This was a spur of the moment picture taken while in DC this past weekend. I am a bit unsure how well it fits this category but figured it was worth the submission.
Statistics
Place: 249 out of 284 Avg (all users): 4.4131 Avg (commenters): 4.0000 Avg (participants): 4.3649 Avg (non-participants): 4.4388 Views since voting: 758 Views during voting: 266 Votes: 213 Comments: 7 Favorites: 0
Initial thoughts: Wow, I think you've gotten some pretty helpful comments already and your photo definitely meets the challenge
Visual appeal: You can at least tell what the subject is. For DPChallenge, the best scoring photos are very colorful, emotional and/or extremely technically skilled
Subject & background: sky and clouds and monument seem flat, meaning there aren't any dramatic shadows or colors to give more interest
Angle, framing & composition: Rule of thirds: there are imaginary lines that divide your photo into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and usually it is best to place the subject in your photo on one of the intersections of these imaginary lines, and with that being said, I think the only other thing you might of done with this pic would have been to shoot the monument from right underneathe; however that would have required a very wide angle lens
Focus, clarity & DOF: There doesn't really seem to be a specific point of focus and the monument could use some sharpening, though the photo is not blurry which is a plus
Lighting & exposure: You've done a good job not overexposing the sky or monument while not underexposing the trees. What you might have tried with this shot would have been to wait for a colorful sunset or sunrise to really bring this out
Post processing: I think that you could boost the contrast and saturation levels to try and bring out the clouds and the monument from the rest of the picture
Overall, my opinion: I think this is a pretty good start to DPC, welcome and good luck in future challenges
If you have any questions regarding this critique, feel free to PM me
Having an object that is always stationary as the main subject for a stationary challenge will not make it a strong entry for many voters. This image suffers from very flat lighting. A little bit of work with levels, curves, and saturation would go a long way. I would have also have like to have seen a little different prospective when you took this, as having the monument dead center makes the image look very average. Move to the left and get a little lower to the ground. Stretch your imagination and see what you can come up with.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
