January 2012
Topic: "Free Range
"
Repeated photocomp subject from 5 years ago
"Girls"
"Cracker"
Relevance to Topic
9
Composition
8.5
Use of Light
8.5
Wow Factor
8
I wish I took this!!!  
9
Variety
8.5
NEXT MONTH SUBJECT:  ART - Set by Martin!
Overall with weighting 7.95/ 10
Martin's Pick - score and comments:  "Girls"

Some nice stuff again this month. But out of the eight that I trimmed your submission down to, I only really had the
warm and fuzzies for 5 of them. There was three in particular that I was tossing up over, and after long and
considered scrutiny I decided that the best shot for this month is Girls. This candid shot tells plenty, and also nothing
of what is going on here. Two fine looking ladies just hanging out smoking, drinking and probably bitching about
their boyfriends. Nicely exposed under difficult varied light, with the dasat giving the shot some real interest.
Composition works well too. Niiiicey.

Other shots in order of merit:

  • Eyed -  I really like the whole moronic tragic hypocracy in this shot. The appalling woman sitting in her leather
    chair selling snake oil to another woman who appears to need one of the many miracles on offer. Just swipe
    here, and you will be saved. Great capture.

  • Smoking Man - Just bloody well caught all round. Lighting has me a little puzzled... But brilliant. Bokeh and
    colours are a treat.

  • First-Fleet -  Strong image. Nice colours and vignette. Has a certain Australia Day Appeal.

  • Crackers -  I can really hear and smell those babies going off!! Maybe some other interest included with the
    shot (a shoe or a leg) would have given it some extra punch.

  • Hippy - Really lends itself to HDR. Busy and colourful. Nicely framed too. I just think that such an inviting store
    should have had a customer.

  • Fly Over - I had to include this shot in my eight as it has plenty to see and do. Nice composition. I just found
    myself craving for more faces. Looks a tad underexposed too.

All said and done, your 15 bloody images put a smile on my dial as I could see that you are out and about flogging
your shutter count.
"Dragon_dues"
"Hippy"
Sean's photo notes:

Ok Man a number of shots this month - a tricky
subject which had me deciding which shots to
send and which ones to leave behind.

So here they are nice & early and first as usual..

  • Fly Over: Cropped, filter work, contrast

  • Blue Finger: Cropped, contrast,

  • Girls: Cropped, BW convert, contrast

  • First Fleet: Cropped, contrast - strobed

  • Hippy: Cropped, distortion correction, HDR

  • Eyed: Cropped, colour work, contrast

  • Cracker: Cropped, contrast, levels

  • Dragon Dues: Cropped, contrast

  • Smoking man: Cropped, contrast levels.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Martin's photo notes:

OK Braaaz, here are my subs. On time as
usual.

Shiiite weather kept me indoors most of
the month. Still managed to install the
pool though. I'll chop your lot down to my
fave 8.

Some notes:

  • From Q1 - HDR, cropped, curves

  • Pencils in Space - Cropped,
    contrast

  • Pencils - Cropped, curves,
    saturation

  • Pool From Above - Cropped,
    contrast

  • Reptilian - Cropped, curves,
    sharpened

  • Self - Cropped, blurred

  • Streets Beach - HDR, cropped

  • Thinktank - Cropped, desaturated,
    contrast

  • USC H1 - HDR, cropped, contrast
Febuary
"Blue Finger"
Febuary
"Think tank"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Fly over"
"Smoking man"
Other images Sean submitted, click to enlarge
"First Fleet"
"Eyed"
"Reptilian"
"Pencils in Space"
"Pencils"
"Pool from above"
"Elaine"
"From Q1"
"Self"
"Streets Beach"
Relevance to Topic
9
Composition
9
Use of Light
9
Wow Factor
8.5
I wish I took this!!!  
8.5
Variety
8
Overall with weighting 8.13/ 10
Sean's Pick - score and comments:  "Think tank"

Good pack this month mate, the topic I know through a curve ball with nothing set in stone puts some added
heat on the prior planning and decision making process.

After looking through your healthy 10 I too for simplicity decided on a short list of 8, Of which I came too at the
end with the notion of this is Great! “Think Tank” The lighting and composition of this shot make it so most of
all, with good depth of field and sound focus . Perhaps taken lower might have even evoked more superiority of
this mighty team! No noise evident either - Frame..

Other shots in order of merit:

  • From Q1: I really like too, I think the gold coast looks superb at this vantage point - From the coast and
    harbour in the background through to my toes on the tennis court all is very nice to look at. Man that is
    high.. The contrast & detail in this image is pleasing to me too. Even the beach goers between the flags
    no doubt has been recorded. Lens distortion deliberate? Good job.

  • Elaine: Nicely caught portrait with plenty of journalistic merit This is equal second - good lighting, nicely
    captured eyes and smile. Well done,

  • Self: I like the most about the shot is the focus control of which not being behind the camera I wonder
    how many shots it took pre-focusing or did you just hit and miss with auto focus?. Interested to read you
    played with the colour in camera with hue to the left with an orange gel through soft box (Nice
    experimentation). It wouldn't kill you to smile once and a while either. LOL.. Reflection noted too

  • Pencils in Space: nice play with light, the pencil print adds interest as does the quasars - Good contrast
    could have built the space station with that lot.

  • Pool From Above: This shot has lots of interest, the eave overhang interrupts it a bit - cropped a bit
    more up top or moving forward might have enhanced the suspense of this shot. A little blown out but slow
    enough to get me in.

  • Streets Beach: Nice star bursts and colours - contrasted to the max leaves me a bit giddy. Good texture.

  • Pencils: Good composition, a little off tack sharp, you could have at least used a different set of pencils!

  • Reptilian: I am unsure why this bad boy ended up here but lets say its equally as good as the last few. It
    feels off focus around the head and eyes a little, good background and well posed model - what did / he
    or she charge for the shoot?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other images Martin submitted, click to enlarge
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