Tulip

Mark says: Pin sharp focus on the stamen. Good colours, and no sign of damage. I do find the first petal strangely distracting – keeps pulling my eye.

Iain says: Love the colours, but personally, I would have preferred the image more central as the petals in the foreground detract a little from the image.

Iain says: I like the conversion, the whispering cloud in the sky, and the panorama. One thing though, as it is panorama, I think it the photographer moved to the right a little bit more and therefore reducing the number of rocks on the left, it would be better. This is due to a little too many rocks for the image. Having said that, still a great shot.

 

Mark says: An excellent shot of the Loch – really makes you want to be there. The reflections are pretty much perfect, with the peak of the trees acting as a good focal point.

Iain says: Another Good shot of the Loch. The Mist in the background gives the impression of a steam railway running along the shore. Again I glass like water giving a great reflection, along with a focal point of the rocks to the left, just breaking the reflection up enough. One thing though, I think I would have had the top of the mountain showing in the reflection, rather than cut off. Another that should do well.

 

Mark says: This shot really caught my eye when I first saw it. The depth of field is excellent. Exposure is spot on. Possibly the only thing is the sea is not quite level – but is only noticed on close inspection.

Iain says: Lovely Image. I love the look on the face of the Dog, with the child in the background, and above all else, a great sky. I also like the way the photographer has taken the image from low down, giving it a great composition. Another that should do well.

 

Mark says: I’m afraid this shot does nothing for me, the sky is just bland and there is nothing of interest in the foreground.

Iain says : Sorry, not keen on this, the sky is too bleached out, and no focal point in the image, apart from the post.

 

Mark says: Nice shot of the robin. Slightly blown out on the left hand side (As you look) The leaves are a little distracting and over saturated. Nice highlight in the eye.

Iain says: Nice shot of the Robin, but the leaves in the background interfere with the image too much.

 

Mark says: Nice enough shot of the Damselfly. The leaves are a bit distracting and as a result tend to be overpowering. A tighter crop may help.

Iain says: There is too much of the background of the image for me, the subject matter is almost lost, also on the left, there is a strange blur which detracts from the image. The colours of the Damsel Fly are good though. Would be good seen again when cropped tightly around the Damselfly, to get rid of the background overpowering the image.

 

Mark says: Super shot of the house, well composed with the sky retaining excellent detail and interest.

Iain says: Lovely Image great use of DOF and the golden rule. Colours seem spot on. Also, the photographer has caught a great sky. Again this should do well.

 

Mark says: I’m not sure what the shot is about, it has no clear focal point. The grasses in the foreground are a little too high in the frame.

Iain says: I like the composition, but I would have liked a bit more detail in the sky, as it seems a little bleached to me. Also the horizon is a bit off. Maybe a revisit to the site on another early evening would transform the photo. On the whole, a good effort.

 

Mark says:  If I remember correctly this is up by Liverpool – one of the few areas with plenty of Red Squirrels.
I looks like a bit of flash was used – possibly off camera to the right – but only because the mushroom looks a little odd. I would have preferred the animal a little lower in the frame – the tail is cramped and there is plenty of space bottom right.

Iain says: Good capture of the Squirrel, but there is too much foreground. Could to with cropping the Grass in the foreground to stop it being distracting.

 

Mark says:  My first entry. The people in the background were over powering in the colour version – and as the dress was grey the only thing that was in colour was her face. Not totally happy with it.

Iain says: Interesting effect with the mask. Nicely centered. However, the public in the background distract a bit. Good effort though.

 

Mark says: I liked this shot when I first saw it – and time hasn’t diminished it. It’s a shame the wire fencing can be seen running straight through the face. Good effort though and well seen.

Iain says: Love the blurred background. As the presentation of the framing. However the helmet seems a little blurred. Was this taken with a long zoom?

 

Mark says: Well taken shot of the Bee doing what it does best. Lacks a little sparkle from what appears to be a fairly dull day. Better lighting would help.

Iain says: Great colours of the cornflower, great composition, love the use of DOF. Well taken. Should do well. I like it.

 

Mark says:  Well composed shot, with plenty of space for the bird to more into. Can’t be sure, but appears to have been shot through some branches?

Iain says: The camera appears to have focused on the background, rather than the Heron, as it does not seem to be sharp.? Try and focus on the eye. Apart from this, the composition is good.

 

Mark says: Hope this wasn’t taken this year in the UK! Interesting shot which is well composed using the rule of thirds to good effect.

Iain says: Nice shot. If is very difficult to get the white balance right with snow, but the photographer has managed it. Very simple and effective, well done.

 

Mark says: The conversion needs to have a bit more “grit” for me. It’s a little ordinary. The chairs on the bottom left are distracting too. They should have been moved to help de-clutter the foreground.

Iain says: A bit bland, I bit too much going on to be interesting. I like to B+W though, but for me, a bit of a none entity.

 

Mark says: Pleasant colours and the boat is nicely positioned. Little dark at the top left.

Iain says: Another one of mine. I was torn between which images to put in to the theme, and this one lost. This was took early morning, and to experiment, I put the camera in fluorescent WB. This changed the light into purples to give an interesting effect.

