Folks have really been stepping up in the critiques lately. We’re seeing a bunch of new faces, and some regulars whose work is showing great leaps forward in creativity, composition, and post-production work. 

For this month’s video, Hudson and I chose more than 20 images to talk about, and, as always, we think it’s worthwhile thing to spend a little but of time watching, whether your photo was chosen or not.
Here are a few of our favorites from the month:
Wrapped in White, by Nicolas

On my first pass through September’s submissions, Nicolas’ photo jumped out at me as a beautiful and finished work, and Hudson had a similar experience. This photo works on so many levels, and its compositional brilliance is hard to beat.
Start with the white curves of the the building, which flow so marvelously and fold your eye into the frame. The lights in the building help keep you in the frame, and add warmth to the whole image. The person in the distance adds an anchor, leading you forward along the surface of the walkway. And the walkway has its own great lines, acting as a counterpoint to the white lines of the building. The shadows are beautiful and rich, with enough detail to catch your eye, but not enough to distract.
All in all, this is as close to perfect as it comes. Lovely job, Nicolas!
I’m Coming, by Shari Whittaker

For the second month in a row, we saw another great eagle shot (after Don Swingley’s A Little Grumpy, from last month). Shari said that this eagle was heading toward her bedroom window, and she was clearly ready for it. The end result is a magnificent portrait of a bird of prey in flight.
Compositionally, Shari’s photo is spot-on, and sharp where it needs to be. Sure, the back wing on the left is a bit wobbly, but it doesn’t matter, given the sharpness of the bird’s head and talons. This is also an image where both Hudson and I were ok with the textured background; it acts as a nice backdrop, and doesn’t really get in the way. I might back off on its opacity a bit, but that’s a small point. Print this one, Shari, and put it on the wall.
In the Mirror, by Patosan

Our old friend Patrick regularly submits amazing images of Japan. This one is unusual, compelling and beautiful, all at the same time. Instead of going for the obvious shot, from the front (or the side), Patrick puts all of his focus—literally—on the mirror. The girl, an apprentice geisha, is shot with perfect sharpness, leaving everything else perfectly out of focus. We loved the softness of the subject’s head and delicate lines of her neck, which add gravitas and a connection to the face in the mirror. The color is gorgeous and sumptuous, and complements the red lipstick. The result is an unconventional, but still classic, beauty shot.
When I saw this photo, I was immediately reminded of Elliott Erwitt’s great California Kiss, another—and very different—shot that uses the ‘face in the mirror’ technique to wonderful advantage. Patrick’s photo is right up there.
Just a Bumble Bee, by Ronald Powell

Hunting for butterflies, Ronald “came across this feeding bee on a clover,” and he ended up with a gorgeous shot. The bee and flower are perfectly rendered, the color is wonderful, and, as was the case with Shari’s shot, Hudson and I were ok with the textured background. We’d do a little bit of cloning in the corners, to remove some of the distracting lines, but it is a wonderful image.
New Puppy, by Romie Miller

There weren’t a lot of portraits submitted this month, but Romie’s shot was a great one. Hoping to capturing a moment between a friend and a new puppy, Romie grabbed camera and flash and squeezed off three shots before it all disappeared. This is a good example of paying attention to the edges of the frame in the viewfinder: Romie filled the frame, but paid attention to the little things, as evidenced by the fact that he kept the woman’s hand completely intact. And, notice how the lines of the woman and the dog intertwine so beautifully through the frame.
During My Afternoon walk…Wondrous Sicilian Window, by Santa Fabio

We are strong advocates for walking around with a camera; it is a great way to practice seeing, even if you don’t necessarily take a ton of shots. Santa’s photo is a great example of this. As she said in her description:

My family comes from a small Sicilian village in the northeast part of the island. Every day I take a walk and photograph something I’ve never shot before. Mostly I take photographs of the people, but this time it was a still life.

There is so much to love about this photo, from the off-centered composition, which showcases the exposed bricks on the left, to the floral centerpiece on the sill. We would definitely clone some (or all) of the power lines at the top, and I’d brighten it a bit, but we loved the shot. Keep walking, Santa!
Fallen Petals, by Kathryn McBride

Our final selection of the month is another delightful happenstance that resulted in an abstract beauty:

I stumbled upon this scene on a Chicago sidewalk. It was a dreary spring afternoon and I noticed these soft, pink petals set against an ominous sky and a foreboding tree. It was a beautiful moment.

This is a soft, delightful photo that you can just get lost in. The color is beautiful, and the way that it helps weave your way from left to right is great. I love the branches on the right side of the frame, and the way that their softness contrasts with the sharpness of the petals and the grass. It’s a beautiful shot, Kathryn, and way to go in looking down on a dreary day!

Getting ready for October

Hudson and I are off on a workshop-scouting trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons, and then on to a workshop in Moab. We’ll be back in early October, ready for the release of ON1 Photo RAW 2020, and to get a look at all the wonderful shots you guys will have added for the monthly critiques.
Submissions start early, on October 1st, so start going through your recent shots! If you haven’t submitted anything before, please think about it. We try to include a wide range of images, all in the hope of helping everyone get a sense of what makes a good photo, and where we all could use a little bit of help, compositionally or otherwise.
For more information, check out the the critiques upload page; it includes information on the critiques, and, for the week the critiques are live, it is where you’ll upload your photos.