“This photo was taken a while ago on the top of Malvern British Camp Hill. I thought the original image was a bit stale, especially the sky so I have made it b/w. I have cropped it to concentrate on the people and sky. I have experimented with darkening the people to make them silhouettes but I felt it made the image a bit two dimensional and the contract created a halo around them.”
David Haigh made a comment on 2024 Round 4 Kite Flying 21 hours 4 min ago
“The gallery only seems to allow me to upload in a square aspect. What am I doing wrong?”
David Haigh made a comment on Z Critique Group 22 hours 11 min ago
“Great piece of photojournalism, John. Really tells a story. ”
Saul Scott made a comment on Make America Great Again 1 day 6 hours ago
“This is Sherry, the manager of Thunder-Rode, a motorbike shop and hotbed of MAGA memorabilia and activities in Kingman, Arizona. A former Playboy model (she claims) she and the proprietor Jack proudly fly the Confederate flag, attack all things 'woke' and generally campaign noisily for Trump and 'true American values. They were happy to pose for pictures for someone from the UK where, they say, we're going the same way, having kicked out 'that great man Boris Johnson'.”
John Clare made a comment on Make America Great Again 1 day 9 hours ago
“Good action shot. I am not absolutely sure the LHS player needs to go but worth trying and makinga comparison. I bet the lad with the red hat woud be well pleased with this picture and could claim he went on to score (even if he did not).Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Get Possession 4 days 4 hours ago
“Excellent shot but I agree with Des you could darken the sky to make the storm more imminent.Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Round 4 - April - The Approaching Storm 4 days 4 hours ago
“This is an excellent capture. If I were a vole or mouse looking up, it would be terrifying to see this bird above.”
Dave Hyett made a comment on 2024 Round 4 - new red kite crop 4 days 4 hours ago
“Interesting I had not noticed the 27 until I read the comment above but now it jumps out at me. Yes, best to tone down or even clone out. Good impressist shot.Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 4 days 4 hours ago
“I couldn't see how to add a second image to the original post. This is the slightly rotated image with a new crop as Des suggested.David”
David Adamson made a comment on 2024 Round 4 - new red kite crop 1 week 2 days ago
“Thanks Des. Big ducks these, and they move quick. I think you are right about the crop but I also rotated the image slightly to make the line through the eyes more horizontal. ”
David Adamson made a comment on 2024 Round 4 - Red Kite 4 1 week 2 days ago
“Haha, hadn't even noticed the 27! I'll look into toning it down, thanks.”
Des Ward made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 1 week 4 days ago
“Fabulous image of the duck. The shape is perfect as are the colours and details. Excellent capture David!For me though, the bird is looking slightly left, so I think the head needs to be more on the right hand side of the image looking towards the middle. For me, cropping off the RHS makes it a much stronger image.Cheers Des :-)”
Des Ward made a comment on 2024 Round 4 - Red Kite 4 1 week 4 days ago
“Excellent image, composition is great, especially the 3 boats. I think darkening the clouds might add a little something, and the bottom left catches my eye a little, perhaps darken or crop a little? But I'd be very happy for it to be mine ☺️”
Des Ward made a comment on Round 4 - April - The Approaching Storm 1 week 4 days ago
“Brilliant Des, I love it. The blurred writing doesn't bother me but I'm not too sure about the "27"David”
David Adamson made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 1 week 5 days ago
“Fantastic image, well done. ”
Saul Scott made a comment on 2024 Round 4 - Red Kite 4 1 week 5 days ago
“Hi DesI think this is a good picture, it gives off a realistic impression of what it is actually like to be in a snowy environment without being boring. Keeps me wondering, in a good way. Well done!”
Saul Scott made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 1 week 6 days ago
“Well it works for me Des, I really like the almost abstract impressionist feel to the image with the strong diagonal line of slabs leading up to the end of the building in the distance and the little girl front and centre just adds to story of excitement with the snow.”
Rob Bullingham made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 2 weeks 6 hours ago
“One of the main Stockhom shopping streets on a very cold and snowy day without too many pedestrians about.I like that the only things that are sharp are some of the flakes of snow, but you can make out the little girl and her family. I love this, but am loathe to put it into the street round of the annual challenge as I'm not sure how many will get it.Slightly cropped from a 10mm (15mm equiv) at 1/25th" at f6.3 ISO 200.”
