As soon as the judges have made their top ten selections, their critiques will be added to this thread. The voting poll will be posted at that time also. In the meantime, post your own personal feedback and favorites here.

The challenge theme was: Primary or Pastel

Your judges were:

davev
Greensquared

Dave's feedback:
After going through the shots, I had 15 that I thought could be in the final.
Hopefully Emily will have at least a couple of them in her list.

My finalists are, in order of appearance:

#3, arthill, Peach Hibiscus.

I liked the the closeness of this shot, it kept the image clean. I enjoyed seeing the softness of the flower involved.

#6, JAG, Prime Swirly.

A basic "Here are the colors" shot that was set up well, photographed and processed well.

#13, PaulThomasMcKee, Testarossa.

One prime color with subtle variations of it. Very good use of lighting.

#16, douglas, Color Balance.

Nicely done. The colors are rich, and the shot leaves a bit of mystery as to how it was done. Anything that you have to think about for a minute
to get it into your head as to how it was created is a good thing. Good lighting and great exposure.

#23, dlplumer, 385 Main Street.

Prime colors in different shades. My first time through, I passed over this shot. The second time through I couldn't take my eyes off of it.
I think the flat look or straight on look was a great way to show this residence.

#34, ifocus, Splash.

I like the movement, I love the color, whether it was there or made.
This is one of those fun snapshots that turn out to be great photographs.

#39, cj99si, Colors Interpreted.

This was the tough choice shot. Although I liked the setup of the shot, with the paint and brush (which I would have liked to see some paint on), and good choice of DOF.
The picture under it was the real attraction. The soft colors, things that I think I see in it are very pleasing.

#50, Jaro, Sweeter than Honey.

I'm not much for baby pictures, maybe it's because they aren't presented to me like this one.
I've got red lips, a blue eye (that keeps staring at me) and a pastel yellow wall behind. Once again the DOF pulls this off.
The thing that needs to be sharp (the eye) is, and the heck with everything else.

#63, pyry, And this should be green.

Considering that this is a challenge about color, the fact that this made my list says this shot did something right.
The action is the shot. This was a great idea for the challenge, and pulled off nicely.

#77, furiousfart, Oldest Ice.

The subtle hues, the veins of dark blue, the voids, I like all of it.


My top picks:

Hi guys. Sorry I'm as late as I am with this, but I've got a ton on my plate at the moment. I wish these critiques were more in depth, but they're the best I can do tonight. I'll do up the remainder as soon as I can.

#6 - JAG - Prime Swirly
This one just really screamed the theme for me. I may not have preferred all of the PS choices, but all in all, really well done.

#9 - Llywellyn - Luscious
Great use of color and play with contrasts. There's a white speck on the apple that needs to be removed, but otherwise, pretty clean work.

#11 - ellarue - Cups
Very well done. Really nice color, comp & execution.

#21 - cmorganphotography - No Going Back
One of the few single primary color image that I thought really worked. Just says "blue" in all ways. Strong emotion, great composition.

#23 - dlplumer - 385 Main Street
Really love color and comp. Well done!

#30 - VelvtRide - I Believe
Very strong image, nicely pp'd.

#41 - jeffmeyers - Consider the Lilies...
Love it. Probably my favorite of the bunch.

#44 - tlee - Pansy's Pose
Very nice subtle color and the water drops add to the soft touch.

#50 - Jaro - Sweeter Than Honey
Very warm on the color side, but totally works. Unusual angle and nice crisp focus.

#55 - SciurusNiger - Fading Glories
One of the very few pastel images that worked for me. Great job!

Woo-hoo! After many weeks of way too much work I finally had time to actually enter something this time around. And now I'll try to carve out enough time to give some feedback. I think I'll do the inadvisable "comment on every entry" approach, a problem because I may run out of steam... Anyway, here's the first batch.

2 - imax - Pins And Needles - I like the concept, but the exposure, lighting and white balance all need some work. First it is a bit overexposed which has made the colors lose a bit of saturation. Second the lighting is very flat which causes all the elements to lose their form, I'd go with soft side lighting to give these shapes some definition. Finally, because of the very flat lighting and white background the white balance really comes into play with this, the photo has a overly warm tone and with all the white space it dominates the colored elements. So, nice concept and composition, but needs technical work!

3 - Tdcompton - Indianapolis Skyline 2008 - A very nice night skyline photo. I think there are some stronger entries that use night city scenes to bring out the theme, but this is a very nice photo in its own right. I could be wrong, but it seems to me the horizon/buildings aren't exactly straight and thats a bit distracting to the eye. I like the composition with the water leading the eye into the center of the photo.

