To have your photo featured in Visual Photo Critique, leave a link to one of your photos in the comments.
Photo Critique #1
(Photo by Rich Grundy)
Firstly, right on with that crop and angle Rich! I wouldn’t change the composition at all. What I would change is the exposure on that cool tower in the background. You’ve done a wonderful job leading viewers’ eyes to it, and I recommend blending in a darker exposure in Photoshop if you have one. On a picky note, it looks like you have a bit of magenta in the stone work around the gate. Try using either a Selective Color or Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to isolate and eliminate that. Finally, the overall mid-tone contrast could use a boost. In my opinion that would remove any current dullness and really enhance the visual punch of this photo.
Photo Critique #2
(Photo by Rich Grundy)
Another really compelling image from Rich Grundy. My favorite aspect of this shot is the cohesive color scheme. Rich was really paying attention to what colors he was letting into his composition when he took this and the result was a photo that feels well put together. Another positive element contributing to the draw of the photo is the perfect symmetry. Although I love how grand the curved wall of pillars is in the background, the foreground facade is leaning backwards due to the wide-angle lens. I recommend selecting only the foreground and correct the perspective of only it using a simple Free Transform (easily done because of the straight roof-line separating it from the rest of the image.) As with the previous image, the contrast is good, but could be better in the mid-tones especially in the pillars and nearby windows. Lastly, there an unsightly dark spot on the pole in the middle of the shot. It would be worth 5-10min to clone this out in Photoshop. Overall, another great portfolio piece Rich! Thanks for submitting!
Photo Critique #3
(Photo by Tony Escobales)
Let’s begin with what is going right in this shot. I think the conversion to black and white was done very well. The darks are dark, detail and contrast are still intact, so I count the conversion as a success. Also, the subject is clear and in sharp focus. There’s a few small issues to addressed in the mark-up below (like the stop sign growing out of that lady’s spine, talk about a pain in the neck 
chuckle chuckle) However, the overarching issue for me as a viewer is that I’m not sure why this picture was taken. The people aren’t doing anything remarkable nor is the location noteworthy. Perhaps these two have an interesting back story full of mystery and intrigue that I don’t know about, but if so, that isn’t being communicated here. To me, it looks like two co-workers getting back from lunch.
Those are some great shots and some good criticisms. I find that looking back on the photos I have taken can give real insights as to what can be done better the next time.
Really constructive advice here Andrew, always love reading these!
Another great critique post Andrew. I do enjoy them and they are very helpful in having someone with a good eye and processing skills review them.
These are always fun to see on your blog
Always a good learning…
Glad it was helpful Siddhartha Joshi! Feel free to submit a photo for next time. I’d be glad to give you feedback
Nice mark up. I was wondering what that thing on the right was in the first shot too. Now I really want to know!
Same here! At first glance I thought it was a sweatshirt of something. Now, I’ve finally decided that it’s likely just a big pile of melting chocolate ice cream.
Hey,
The thing on the right hand side is the end of a gate, which although I’ve never seen used I assume is to block the traffic when they raise the bridge to let a boat through.
If you look on the other side of the road you can see the other part of the gate
Ah ha! That explains it. Personally, I liked my chocolate ice cream theory better though. Thanks for filling us in!
https://picasaweb.google.com/102306834525447874694/20091006RoadTripDay11#5676432087833190338
Awesome! Thanks for the submission. I look forward to including it in next week’s critique.
Great critique, thank you. I appreciate your insights and effort and accept all of the technical and compositional points.
To answer a specific question you raised, the photo was taken (or more to the point posted) because the synchronized rhythm of the mundane workers returning from lunch struck me as interesting—I was only lucky that one of the shots caught their limbs in a parallel gait.
That photo was taken in the first few days of me having gotten my camera. My weaknesses continue to evolve along with my familiarity with the camera, and I welcome you to turn your mind on any of my publicly posted shots which catch your fancy.
Ah! I see it now. Photographing interesting elements in mundane subjects is a cool idea that I’ve never explored. Thanks for the follow-up explanation Tony.