 

Mark says: Good to see the shot has been taken at the cats eyelevel. Eyes are looking a bit more active than the rest of it – like it will pounce in a moment!

Iain says: Nice image, great use of light. Very natural. Again, if the blurred part of the carpet could be cropped, just to stop it interfering. Could go well.

 

Mark says: The leaf in the top left should have been cloned out – it pulls my eye every time I look at it! A bit of fill would have lifted an otherwise slightly dark insect.

Iain says: Well taken, but that bit in the top left (is it a leaf?) interferes too much. Nice colours though.

 

Mark says: I can juggle with 1 ball! Shutter speed has been kept relatively long for this shot and I’m not sure if I would have preferred the ball to be frozen in space or as it is with some movement. Well captured though.

Iain says: Interesting composition, I like the way the photographer has managed to get the crystal ball mid air. But the background to the right distracts a little.
Colours are good and therefore could do well

 

Mark says: Backs of birds don’t do much for me, especially when they have no real interest to add. Sorry doesn’t do it for me.

Iain says : Amusing Picture, just a shame that the Pigeon is not the other way around.

 

Mark says: The tower in the background places this shot squarely in Blackpool. The title suggests the famous illuminations – I can’t say this shot makes me what to go and see them!

Iain says: Good composition, with the “golden rule” of the Tower being a 3rd in. But unfortunately the noise interferes too much for me.

 

Mark says: The problem with captive animals is seen clearly here. The view is from above and not from the animals eye level which I don’t find particularly interesting most of the time.

Iain says: A difficult subject matter to capture (I know I have tried). Lovely capture of the Meercat, great pose. Also a good use of DOF with the eyes being sharp. My only criticism would be if the colours were a bit richer, seems slightly bleached. Apart from that a great photo and should do well.

 

Mark says: A little tightly cropped on the left hand side on an otherwise pleasant image.

Iain says: Good composition and colours, Tree is a bit too tightly cropped on the left. Good effort though

 

Mark says: A nice macro shot of the snails head. Colours are excellent, particularly on the shell. I would like to see more!

Iain says: Great detail of an interesting subject matter, you can imagine it munching up your garden. It’s a little bit noisy though, but that should not distract from the image too much.

 

Mark says: Slightly too central and too dull for me. There is also a twig sticking out of his back!

Iain says: Another nice composition, but the image seems a bit blurred, which is a shame.
Also, the colours seem a little flat to me.

 

Rough Seas at North Berwick

Mark says:  I would have liked a little more rock at the front of the frame – that and the buildings to be upright. Shame the sun was hidden as it would have been much better with some quality lighting on the buildings.

Iain says: Horizon seems a bit off, Also would have liked to see more of the waves to the right.

 

Mark says: The photographer has purposefully positioned the sun behind the head of the statue to give it a glow. I would have liked the shot to have been taken slightly later and kept the left leg in view, rather than merging into the tower.

Iain says: I like the Halo effect, gives it an interesting silhouette. Could do with a crop to reduce the amount of black at the bottom. Other than that, well taken

 

Mark says: Another super shot of the Loch. Excellent reflection, with  the rocks in the foreground providing the focal point.

Iain says: This I do like. From the glass like Loch, to the mist in the background. The rocks in the foreground add depth without being over powering, giving an initial focal point without detracting from the image. This should do well.

 

Mark says: I’d like to see a bit more – looks too tightly cropped, particularly the bottom.

Iain says: Interesting subject matter, shame that the window cross members were not straight.
Also seems a little dark and flat. Good effort though, just remember to ensure that any straight lines are either vertical or horizontal in the image if they dominate.

 

Mark says: Lovely colour in  the sky. A little more detail in the foreground possibly?

Iain says: I like the idea, and the colours captured are great. But, it is a shame that the moon was not larger as it is lost in the image. I good effort though.

 

Mark says: Highly saturated shot of the stall. Not sure if I like the man in the frame or not. Good to see some thought has been put into the framing

Iain says: Nice colours, good composition, and an interesting watercolour effect. Personally I am not into these painting effects, but with this one, it makes it interesting. Shame about the Man in the image, personally I would have preferred it without people. Could do well.

 

Mark says: A bit of PS has been done to this one! Not my favourite, but has been well done.

Ian says: I like the Borders, but I am not sure about the oil painting effect of the Rose. I would have preferred the Rose as a photograph personally. A little too much post processing in Photoshop for me.

 

Mark says: My second. The sun has unfortunately caught on the wires of the cage, resulting in some flaring.

Iain says: Nice composition, well focused, but the flare puts me off. This is a shame – ensure your lens is clean and a hood is in place.

 

Mark says: I think I would have cropped the top of the frame down to the top of her head to improve the composition. B&W conversion is a little flat. Pretty subject though!

Iain says: Can’t say much about this, as its mine. Vicki asked me to take a number of photos for her portfolio, as she is a budding Opera singer. This was taken outside with the flash pointing upwards just to fill in a little.

 

Mark says: Nice fun shot of the dog. A little more space to the right would be better. Flash shadow is quite strong, but has balanced the exposure with the outside nicely.

Iain says: Lovely capture. Great subject matter. Very well taken. If I had one criticism, it would be just to crop the table on the right. Apart from that. Well done.