i really like the concept of this shot overall. the fire and water are both very zen, and it was a good idea to try to incorporate them both.
the colors are great, and the ripples were captured well. i think the biggest downfall of this shot is that the candle it out of focus. focus is the most important thing i look for in a shot -- no focus = bad score, no matter how cool the image "could" be. in the future, you could try to affix the candle in place with a toothpick or something to keep it in place while the water moves.
a little bit more diffuse light on the lighting of the scene would help soften everything more as well, and make it more "zen" like.
overall a good idea. with a bit more elbow grease it could be a wonderful composition.
This is a great idea that ran into some technical issues. The ripples are a very nice touch (and I like the title, btw) and the floating candle adds another area of interest. Unfortunately, the harsh lighting from above and the lack of good focus detracts a great deal from this nice composition. I don't know if a softer light from a side angle would've worked better but I'm envisioning the ripples with even deeper shadows, accentuating their form and the candle being softly lit thus allowing its own soft light to add another dynamic. A very sharp focus on the entire image (originally not added by sharpening) would really help a lot. Alternately, just cropping out the candle itself - as it brings a good deal of attention to the softer focus - might be an option as well. Adjusting the screen to do this made the ripples look almost intentionally softened and still retained the zen-like feel. I don't know if a smoothing program was used or not or if that's simply uploading issues but there is also some distortion that distracts in the ripple area. Technical issues aside I do like the idea. I gave a 4 overall.
nice idea and the ripples are nice, but the lighting looks a little harsh and the candle is quite blurry...perhaps focus on the candle and use available light with a tripod...
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