4 - arthill - Peach Hibiscus - Definitely captures "pastel". A nice flower macro. I don't have a lot to comment on this one, it seems well executed. I think the overall challenge is that there are a lot of flower entries this time around!

5 - fashiznitsngrins - Peter Picked.... - Very bold colors here with the switch from green to purple. A well executed photoshop swap that draws the eye. Composition wise I think it'd be neat to have cut one of the peppers. The insides of peppers have great pattern/texture and it would have drawn the cutting board and knife into the composition better. The addition of water droplets to all the elements is a nice touch. I like it.

6 - JAG - Prime Swirly - The first of many "paint" photos and this one really smashes the veiwer with the primaries! I like the composition a lot. I'm not sure how this was made (just a standard macro shot or a lot of photoshop) but one thing that distracts me is it looks very much like it is layered up in photoshop (i.e. the paint swirl and back ground are separate). I have no idea if this is the case, and I really don't care, it just rings a little false to my eye. Well executed concept.

7 - WomanWithACamera - Yellow - It sure is yellow! I really don't know exactly how this was done, some photoshop filtering or just optical effects, but I like the sort of frenetic bokeh along the left of the photo, it seems to work well with the tangle of petals and pistils at the center of the flower. Also the aquaish background contrasts well. However it was done, I like the dreamy slightly painting like feel. I like photos like this that take a very simple shot of a very simple subject which is a very simple interpretation of the theme and yet somehow (at least to me) create a very strong photo from it. Great showing!

8 - bfjr - Is it Safe Yet - I like this one, it drew my wife's eye as well. White in focus feathers contrasting with the out of focus color behind is a neat interpretation of the theme. This is an excellent composition to introduce a abstract field of color with something to anchor but not overwhelm it. Nicely done!

9 - Llywellyn - Luscious - Strong primary red with a pastel green background. It really draws the eye. I'm not sure what to add to this. For whatever reason some other entiries connect with me more, but I've got to say this looks perfectly executed to me!

10 - dcorrin - Red and Yellow - Many more flowers to come, but this one really screams red and yellow, aptly named. Here's the funny thing about composition: I actually almost didn't notice the little guy looking out at me from the center of the flower but I sure did notice that big out of focus stem/blade crossing the lower left corner of the photo. Of course there was likely no way to move that out of the way without potentilally having the bug make a run for it. I think in this case a tighter cropping would have helped. The contrast of the green bug on the flower is excellent, tighter cropping would make him more obvious and would get rid of the distraction in the lower left. Regardless, a beautiful image!

Well, that's it for page one... Hopefully I'll make it to page two...

Great work everyone!

Ken

There were a lot of great images, but these really stood out, even if one of them will be DQed =c/

Well, if I'm really going to get to all of them I better do page two right now...

11 - ellarue - Cups - Very simple concept done well. Textbook rule of thirds composition it and works. The curved stack of the cups adds interest. There are certainly stronger entries in this particular round, but this is a well done still life. The lighting is quite well done, gives shape and definition to the stack.

12 - inetken - Maui Scents - More flowers! With so much white it might be a little of a departure from the theme, but I really like the theme and the selective focus. Might have made the depth of field even thinner. A very nice photo, but I think this time around a least there is too much flower competition!

13 - PaulThomasMcKee - Testarossa - Great "red on red" entry. Very simple, but well done. Lighting is just about perfect. Very little for me to add!

14 - ginaellen - Waiting for love - Welcome to the contests! A wonderful first entry, very strong composition. Again, a red on red that works. One could debate whether the rose should be overlapping the black chair or the red wall. In this case I think I like the way it works as red on red. Image could have been a bit larger, but looks good as it is.

15 - Jamoke - My Three Forms... - M&M's do come in many colors. I remember as a kid there was no blue or red, but it seemed like five different shades of brown... Anyway, a nice macro shot. Like having the m's on the red ones only. Lighting seems a little harsh, might have used a larger source. And sphere like things are a nightmare when it comes to lighting, a bit too much glare - again a larger source might help. Nice idea.

16 - douglas - Color Balance - Very slick looking! I like the concept and the execution is very well done. I'd be curious to see the setup, was it multiple shots, so on and so forth, but that's just my technical curiosity. I'm torn as to whether I like this as landscape or portrait better - a hard call. Anyway, neat concept and well done, I like it.

