty well thought out.
The colouring in this image gives it a great mood. It feels almost like a tilt-shift image, but without the DOF effect. Good composition and subject as well.
The vivid colours really suite the scene of a an amusement arcade, great composition and processing not much to fault here.