Des Ward made a comment on Round 4 - Woohoo! it's snowing 2 weeks 20 hours ago
“I like it, Rob. Very strong mood there, works in mono, I like the composition. All the necessary elements to tell the story with no clutter. Probably would make a good print, I imagine. Nice capture! ”
Saul Scott made a comment on Round 4 - April - The Approaching Storm 3 weeks 5 days ago
“Not sure if the scaled down version does this justice but taken at Berry Head, Brixham and I was attracted by the the boats heading round towards Brixham hoping to reach port before the storm hits.Taken at 125th at f10 with a 24-120 zoomed in at 60mm then tweaked and in Lightroom & PhotoshopAs a matter of interest you can just see the top of the Berry Head lighthouse which apparently is the highest and shortest lighthouse in the UK being 190ft above sea level and only 16ft tall.CheersRob”
Rob Bullingham made a comment on Round 4 - April - The Approaching Storm 3 weeks 5 days ago
“Hi David, It's very interesting with the spider and I like the subject, although the left wing is much sharper than the right. I agree with John about the background, could you grunge it up, desaturate, or perhaps just add a heavyish vignette?Cheers, Des :-)”
Des Ward made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Beauty And The Beast 1 month 6 days ago
“Hi David, excellent capture of the Goldfinch, I love the bird and its reflection, and I also like the brown leaf behind it. I'm not sure the top of the image is adding much, and a crop from the top so that the bird and the reflection are mirrored about the centre of the image seems to work better for me. There's also a couple of brighter areas on the left edge which catch my eye. I think that would tighten it all up into a cracking image!Cheers, Des :-)”
Des Ward made a comment on Goldfinch 1 month 6 days ago
“Hi John, this is lovely, and I appreciate the negative space which I think grounds the owl nicely. I agree a little bit more space on the bottom may help. For me the bottom left corner of both the stump and the wing are just a little bit bright, and I think you could easily afford to darken the owl's shadow a bit more.Cheers, Des :-)”
Des Ward made a comment on Owl and Shadow 1 month 6 days ago
“I have replaced my original offering for this month with this one. A shot from the practical evening at the club on Thursday. The image I saw was a combination of the owl and shadow, and the angle they formed. A mono conversion highlights that. Looking at it now I could maybe have left a bit more on the bottom.”
John Clare made a comment on Owl and Shadow 1 month 1 week ago
“This is an photo I took at a recent grandson football match - he was in goal. It is a rare attempt at an action shot. I blurred the background.”
David Haigh made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Get Possession 1 month 1 week ago
“This was taken from the hide at Hillers farm shop near stratford.Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Goldfinch 1 month 1 week ago
“A popular subject but the bright colour helps this stand out.Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Round 3 - Jazz Shoes 1 month 1 week ago
“Well captured and the sky is fine too. I assume that this is St Andrews Church which gives a nice point of interest. (I transferred this comment from the previous critique area).Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Round 2 St Andrew's Cheltenham 1 month 1 week ago
“Great landscape though you cannot go wrong in this area.Dave”
Dave Hyett made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 1 month 1 week ago
“Hmmm. Not sure about this. I do find the background distracting, though the spider is an interesting element. Perhaps a shallower DOF would have helped? ”
John Clare made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Beauty And The Beast 1 month 1 week ago
“Interesting. Well done to capture the butterfly with the spider like that! Unusual in a good way. Even though I found the background distracting at first it helps to give a sense of place. ”
Saul Scott made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Beauty And The Beast 1 month 1 week ago
“Taken last week in a butterfly house”
David Adamson made a comment on 2024 Round 3 - Beauty And The Beast 1 month 2 weeks ago
“It works well. Very appropriate for the subject.”
Saul Scott made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 21 hours ago
“Cropped letterbox.”
John Clare made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 1 day ago
“I like the photo - is it panoramic or just cropped? Really makes me feel as if I'm actually there. Nice dramatic lighting too. ”
Saul Scott made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 2 days ago
“I think this is a well composed, refreshingly different image. Colours, perspective, lighting all spot on. The contrasts in the clouds and house colours help it a lot. ”
Saul Scott made a comment on Round 2 St Andrew's Cheltenham 2 months 2 days ago
“Des...I can't see how to post comment at the same time as the picture. Am I being dumb?”
