Di says – An interesting take on the violinist.  I’m not sure about the arm being cropped just after the wrist, and it may have improved the shot if we could have seen more of the musician.  Having said that, the colours are good, and exposure is spot on.  Not sure that this will do well in the competition given the other entries this month.

Colin Says: – Nice enough idea but I can’t help thinking the composition/framing could have been better. The removal of the right end of the fiddle and the cropping of the watch let the image down a bit in my opinion. Lighting and exposure seem to be pretty good.

Di says – My shot – taken at Derwent Valley – these birds were so confident – I liked this one, best out of the bunch I had.  The background is a bit messy, but I liked his pose.

Colin Says: These wee birds are extremely fast and don’t stay still for very long so firstly a big well done for catching it in natural habitat. Unfortunately though the image looks very soft and lacks sharpness. I note from the exif data this was taken at 200mm and if it was hand-held that could explain a touch of movement. Not an easy shot though.

Di Says: - great portrait – good use of light, and a very natural expression on her face.  The focus is spot on, and the only thing I would have removed is the stray hair going over her eye.  Other than that, a great shot for the family album.

Colin Says:– Nice portrait of a pretty wee lass. I realise this has been taken outdoors in natural light but can’t help feeling the light is too harsh and as such is not helping the skin tones. Good pose and the image seems to be nice and sharp.

Di says – The contrast and colour looks a bit flat on this shot, and because the deer is looking directly at the camera, you lose the perspective on the shape of the head.  The background is a bit fussy too, but suspect there wasn’t a lot the photographer could do about this.

Colin Says:– Great capture here – never had the opportunity for a shot like this and I would probably miss it by the time I faffed about with settings, so well done!! Great expression on the deer’s face and the background is nicely thrown out of focus. My only critique is that the deer looks slightly soft but hey, still a great capture.

Di says – Another great landscape.  Looks like an early morning shot, and the only bit I don’t like is the imposition of the rock and grasses on the left side of the shot.  The letter box format works very well, there are no blown highlights, and the light is perfect.

Colin Says:– Another lovely landscape with beautiful lighting and detail in the sky. The reflections in the water are superb (especially the sloping fence on the left). Nice detail retained in the darker foreground at left of frame. Nice image of a tranquil looking setting.

Di says – Wow, this is great.  The colours are fabulous.  Everything about it seems right.  If I had to nit-pick I’d say the shot could have been taken from a slightly higher vantage point so that the cloud reflections did not impinge on the rock at all.  But perhaps that was the effect the photographer wanted.  The composition is good, and I do like the jetty in the background.  Another brilliant entry this month.

Colin Says:This is a lovely image and an instant favourite of mine. The composition is very good with the large rock anchoring the foreground and the reflections in the water are very nice. I presume a polarising filter was used as the detail of the water bed and tones in the sky are excellent. I feel though that some of the sky could have been cropped out to avoid the central horizon.

Di says – This is cute – just one girl looking up at the camera (a relative perhaps of the photographer?) – Focus is good, exposure good, and the only thing I don’t like is the fact that towards the top right of the shot, is the lower half of a face – just the chin.  I know it would be hard to crop this any other way, but just maybe a tighter crop.

Colin Says:Nice capture. The cheeky smile and glance of the girl at front really makes this image for me. Lucky this photo wasn’t taken by her drill sergeant!!

Di says – I had one of these in the garage a couple of years ago, it nested inside the boot of a roller skate, so where there was a mouse, were really mice.  This is such a cute shot.  Focus is bang on, and the catchlights are brilliant.  I’d have liked to have seen it slightly out of the centre of the shot and perhaps just a bit more depth of field, but that may not have been possible.  All in all a great shot. Well done

Colin Says:Nice wildlife portraiture with great catch light in the eyes. Looks like he is looking straight at the camera!! Only possible crit on this one is that the DoF is maybe a touch shallow. Stopping down the aperture a touch would have helped increase the DoF a touch as I would have liked more of the face/nose in sharp focus.

Di says  - Another good record shot.  The girls themselves have been well captured, but I don’t like the hand behind the head of the girl on the right of the shot.  Nor do I like the bag in between the heads of the girls.  I wish they could have been extracted from the frame and dropped onto a different background.

Colin Says:Utter rubbish – oops this is my image so can’t comment further!! :-)

Di says – This is a superb shot of a small bird.  The background is diffused and a lovely colour, just different enough to set off the gold of the bird.  There are no real distractions, and the bird has plenty of space to look into.  Overall a super shot, and should do well this month.

Colin Says:Instantly loved this image. Great colours and tones, wonderful detail in the branch, pine needles and cone, not to mention the bird itself. Lovely DoF, can’t fault this at all - gets my vote!!

Di says:  This tree in Lyme Park takes some beating.  I think that everyone on DPG who has been to Lyme has photographed this tree at some point.  This is a great image of a field maple, with just a hint of vignette to accentuate the tree itself.  The golden light that usually comes at the end of a day is the best there is.  The photographer has caught it just right.  Well done.

Colin Says:Simple composition following the rule of thirds and works well enough. Nice tones and a lovely golden cast on the foreground. Clearly a popular subject down your neck of the woods!!

Di says – Another great snow shot – and the hall looks great against that sky.  One I wish I could see bigger.  Once again the letter box format works well, and the house set out to one side is good.  The only problem I have is that the road to the right of the shot doesn’t lead anywhere, you follow it to the end, and then your eye has to jump to the other side of the image to find the house.  Perhaps just a slightly different angle might have worked.

