Round 4 Theme: Dark and Stormy
Winner: Iris and Team Ty
Critiques
Eldaena:
Katarh Mest – Ahoy! I really liked this idea a lot. Your lighting and posing was great. A few things I would have liked to see different: Pretty much a screenshot taken from the opposite direction. I don’t think the back shot is helping you more than a front shot would have, and I would have rather seen the icy spikes rather than the crabs on the shore. Other than that, keep up the good work!
Kimberlynne Highwind – This picture is kind of cute. To me it looks like your hands are catching the rain drops and I enjoy seeing the reflective lighting on the water. I like your housing/waterfall background a lot as well. You look sort of surprised that it suddenly started down pouring, but honestly, you should probably take shelter! =p Nice work, see you next week!
Caimura Rathe – I like that you are trying something different with this screenshot. The rain and decorations hanging from your shelter are a nice touch. I’m trying to warm up to back shots more, but I just can’t help feeling closed off from the characters when I only see their backs. Concept is cool, not as outstanding as some of your other works. I’m looking forward to seeing more from you. =)
Lior Xanthos – I’ll start out by saying this is a really cool angle, and I’m liking it a lot. You captured the lightning too which is always difficult, I’ve tried! lol The only thing that bothers me at all, and this is only if I focus on this, is it kind of looks like you’re standing in a tree or a bush, but like on the side of it? I’m not sure how to describe it, but it looks rather amusing lol Cool shot, so keep it up!
Sangriah Valere – Your pose makes me think of like a Gothic opera singer or something! lol Beyond that, I didn’t really know where the rain really played in as much. I like the Gothic-esque look and feel, but I have to wonder why she wouldn’t just go back in the house? lol Lighting is pretty good, but it seems a bit warm against the cooler light from the stained glass window. I’m sure you meant to have the Ahriman in your background as well, but overall, I found them a bit distracting. I think mainly I liked the dark silhouette of the foliage in your background to be more charming than everything that’s going on to your left hand side. But I get where you were coming from, so good job!
Poppy Milkweed – Trying to find your concept here, other than a misguided ninja standing in the rain! lol I feel like the branches at the top and the rock to the front right are encroaching too much into your territory. Also, the background to me looks a bit too messy to compliment your pose. I can see the rain well and I liked the lighting weapons in this, but overall I feel like I lose you in all the craziness going on around you. Looking forward to seeing what’s next, good luck!
Masha:
Caimura Rathe of Balmung
A back shot! And it pays off! The scene is communicated at a glance and the cave’s natural framing is amazingly fitting to create a kind of intimate atmosphere. In this case being a lalafell works very well, because it brings out this “tiny person vs nature is helpless” feeling better than any other race could! I worry though that you might get lost in the picture. You are sitting in front of a rather dark scene, so lighter clothes and maybe even hair (or maybe a hood?) would help counter the blending in problem.
Katarh Mest of Lamia
Backshots are always a risk, but in my opinion it pays off here. A wonderfully lit, badass pose. There is an argument to be made for random poses without context being a bit of a pet peeve of mine but in this case I don’t care much. Great glamour as well, I love that top! I’m a bit torn over the choice of spear here, because to me it clashes a bit with the glamour, but matches with the scenery well. You chose a very interesting background here and the rock structures serve you well with filling the frame and keeping it interesting.
Kimberlynne Highwind of Malboro
A very nice picture, with a cute pose. Sadly, I felt compared to a lot of the other entries it felt a bit standard, as in not daring/innovative or engaging enough. It’s a safe picture, but often enough in a competition it pays off to try something dynamic and/or maybe a little odd to put yourself in scene. Experiment with angles, both in your poses and from your camera. Work with your background, a lot of the scenery is oddly cut off here, and a standard centered camera often feels simplistic unless you’re doing something very interesting and/or the background almost demands it for composition reasons.
Lior Xanthos of Gilgamesh
That pony! Wonderfully chosen and excellent timing with the lightning in the background. Great play with angles and depth as well with the plants in the foreground. A great picture, but in a reoccurring problem I see with you, I am worried that you blend in too much with your background. In black clothes, on the dark back of the horse, with a dark sky behind your, plus fairly zoomed out, you are almost an afterthought as I observe the glorious shiny mane of the pony. Either you must put yourself well in scene so you outshine your surroundings in a dark night, or you must choose to forgo the black clothes and opt for something brighter, so you set yourself apart. Otherwise you really run the danger of being a bit forgotten.
Poppy Milkweed of Cactuar
I was a bit unhappy with this picture because along with a few others that just seemed a bit too light in the sky for me to think of it as a “dark and stormy night”. The location is well chosen, I imagine the crystals would serve as good indirect light sources in the night sky (if there was one >.<) and I really like how you utilized the tree and rock as framing devices. I am a bit worried about your glamour. If it were night, you would very much blend in, so an indirect light source like the sun minion would have been a must. Conversely I worry about your daggers being a bit too flashy and taking attention away from you, although I agree that thematically they would certainly match well.