John Clare made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 2 days ago
“Yes you're right Des. Let me take another look at that.”
John Clare made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 2 days ago
“Works better if I comment on the actual picture!”
Des Ward made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 2 days ago
“Looks like it's working to me :-) Whoops wrong place - I can edit it but can't delete it - I wonder if John or David can?”
Des Ward made a comment on Z Critique Group 2 months 2 days ago
“This is a test for the new home for the Critique Group. We can post our pics, at 800x800px, then write a separate comment. Note that the 800x800 is only a preview and is square. Once you click the image it opens at the normal ratio.”
John Clare made a comment on Round 2: Glencoe Grandeur 2 months 2 days ago
“Re my query below, Mark has now explained that the square format is just for the thumbnails!I'm probably being dim but am having problems uploading images that aren't square! I have resized so that maximum side is only 800px but when I try to upload and save, the image is cropped - I do have the option to change the positioning of the crop but... its still cropped. What am I doing wrong???Linda”
Linda Kirkhope made a comment on River Severn Project (Gallery Full) 3 months 2 weeks ago
“Ian...great shots from you in this gallery! Looks great.JC”
John Clare made a comment on Further back 3 months 3 weeks ago
“I love the feel of this. It almost hints at a chess game mid-play. A slightly graphic style that works so well. ”
Richard Jefferies made a comment on Westbury Court Gardens and St Mary, St Peter and St Paul's Church - Westbury On Severn 5 months 3 days ago
“Love this image. Monochrome suits it so well. It's one that I would have wanted to take, and in a similar way. Also got a slight IR feel. Did you aim for an Infra-Red rendering or is that just how it came out?”
Richard Jefferies made a comment on O Severn Barge at Purton 5 months 3 days ago
“Thank you Peter.”
Andrew Buckley made a comment on Girl in a straw hat 5 months 1 week ago
“Fantastic images...”
Peter Sanderson made a comment on Girl in a straw hat 5 months 2 weeks ago
“Infrared image though taken in May. A massive telegraph pole, directly in front of the church, and associated wires have been cloned out by old fashioned editing. I resisted the AI auto fill option!!Apparantly this is the smallest Anglican church in existence.”
Richard Jefferies made a comment on Saint Mary the Virgin, Shepperdine, near banks of the Severn 5 months 3 weeks ago
“Chicken Of The Woods is edible. It tastes like chicken when it is young and tastes like cardboard when it is old. (ref. Fascinated By Fungi by Pat O'Reilly). It is poisonous if growing on Yew.”
David Adamson made a comment on Chicken Of The Woods at Westbury Court Gardens - Westbury On Severn 6 months 4 weeks ago
“Nice image Rich.A b+w version would probably also work well and give some leeway to make the steam pop out even more.Martin”
Martin Linke made a comment on Hot Metal 8 months 2 days ago
“Hi SteveGreat shot. As Suggestion to improve the image, only my opinion. I would crop a bit off each side and burn down the bright areas above each Puffin.Andrew ”
Andrew Buckley made a comment on Puffin Talk 8 months 3 weeks ago
“Thank you John. I am sure you have seen this one, CISP gold 2023. Where she was looking was limited by the image I had of her.”
Andrew Buckley made a comment on Tree lovers 8 months 4 weeks ago
“Andy I don't think I've seen this one? I like it. One small point...should she be looking slighly at more of an angle, similar to him? Well done!”
John Clare-Test made a comment on Tree lovers 8 months 4 weeks ago
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Brian Wood made a comment on Andrew Gagg FRPS - Animation for AV - On Zoom (at Home) 8 months 4 weeks ago
“Worth getting up early for, Mark...or where you just getting back?”
John Clare made a comment on First train of the day 10 months 3 weeks ago
“Lovely shot Steve”
Mark Stone made a comment on Puffin Talk 11 months 4 weeks ago
“I'll be there!”
John Clare made a comment on Gloucester docks outing 12 months 3 days ago