17 - Sp00ks - No title - Oh no, more flowers! The lighting is very nice, and the hints of color in the dark background add to the sense of depth. Well done, but sadly we are awash in flowers this time around and I think some other entries are going to be drawing the eye a bit better.

18 - vandana - Drink the colors... - Very nicely done. I really can't think of anything to change, a neat concept very well executed. One of my favorite this round.

19 - pemmet - The last drop... - Strong single instance of color works well here. I kind of feel the depth of field is almost too tight here though, I can't really find anything completely in focus. I think sharp focus from the front edge of the puddle to the rear edge would be good. Nice photo though.

20 - Karrie McD - Jumping through hoops - Definitely bridging photography and graphic art. Photos like this are why I'm glad the challenges have such open rules and don't restrict people's creativity. I'd hate to see something like this excluded by silly rules and arguements about what constitutes a "photo". Anyway, definitely draws the eye. In a "created" image like this there is no excuse for missing any compositional elements and this image seems pretty darn flawless in that department. Very imaginative.

Alright... There is some hope I might make it through all of them by the end of the week now...

Ken

i really enjoyed everyones entry, so many great shots!
here are my 5 favs, (ok, really 6 but i just couldnt cut any one of them)
in no order...

385 Main Street
I Believe
Blue Lakes Basin
Pansy's Pose
The Wide Blue
Vibrant & Pale

This round had a ton of really great entries! The following though stood out for me, arranged in no particular order.

On to the third page...

21 - cmorganphotography - No Going Back - As a photo this is very nice, it communicates an emotion quite well and technically is well executed. I tend to put a fair bit of weight into the stated theme and I can't really find the connection here short of the toning of the photo. Of course the contest are wide open in how one interprets the theme, which is a great thing, but either I'm missing something or this photo deviates a bit too far for me to make the connection. As a photo in an of itself, however, it is very well done!

22 - scas - Sun Flower - So the theme this round was FLOWERS or primaries or pastels? Sorry... So many flower photos, and so many of them actually very good. The toning of this photo is very interesting. It's very high-key exposure gives it all a very pastel look that I think works out quite well. Sadly, there are just so many flower entries. Still, regardless of what others entered, you should be proud of this - original processing that worked out well.

23 - dlplumer - 385 Main Street - This is one of my favorite entires this time around. I like it quite a bit. One thing I'd seriously consider though is cropping out the window on the right. The composition is a bit symmetric as is and the mini-blinds are just ugly. I think the tighter crop would make it a stronger photo.

24 - The Hobbyist - God's Paintbox - The color seems a little weak here for a sunset. Not sure if too much exposure or perhaps shooting a bit too early, but the color is too subtle for this theme I think. Of course we never can control when great sunset colors occur... The clouds are very attractive.

25 - KurtPreston - magination - A little too psychedelic a composite for my tastes, not quite sure how all the elemets fit together to match the theme besides the use of color in the background.

26 - ic4u - Red attracts - The feeder as the light source is pretty neat in this photo. I kind of like the way the wings are extended almost as if the bird is going to give the feeder a big hug. A nice first entry, hope too see more of you.

27 - NikonandVstroms - Repose - The lighting is nice, a very simple introduction of the theme colors into a portrait. I'd almost like to have the cameras position be a bit to the left, would get a little more of the face in the photo and remove some of the white pillow which is a tad of a distraction. Nicely done.

28 - Halite - Sail On, Sailor - Wow, color contrast! I like the blue toning to the whole background to accentuate the orange suit. In some sense it looks a little bit too much like something I'd see in a Gill annual report... I'd like a bit more action or story to the shot... Maybe with some scuba gear on and just having stood out of the water with water droplets pouring off. Well, regardless of my silly idea, that's definitely contrasting primaries. Strong showing!

29 - CAPTURED2H - Too Bee Or Not - Sad this was disqualified for size, it is one of the more neato flower shots. Yellow, green, blue and red all together. Very slick shot...

30 - VelvtRide - I Believe - Nice shot, surprised now that I think about it that we didn't have more flag entires. The US flag is a bit mundane as far as color goes and rather complicated in structure. I'd have thought we might see some other countries' flags, many are perfect case studies of graphic design! Anyway, a great capture of the old stars and stripes if perhaps a bit on the cliche side. The lighting is quite good.

Not quite half way through!

Ken

Okay, I'll play too...

My top picks (fwiw) (in no particular order)
----

1. #9 Luscious.
Great composition and execution. Screams of primary and pastel. Fun shot!

