On HDR Insider I conduct anonymous photo critiques. Throughout the month members of HDR Insider send me photos to critique during the video. I discuss what is working, what may be lacking, and what they could do to make the photo better and I do it right there in Photoshop.
It is not about beating up photos, I would never do that. I discuss the differences between Artistic Expression and Technical Quality. Sometimes Artistic Expression is lost due to the Technical Qualities of the photo and vice versa!
This last critique, Michael Cross of Archangel Photography, sent an awesome photo (shown below) to be critiqued. It really is a great photograph, but after looking at it for a while I noticed it needed just a little something to push it over the edge. It already is a very successful photograph, but with a little bit of contrast it jumps off the page.
This tutorial walks you through my thought process on the photo.
If you want to see the whole critique of all the images, head on over to HDR Insider, the content is for members only, so be sure to sign up!