Round 6 Theme: Underwater
Round and Cycle 8 Winner: Zetsumei Tsunarashi
Critiques
Nadede:
Zetsumei Tsunarashi: Zetsumei, what a lovely shot from you this week. I love the softness that your shot appears to have to it. The tilt that you have going on works very well with your image and lets you appear as if you are treading the calm waters. I also appreciate that you picked an area in the sea that has complimentary colors so that the foreground pops out from the background. I do wonder the choice of color for your swimsuit as it looks like you are wearing nothing if taking a quick glance. I am also not too sure about wearing red shoes as you are not wearing that same color red anywhere else in your glamour. Perhaps maybe no shoes would have worked a bit better? Overall good job this week 🙂 . I will say that you have not disappointed me one bit this cycle, especially your shot of the red mages in a duel! Splendid job.
M’telihgo Feilyon: M’telihgo this is a very pretty scenic shot from you. I love how the rays from the sun above come through the water. I do like the fact that you are taking a risk by taking a more scenic shot compared to the other models. However, I wish that you could have zoomed in a bit more as the buoys on the left side of the image is a bit of an eye sore with its brighter colors unlike the rest of your shot where the colors are softer. Just keep in mind what all is in your image as you can accidently have something in it that can detract from the overall shot. Over the course of the competition, for the most part, have liked what you had come up with week after week. My favorite shot from you would have to be your Kugane shot and how you had used the echo filter for that more vintage type feel. Good job overall ?
Gangly Zilla: What a cool shot you have there this week Gangly! I like that you went for something unique and, by the looks of it, no one else considered. The glamour that you used is very nice. Not sure you really needed the flower in the hair though. I do like the diagonals that you and those that you are protecting are presenting. It helps with giving a sense of motion and that you are indeed swimming with the fishes. You were another that did not disappoint me much this cycle. What I thought was an awesome shot from you was your Kugane shot, dressed in your assassin robes against a beautiful backdrop. What a lovely showing you had this cycle 🙂
Nicol Grunenberg: You make a very pretty water nymph Nicol. I like the effect that you have going on in your shot this week. It reminds me of brush strokes artists use in oil paintings. Your glamour and hairstyle would be something I’d imagine a water nymph wearing/having. I appreciate that you played around with the color in the lighting. I believe that if you had the lighting a bit lighter or an additional light source to help make you pop out a bit more, and not blend in, would have made for possibly a stronger image. This cycle, you started out as one of the models with weak shots but you have grown throughout with listening to critiques and any advice you might have received outside of those critiques. It shows as your images have gotten stronger the last few weeks. My favorite shot from you this cycle has to be the new zone shot as you managed to showcase part of an area in a new zone nicely while saluting it with your sword. Good job!
PS… I caught the Star Trek reference ;D Guess I did learn something from my teenager lol
Samuru Lantis: Samuru, if a merman is rumored to bring good luck, can you send some my way in my efforts to not keep dying all the time or getting lost everywhere I go as a dragoon??? This is a very nice shot from you this week and a good use with the colored marker filter. I love how the rays from the sun above comes through the surface of the water and onto the underwater city in the background. I also like the use of the bubbles in the image as it helps make it appear as if you just let out a breath of air. The tilt in the image also helps with implying that you are indeed swimming. The only thing that is off for me is that your back half looks like it was cut off at the thighs with the glamour that you used but I do get that it tries to give the feel that you are a merman. Throughout the competition, you are another that looked to have taken critiques into consideration and it is paying off. My favorite image from you has to be your Alucard cosplay. I loved it and you seemed to have brought that character you were portraying to life. Good showing all around this cycle 🙂
Linmei Quan: Linmei, that has to be one of your stronger images for me throughout this entire cycle. I’m also happy to see that you had stepped out of your comfort zone and went without your blue makeup, blue tattoo and the messy hairdo that you are normally known for. I like how you went with a color that compliments the background nicely. I also like how the light blue in the background is going in the same direction as you are swimming, which helps brings the viewers eyes back to you. I do wish that you had a bit more light coming from underneath to help you pop out just a smidge more. I also wish we could see a bit more of your feet too. Throughout the cycle, I so wanted you to step out of your comfort zone and not played it safe with what I normally see of screenshots from you. You finally did that last week and this week. My favorite image from you this cycle has to be your Vi cosplay. The glamour for that was spot on and monk victory pose worked in your favor to bring that character to life. Not too bad of a job overall and I do hope that you take what you have learned this cycle and bring them into your screenshots to make them even more amazing.