Colin Says:Interesting building and a nicely exposed image. Not quite sure about the composition though. The path on the right leads my eye away from the focal point. I think I would rather have seen a closer view point to pick out more detail in the property or select a different angle and use the central path (the one leading to the house) as a leading line?

Di says – I have to say this is not a very inspiring shot.  It’s very grey, and there is not much detail in the clouds.  Suspect the sky is burnt out to the top left of the shot.  I may have been tempted to make this black and white, and pop the colour of the red deckchairs.  Are the people sat in the deckchairs in sleeping bags?  It looks like it was a darn cold day…..

Colin Says:Typical British Summer? Nice composition with the diagonals of the shore and pier. The deck chairs, however, seem to be the main focal point but they are just too small in the frame for that to work and as a result there is nothing to hold the viewers attention. Perhaps getting closer and lower down would have helped?

Di says – my shot so no comment – it was just a bit of fun on a long dark Sunday evening.

Colin Says:Cracking image with eggselent exposure and lighting. Made me smile :) Not much to say in the way of critique but this is a well eggsecuted image. Nicely done.

Di says  - Good record shot of the (rose queen?) event.  What spoils it for me is the very bright area to the bottom right of the shot, and the post behind the chair.  The bright area could easily have been dealt with, and with a bit of work, the post could be removed too.  The main figure looks relaxed and the photographer has brought out the detail in her dress well.  I like the crowns on each side of the chair.  A well captured moment.

Colin Says:Not sure what the event is but this is a nicely captured portrait in natural lighting. Bearing in mind the title of the image the cropping of the “throne” does concern me.

Di says – Aww, a cute shot for the last entry this month.  Odd numbers always work well in a photo, and these three penguins look good.  The triangle shape that they make, leads the eye around the shot, from which there are no real distractions in the background.  Shame about all white stuff on the rocks, but overall a good image.

Colin Says:Nice p p p p p p picture!! Sorry, couldn’t resist the p p p penguin pun!! Nicely captured and I like the diagonals created by the layers in the sandstone rock.

Di says  I recognise this bridge.  It’s the Roman Bridge at Roman Lakes, and I’ve been there many times, but never in the snow.  This is a well exposed shot, and the light is just right.  I like the two figures on the bridge, but could I wish they were wearing red?  Actually the blue does reflect the coldness of the day.  Makes me feel chilly just looking at it.  Did the photographer have to stand in the river to get this I wonder?

Colin Says:Interesting looking bridge. Looks very cold and the exposure looks to be about spot on for the snow. The background is very busy and the couple are almost lost in the image. Unusually, I can’t help thinking this one may have worked better without the people.

Di says – A nice portrait of a robin sat on a wall.  Good detail in the feathers and the focus is spot on.  He’s positioned nicely on thirds and has plenty of room to look into.  All in all a very nice shot.

Colin Says:Another wee birdie and a very nice looking image. Really nice DoF throwing the background out of focus and removing any distractions from the frame. Looks to be fairly sharp and the colours look good

Di says: I really liked this shot when I first looked at it – later though I did wonder if it would be a stronger image if all the foreground was cropped off, leaving just the castle and that super light.  The sky is fabulous, and the exposure is spot on.  Well done.

Colin Says:Another image I really liked. Great tones in the sky and water and some nice interest in the clouds. The rocks create a nice diagonal with the sun reflection on the water leading you into the image. A well executed image.

Di says – A fabulous macro shot of the flower.  Love the detail in this. You almost feel like sneezing, there’s so much pollen.  Composition is tight, but leads well from one side of the shot to the other.  Could be a good contender this month.

Colin Says:Nice macro work with lovely texture on the petals and no sign of blown out whites. Lighting looks very good and there are no distractions in the frame. The DoF is good with virtually the whole frame nice and sharp. I would have liked to have seen the whole of the back central petal but can’t really fault this image.

Di Says: Lovely seascape, with a fabulous range of colours in the sky.  The only problem I have with this shot is that it is rather too dark to the bottom right of the shot, compared with the top left.  I would have been tempted to lighten it just a tad.  The composition is good, and I love the silhouettes of the boats on the water.

Colin Says:Lovely colours in a very dramatic sky. Seems to be some noise in the sky but that could just be my eyes!!

Di says – Another really cold shot – would have done well in the theme competition this month.  Composition is fabulous with great lead lines up and out of the shot.  The lone figure to the left looks cold and lonely – and the iced up canal looks bloomin cold.  This is an excellent image that grabbed my attention. Well done.

Colin Says:Shiver me timbers, this looks extremely cold. A well taken and nicely exposed image with nice detail in the snow. The splashes of colour from the barges and the guy’s hat stand out nicely against what is otherwise a fairly desaturated image with the white/grey tones. Nice composition with the converging lines of the path/canal leading you to the bridge and beyond. Liked this one a lot.

Di says: love the lead in lines in this shot – good use of the short depth of field to accentuate the trees on the right hand side. I like the muted colours and the way the path leads out of the frame.  A bit more depth of field might have helped here.

Colin Says:Really liked the perspective of this image and the curve of the path provides an excellent leading line. Perhaps a smaller aperture to increase the DoF would have improved what is already a good image.

Di says – I really like the golden light on this shot.  The silhouette of the tower, and the boat in the background have been well captured.  If I had to pick holes, I would have preferred to see the boat a little further to the right of the shot – thus leading the eye on a diagonal.  As it is, the main images are in a line through the middle of the image.  Perhaps a little more detail in the immediate foreground would have helped.

Colin Says:Wow what a fantastic ima………. oops this is my image so can’t comment further!! :-p