This is a low-light pic that gave me natural sepia tones. I realize it is not \\\"B/W\\\" but wondering if it still fits the criteria being a natural sepia?
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It is a shame that you have scored poorly on your first challenge. Please don't be discouraged - this can be a great learning opportunity.
I'll start with what I do like about this shot. I like the sense of movement and life - this is conveyed through the blurred arm, and the slightly off-centre angle of the shot. The shot has vigour.
The first big thing you can take away from it is that on this site you will be heavily penalised if the voters do not feel you met the challenge. This one point will account for many of the low votes you recieved. If you want to do well the best policy to to make sure that there is no scope for users to decide you haven't met the challenge.
Second - it is a pretty good rule of thumb to get your image correctly aligned. In this instance I like the angle, but other wouldn't have. The pool table looks tilted, and all the folks look like they are standing at an angle.
Third - voters like nice, crisp, sharp images. There are few exceptions to this, but most of the time they want the subject to be in focus. This is difficult to achive when shooting in a low-lit environment; especially if your camera doesn't allow for wider apertures and higher ISOs. I notice that you shot at the fastest aperture of your lens anyway so there is not much you could do about it. The environmen you chose for your challenge submsion is exteremly challenging.
Fourth - As above, image grain or noise is generally frowned upon. There are instances where is can add character, but most of the time it is best to avoid it. Noise reduction software (such as Neat Image or Noise Ninja) exists on the market - some versions are free.
Some tips to consider:
- always meet the challenge
- shoot in good lighting conditions
- down-load some noise reduction software. You can get a free version of Neat Image off the web.
- begin learning some post-processing techniques. I suggect rotate, levels and USM (UnSharp Mask).
I hope my comments help and Good Luck in future Challenges!
There is some noise due to the high ISO probably. Also, the hand is just a little blurred. I would prefer it if it was either sharp (probably difficult) or more blurred, in order for the motion effect to be more dramatic.
I believe the intention of the challenge was to take a b&w photo in color mode. This is why desaturation was discouraged. To make it more challenging. I don't think the challenge was to shoot a color photo with b&W in it. It may be a suttle difference in interpretation. This photo needs work on many levels. It may improve with sharper focus, better lighting...etc.
I'm assuming that the beverage of choice is being made with Black and White. The fact that I had to assume that means this image doesn't fit the the challenge very well.
I just didn't really like this photograph- it didn't really jump out at me as a compelling image when I compare it to others in this challenge. Kind of dark and blurry. However, it is nicely framed and the tilt helps the composition- makes for an interesting shape with the lights in the upper left.
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