Sangriah Valere of Excalibur
Wonderfully nice and atmospheric, with great lighting to put you into scene. You put a great bit attention to detail into this and it definitely pays off! The only downside I can see here is your facial expression, which takes a lot away from the overall effect. It’s way too friendly and welcoming in a setting where something taunting and sinister would work much better. Remember that you can overwrite the expressions of emotes with the facial expressions to give emotes a whole new level of possibility!
Flare:
Bastien Felicieux: So this is a beautiful shot! I’m loving the camera angle; your pose brings a more lighthearted approach to a more seemingly serious theme. The colors in this picture are what down it for me. Everything just comes together smoothly.
Gangly Zilla: Ma’am, don’t look now, but the rain is about to ruin your wonderful night at the beach. This is another one that gave a lighthearted feel to this round. The natural lighting helps this shot out a lot, and I’m glad you chose not to use the sun minion for this.
Iris Dawnshade; Don’t mess with Iris this week! Simply beautiful! One of my favorites this week. Everything flows together really nicely. One of the best backgrounds this week by far.
Jester Ehrenfeld: This is a good picture. I think it might suffer a bit from being so far away from your person and expression but I think I know what you were trying to go for in this shot. Nice background and use of the minion.
Mackayla Lane: Another one of my favorites this week. Wonderful use of the crystals in the dark background. Your person almost gives me a creepy vibe but works wonderfully in this shot.
Nadede Lasalle: This shot almost gives me a “Sailor lost at sea” vibe and I love it. It looks like your all by yourself in the middle of the ocean becoming scared and paranoid of what’s to come next. Whatever you do, please don’t jump!
Shayera Tano: This is really cute. Makes me feel like you and your red panda survived a horrible storm and the next morning, you were greeted by a rainbow. Nice work all together.
Marik:
Bastien Felicieux of Balmung:
Hmm… turned around I see… risky… I love it! For this particular shot, it works and works amazing! This shot is so well done, I’m so in love with everything going on here! With the background, and the lightning strike! OMG SO BEAUTIFUL! My one gripe would be that I’m not sure how well the glamour works here; I mean I get a vibe of dancing in the rain maybe? It’s a small nitpick, but it still works for the most part. Again just amazing job this week, love, love, LOVE your rain stormy dance realness!
Gangly Zilla of Cactuar:
What a different and odd take on this particular theme… gorgeous!!! I really love the thinking outside the box this season, you models are on FIRE! (Or for this theme, would be on water?) Anywhoozles, I just love this shot so much and easily has to be one of my favorites this round! Everything is on point, from glamour, to lighting and background and positions! I LOVE that feel of just giving caution to the wind on a stormy night and saying “I’m a rebel! BEACH PARTY!” just 10’s all around, love it! Keep up the beautiful work Gangly!
Iris Dawnshade of Hyperion:
AAAAA-mazing! This has to be one of the most beautiful and well executed shots this round! I am in absolute love with this! Your background, lighting, NPCs in back, and just… it’s all so cohesive and works so well! Glamour is super on point and works so amazingly for your particular shot! Angle and structure is really nice as well. Definitely a very well rounded and just well executed shot! /clap Good Job!
Jester Ehrenfeld of Balmung:
Such a playful shot with this theme, I really like the outside the norm themes going on here! I love how you’re having a lil’ parade marching through the Hinterlands in not so pleasant weather! Concept, lighting, and glamour is on point as well as I love the minion action too! My one gripe on this shot though is I’m not sure the centered shot or the angle really works all too well with this, the column just right beside you just seem out of place almost. It’s all a beautiful shot, but from the current angle and perspective I feel it just isn’t cohesive enough. Other than that though, this is another amazing stormy night shot! Love it!!
Mackayla Lane of Balmung:
Ooo such a lovely, dark, and mysterious shot! I’m so intrigued by what’s going on, I’m already sucked in like a great book! The glamour, angle, background and you are all on point and brilliantly so! I love the atmosphere going on as well, the lighting is a bit skewed, but for the atmosphere of this shot, it works. Really just an amazing job, I love it!
Nadede Lasalle of Hyperion:
Arrrgh me matey! Pirate couture going on here! This is just such a superb shot! I love the idea and the execution going on here! The weather, the background, your pose and angle just all work here! The glamour is so on point; I think there is some buried treasure nearby… (OH NO PUNS!, I’ll stop lol) Just such an amazing job this week from you! The one thing that caught me off guard was your pose, but there are just a bazillion things going on in my head wondering what is going on, I love the guessing game and it works! You sell everything here and I wanna come aboard and sail away with ya for that treasure! Great job!
Shayera Tano of Faerie:
So pretty, and so cute! I love your glamours and your lil’ friend there, it’s working quite well for you. I love that you got the rainbow behind you and I definitely see where you were going, but I’m not entirely sure it all comes together. I feel you’re a bit zoomed in, cutting yourself off and making the shot much smaller than it should be. I love what I can see of your glamours, but cutting yourself off can really cut off a perspective. I do love the atmosphere and feel of it, but I’m not entirely sure it reads “One dark and stormy night”. Just make sure you’re really getting the theme out there. But regardless it’s still a very pretty shot and I love you and your Elezen fierce-ness!