Destiney Delvanguard: I have to say, that this is a really cool looking shot. Reminds me those repealing shots you see in movies of the hero running down a building face first. I appreciate that you went with a different type of glamour instead of the swimwear that majority of the other models had used. I like that you had used the lighter limb darkening to help bring focus in on you a bit more. That said, I do wish that there was more of a way to tell that you were indeed underwater minus how you are positioned in the image. Exactly how that would be accomplished, I do not know, as the location you picked is pretty far underwater. You were another model that started out with some weak images, but over time, it appears that you also have taken critiques into consideration. My favorite image you have done so far has to be this week’s image. For most part, it is simple and it does feel as if you are repealing down to a much deeper part of some ruins. Keep up the good work and like Linmea, I hope that there were things you learned throughout this cycle to better improve on your own personal screenshots 🙂 .
Leviathan Seagreen: This is a gorgeous shot you have here Leviathan. It is a pretty simple shot, and I don’t mind that one bit. I like that in the upper right-hand corner that you have the sunlight from above breaking through the water and that your left hand is wearing a dark glove. If you hadn’t done that with your hand, then your arm would have blended right in with the sunlight. The watercolor effect helps give your image a soft look. I do wonder if another light from right behind you (doesn’t have to be very bright) would have help bring you out a bit more from the background. There is some rim light you have going on around your head but never hurts to see if more light on a low setting would help you out a bit more. You have been one of my favorites this cycle. My favorite shot from you was from week one where you had Leviathan out with you (and not because I’m a fellow dragoon lol). The lighting in it was what I loved about it and how vibrant it was along with it giving a stark contrast to the background. Good showing from you this cycle! 😀
Rongi:
Zetsumei: Finishing off the Cycle with an amazing shot, huh? The colors here are beautiful. Your placement of the coral and you are perfect. The background is perfect. You found the prettiest spot in the ocean. I also really enjoy the color of your bikini because it matches your scales, so it looks like you are some kind of Aquarian creature covered in scales instead of a bikini! As a whole I think you have one of the strongest portfolios of the Cycle, and I wish you luck! Can’t wait to see what you place! Congratulations!!!
M’telihgo: You’ve improved so much over these past few rounds and I am so happy to see it. I hope you consider auditioning and competing again next cycle now that you’ve got some screen shot experience. You have so much potential. You listen to critiques and you actively seek out tips from senior members. This week is by no means a weak picture, but I wish you hadn’t zoomed out so so much. I would have zoomed in enough to cut off the left wing and tail of your mount, which would have placed you in the bottom left of the screen and the rest of the image would have been your gorgeous ocean view. I can’t wait to see how you place this cycle! Good luck!!
Gangly: This shot must have taken FOREVER. I was randomly swimming with the fishes and tried taking a shot or two but could never catch them. This is stunning. It’s an interesting angle and even though it’s a screen shot, I get so much motion from it. The outfit is cute, and kind of super hero-ish, which goes great with your subtitle. You are so talented at taking screen shots. I am expecting a very high placement for you this cycle. Good luck!!!
Nicol: This shot is cool! I love that you went for a shipwreck themed shot instead of a vast ocean shot. The filter choice and the outfit really sell it. You’re like some kind of evil mermaid searching for drowned sailors to devour! Haha. It’s a little too dark, and the sand in the bottom is distracting, but it’s a fun shot so points for that! This cycle you’ve show off some great shots, and I can’t wait to see what you place!! I expect good things from you! Good luck!!
Samuru: This shot plays tricks on my eyes, which I love! First off, your placement is perfect. The bubbles and the lighting and the background all work so well. Your outfit choice as a merman is great. As I follow your body from head to toe, my eyes are tricked into seeing that the dome behind you is your tail, and that building is a long fin. That is so awesome. You are an actual mermaid!! Haha. I commend you on doing something like that. But, at the same time, I don’t know how I feel about you having no legs. It’s a cool shot, but it’s also a really strange shot. I think it was risky, and it paid off in some ways, but didn’t in others. This cycle you’ve improved, and I really hope to see you compete again in a future cycle. Good luck Samuru!!!