2. #13 Testarossa.
Lovely concept, lighting and execution. Beautiful!

3. #20 Jumping through hoops
Another neatly executed shot - different and colorful.

4. #23 385 Main Street
The first thing that comes to mind is blue. Simple and nicely composed.

5. #38 Future Yielder
Beautiful light and angle. Very pleasing and soft.

6. #42 The Journey
Simply superb! The composition, colors and light all just fall into perfect place in this shot.

7. #43 Free Spirit
Great composition. I would have liked to see a little more of the horse's face, but it definitely brings pastel to mind right off the bat.

8. #62 The wide blue
Minimalistic, crisp and very blue. :-)

9. #63 And this should be green
A great idea - only suggestion would be to have painted the leaves up top and work your way downwards - this would bring out the idea and theme better, imo. Cute shot!

10. #79 What women want
Great lighting and execution! Still trying to figure out what the title-photo implies...perhaps that's the mystery.

Hon. mentions:
#14 waiting for love
#18 Drink the colors responsibly
#67 Frozen tips

I'll try and get an individual critique out for every photo, but in the meantime hope this helps.

Cheers, Sunita

My favorites (in order submitted)

#6. JAG-Prime Swirly
Great use of color, light. Background works very well.

#9. Llywellyn-Luscious
Wonderful idea. Perfectly executed. Great colors and processing. My favorite of the bunch.

#30. VelvtRide-I Believe
Powerful image. Great processing.

#36. AaronNelson-Strong Light of Influence
Great composition. Don't think I've ever seen a lighthouse shot with this perspective...I really like it! Nice control of light as well.

#38. mycaptures-Future Yielder
Great use of simple composition with perfect DOF.

#42. The Curious Camel-The Journey...
Wonderful shot. Colors, composition - all very well done.

#50. Jaro-Sweeter than Honey.
I like the background - works very well with the baby's skin tones. This shot feels just slightly rotated and I wish there was a bit more of a catchlight.

Great job everyone!
E

Originally Posted by kwalsh 25 - KurtPreston - magination - A little too psychedelic a composite for my tastes, not quite sure how all the elemets fit together to match the theme besides the use of color in the background.

'70s psychedlic drug culture look is what I was going for Particularly the wierd album cover art with sci-fi overtones. Ah well, there is a reason I avoid trying composite images and this entry is a great example

Thanks for the critique, I was fairly positive the composite would not be received well but definately wanted to get feedback.

These are my ten picks and it was tough narrowing it down to just these.

Originally Posted by richtersl These are my ten picks and it was tough narrowing it down to just these.

Yay, I got a pick!

Thanks Linda


I'm just now browsing through the entries. There are good shots here. Really good.

and put me in your favs!

Here's what caught my eye:

Llywellyn - Luscious - Strong composition and even stronger colour!

pemmett - The Last Drop - I really like the message this one is sending out, good use of selective colouring.

cmorganphotography - No Going Back - I can think of a thousand songs to match that image.

Travis - Blue Runner - Love the colour and the feel of speed.

Thegreenegg - Excellent tone, I like the subject and subdued reflection.

mtmills - Caught... Red And Yellow Handed - I like this portrait, is he a dancer of sort?

All entries were wonderful - these were the ones that stood out for me. Good luck to everyone!!

Thanks, pyro, Aaron, Michael and eoren1 for including me in your favs! So many terrific entries and I really took a chance with the flag - but the colors came out so nice.

Ken, thanks for the feedback! This is what it's all about for me - criticism and improvement.

My top 10, uh, 12 favorite. (And twelve good reasons why I didn't submit an entry this time.) Its going to be hard to vote for just one.



— Kevin

Originally Posted by kwalsh 6 - JAG - Prime Swirly - The first of many "paint" photos and this one really smashes the veiwer with the primaries! I like the composition a lot. I'm not sure how this was made (just a standard macro shot or a lot of photoshop) but one thing that distracts me is it looks very much like it is layered up in photoshop (i.e. the paint swirl and back ground are separate). I have no idea if this is the case, and I really don't care, it just rings a little false to my eye. Well executed concept. Ken

Thank you Ken. Actually the original pic was taken outside on a glass table. But the table textured surface took to much away from the paint. So I took a pic of a blank canvas and added it as the background. It was ment make the paint stand out and look more 3d. Thanks again for your comments...they are very much appreciated.

Thank you velvetride and Kev for including me in your favorites.

Thats so dissapointing, I dont even get mentioned
Well congrats to the winners!