We just posted the video for the March Plus Photo Critiques, which you can view by clicking on the thumbnail above. As always, we try to pull a cross section of submitted photos, both to showcase great work and to provide some constructive criticism on photos that are close, but could use some help.

Based on some feedback last month, we decided to critique more photos in March than we normally do. To keep the video from getting too long, you might find that we were a bit quick in our assessment on some photos. Hudson and I will also do our best to comment on a few more images in the gallery over the next week. Please note that we can’t critique every image submitted; we try to balance critiques from month to month, so that we’re not leaving folks out. It’s our belief that the critiques aren’t just about us critiquing your photos, they’re a great way for us all to see what makes up a good photo, and what small things we can do to improve our own photos.

Please let us know in the comments below if this month’s format is too long or just right, or if you have any other thoughts or suggestions about the critiques. 

What follows is a few of our favorite photos from this month’s submissions.

Angor Wat at Dawn, by Ales Svetek

Ales’s sunrise reflection, taken at the site of this famous temple, is one of the most beautiful silhouettes we’ve seen in a while. The colors are superb, and not overdone, with lovely gradients in both the sky and the pond reflection. Great work, Ales!

Maréchal-ferrant (Farrier), by Gilbert Sauve

This shot of a farrier, taken at moment the shoe is attached to the hoof, is a stunner. Nearly everything here works to the photo’s advantage, notably the subtle processing – which accentuates the moment – and the tightly framed composition. It’s remarkable that, even without the farrier’s face in the frame, you still have a well-crafted portrait of a man at work. 

Venetian Carnival in Hamburg, by Harald Koch

Harald captured a great personal moment as well, with the mysterious, masked woman gazing into the camera’s eye. Hudson and I would do some local adjustment work to accentuate the main figure a bit more, and to reduce the distracting colors and contrast of the folks in the background, but this is a nice shot overall.

Iceberg Arch, by Richard Patti

Richard submitted a few photos from a trip to Antarctica, and this is the one we thought worked best. The sharpness, color, composition, and processing all work here in a wonderful way. The only thing we would do to improve this photo would be to level the horizon; having the subject angled down distracts from the overall power of the shot.

Morning side light on Pueo (Owl), by Terry Barber

Terry took advantage of the fantastic morning light, along with a little bit of serendipity in finding a magnificent owl posing for him. The result is a great shot, nicely composed, and processed with a light touch.

Colorful Mirrored Sunset, by Benjamin Salmon

Hudson and I will tell workshop students that they should always think about staying in place long after the sun disappears below the horizon. That’s when a lot of the magic can happen, even without a fantastic sky. Benjamin took advantage of a lackluster sunset by sticking around long enough to capture this calm, moody beach scene. To help accentuate the pink hues and the bush, we would tighten the frame a bit, cropping in slightly from the bottom and the left side, and maybe back off a slight bit on the blues. These are small points, however; it’s a beautiful photo, Benjamin.

Wrapping up, and April theme

Thanks to everyone for submitting photos this month; we appreciate everyone taking the time to share their work. The April critiques will open on April 7. We thought that, with the state of things in the world today, and with so many of us under quarantine or lockdown, that it might be good to have a theme for April’s submissions. So, as you think about shooting work (or editing old work, if shooting is difficult), look to create something that says a bit about your environment right now. It can be about solitude or isolation, or sadness. Anything, really, that tells a bit about what your world is like at the moment.