Thanks for the entries this week. We go a wide variety of images, though none of the true Valentine genre which I expected. Here it goes with the comments:
needfx: Neat instagram-ish image, the bright sun gives the image a warm and really down to earth kinda look. You can definitely see the connection between the two though I'm not convinced its romance per say.
Cheese&Apple: I've always got a soft spot for birds. Its neat to see a male female pair together, though not particularly romantic (they aren't facing each other or such). Your image is well captured with focus looking great on the birds, but I find the background a little distracting as the blur is not enough to eliminate the very busy texture of the tree behind.
twitch31: There is a neat vibe to this image, even if its not the kinda place I'd see myself in, the makeshift corner cafe with that couple is very neat. I like the black & white here because I feel the colour version would be WAYYYY to busy with colours of all that graffiti on the walls. I think there is good range of darks and lights here as well though my eye seems to get drawn either to the plates on the stool or the graffiti in the background rather than to the couple (maybe its because they are a little dark?)
DJ Racing: I kinda expected more photos of this type, simple hearts or flowers. Its a neat find but the image is maybe a bit too simple with the heart almost centred. Also I think you could have used a bit more depth of field because the top left portion of the heart seems to be blurred.
Wyro: I can't argue with this concept of romance. I too am definitely in love with my camera gear. The image itself though is too dark around the cameras and the blown-out parts around the light are really distracting.
jkramerbob: I love this idea, a couple enjoying a day out in nature. I like the general layout with my eyes being drawn from the left by the branch over to the patch of water then quickly finding the couple, I just wish they were in some more light. I personally might have cropped a bit of the left side of the image to get rid of that water and other branch.
Astroboy907: I'm think it was a good choice to post here. Very classic feeling of Valentine's with pink tulips. It also has me longing for spring as its been a brutal cold and white winter in Canada. I like that you got down close to the ground and that first tulip is nicely isolated with a good depth of field to see the rest of the flowers with some blur.
acearchie: This looks like the dark side of romance here. I like the use of the full range of blacks to whites and the contrast of the white and black tops. Its nice that the white top has the texture to stick out even against the white background. I'm not a huge fan of the rose covering the girls eye, but definitely love the pose of the girl in black.
Apple fanboy: I'd love to see more focus on the lovers on the bench. I feel like you were a bit too far from the action to really claim this photo to be of the lovers and not the landscape. In terms of the landscape, my eyes are annoyed by the fact it seems the landscape is tilted to the right. I would straighten up the image a bit because a crooked horizon can drive people nuts.
The Bad Guy: Very seductive. I like the position of the models in the frame and the pose is great, the guy looks a little too confident for his own good. The hard light has created some quite dramatic shadows but to me the total darkness on the top of her head is a bit awkward, I might not have made the light quite so narrow.
Indydenny: On quick look I didn't see how the couple in the middle fit in, but then I saw what was going on. Capturing a bit wider an image would have let models fit in better with the surroundings, or perhaps an image slightly more from the right of the frame. I understand this was a spur of the moment and not a set up shot, but seeing it in hindsight makes me see all these possibilities with the setup. Very cute though and a great snapshot memory I'm sure.
NeGRit0: This is a really neat image. The colours and the artwork on the heart really capture your eye, but the background has a lot going on too and I think that really adds to the image. Can't help but love the characters on the heart, they are very cute.
imac wannabe: I'm going to have to quote my dad on this one "I just can't get excited about old planes, they are uncomfortable and less safe than modern ones". That said I know a lot of people love them and being up in the sky is one of the coolest feelings around. I like the capture, very symmetric and the light reflecting off the prop is cool, like lightning hitting the plane. B&W adds to the image because it fits with the vintage plane, just wish the sky would give you some better definition, but unfortunately we can't control the weather.
Well done everyone... I'm rating the images as follows:
3rd: Astroboy907
2nd: NeGRit0
1st: The Bad Guy
Looking forward to next weeks contest.