Linmei: Going with red here really helped you stand out against all that blue. I wish you had submitted a close up shot with your blue tattoo this cycle, but we are out of rounds! haha. I think the right side of your shot is a little too empty. Your outfit is cute, but the sleeves are a little too puffy. If it wasn’t for the subtitle, I would think it was a strange pose, but I get that you are flying like Superman. This cycle you’ve learned a lot, and I think if you continue to take shots on your own time, you will continue to grow as a model. If you ever feel like competing again, I hope you will! Good luck!!!
Destiney: This is an interesting shot for sure! Thanks to your pose, I get a good amount of “motion” from the shot as we descend into the depths. I love the white silhouettes we are getting from the buildings against the dark background. I would have titled it a bit more to get rid of the empty space in the left-hand side, and I would have considered a different glamour. This one just doesn’t feel right for deep sea diving. It’s been so much fun watching you this cycle grow as a model! I was always looking forward to seeing what you’d submit! I can’t wait to see how you placed! Good luck!!!!
Leviathan: Last but not least, Leviathan!! How are you buddy? The first few weeks of this cycle you blew me away! But this week and last, I feel like you’ve been rushed for time or lost interest in the competition. The outfit is great, the pose is nice, the lighting is nice, the filter choice is nice, the background is nice…but it’s just a nice photo. If you had just thrown a bit of a twist in there, or titled your head up or toward the camera, anything to make the shot just a bit more…interesting, would have been stronger in my opinion. After 4 strong weeks, I can’t wait to see where you place this cycle! Good luck!!!!
Katarh:
Linmei: I love the brightness and composition on this, especially the illusion of depth from all those corals so close. The extra lights made your character just a tad washed out, unfortunately (too much bloom!) but I know hard hard positioning those lights can be sometimes! I really like how it made your scales look purple, though – a delightful effect.
M’telhigo: You took a risk with a back shot here, and I think you pulled it off. Your tiny character surveys the vastness of the ocean. Unfortunately, you got some serious fish eye distortion in here from the camera angle (it happens sometimes) and I think zooming in just a bit more to cut off those boueys on the left might have minimized it. I also really like your choice of the underwater mount, making you in perfect harmony with the ocean as you watch the sunset.
Gangly: Swimming with the fishes doesn’t sound so scary when I see something like this! I’m not sure whether the filter effect is actually improving anything, and I’m a bit confused about what is going on in the background – I think it’s light reflecting off the surface, due to the camera angle that you’re at, but it’s honestly a bit distracting. But I love that your outfit makes you look vaguely fish-like (hoorah for tiny tank skirts) and your pose is just so perfect as you drift along with the rest of the school.
Nicol: I’m totally stocked over the usage of the blue light to change your skin tone. How creative! I also like the concept of a water nymph hanging out at the ship. As for composition, I’m a little unhappy about the ground at the bottom – not sure if there’s anything slightly more interesting, like with flowers or anything in the area, but it might have been best left completely cut out. The background is also very dark, but that ship is deep, and the dark color lets your brilliant effect show up nicely.
Samuru: Wonderful trick effect to hide your legs, hahaha! There’s a lot going on in this image but you nailed everything – the pose, the outfit, the concept, the composition, and the usage of special effects. (I had forgotten we had a bubble prism.) The background is clean, and I see all sorts of little details like fish near the surface and the light filtering.
Linmei: Love the brightness of this image – the background is crystal clear. Lovely color contrast, and with the vines you almost look like a flower. There is unfortunately some serious distortion, and while your post gives us a nice view of your face, the perspective made your legs disappear. A longer skirt might have given it a mermaid-like effect, or if you wanted to show off those cute stockings, a slightly different angle. The distortion in the background works, though, giving you a nice fish eye bubble toward the castle in the distance.
Destiney: The first thing I did when I got swimming in the Lochs is go exploring down there for at least an hour. Your outfit is definitely an explorer appropriate wardrobe selection, and I like that the colors complement but don’t blend in too much with the background – the way that black boot contrasts against the blue castle is quite beautiful. Using the blue limbal darkening to break up the background to keep it from being too static was a nice trick. That said, there are some areas not too far from where you were that might have had a more interesting background.
Leviathan: I like the simple background, although your right arm is almost lost in the contrast. (A glove like on the left might have fixed that). Nice composition; getting a nearly centered close up to meet the rule of threes is difficult. The angle of the pose is good, but I wish your feet and fingertips weren’t cut off the edges. The watercolor effect is perfect here, making the water feel shimmery and clear. The back-lit effect with the sunlight just touching your hair and the upper parts of your back and arm is a nice touch.