Sorry, but this does not look like and appealing beach...

@mperri - it still was from a vacation. We were there on a gloomy cold day. Try going there during summer time.

looks like a tip..............

I am not arguing it being on topic... just not appealing, that is all...

Ahhhh...Laguna Beach, been there many times in the past, lived not far from there (Irvine)...yep, still looks the same!

this would probably be really cute but it is very pixelated.

Could use a bit of focus

I was actually slow-panning in low light...this is the "look" I was going for.

I have to agree with kyricom. There is no real point of focus in the picture and most of it seems like it's just melting together. At high resolution it's hard to even see the facial expressions of the people.

Personally, I think the image would benefit fit of someone, like the lantern carrying person, being in focus instead of just not being as unfocused as the rest of the picture.

Thank you for your comments...changed photo, same type of shot and such...hope this is better...but the ghostly thing is what I was going for here...just practicing some different techniques. i was getting tired of the same old thing...future submissions of this type should get better as I practice more

For a "ghostly" look I think having the background sharp would work better than it being blurry as well. This way you would get the look you want without sacrificing the interest for the looking eye. To achieve this all you need is a tripod or a stable enough surface area, like a table, where you can put your camera. A longer shutter speed, which allows the background to be sharp but everything that moves in the picture will become blurry.

Was this taken from a film? Looks very poor quality!

@mperri - taken with 1st gen digital camera... olympus, forgot the model. I think it was 3 megapixel and I used the low resolution so I could take more pics. This was back in 2005-06. Sorry I don't have pro equipment like you do.

@mperri - taken with 1st gen digital camera... olympus, forgot the model. I think it was 3 megapixel and I used the low resolution so I could take more pics. This was back in 2005-06. Sorry I don't have pro equipment like you do.

author... First and foremost, you do not know what equipment I use, do you? If you knew, you would not be saying that...
But, considering this is a photography contest, the quality of the picture counts for as much as the composition... hence, my comment...

Yes, but 5 years ago, I didn't predict that I'd be joining pxleyes. I was just taking a vacation and wanted to capture as many moments I could get. I'm aware that quality of picture counts but this is an all levels contest and it's supposed to be fun joining. I still got votes no matter what. Photography is also subjective so what you may think poor quality others may overlook it for the content. If you're going to comment on the technical aspect, at least be constructive about it. I felt you were just bashing, hence, my reaction to your very short comment. Well look you're a level 6! Way to welcome a noob like me. I'm only 3 days old on this site so take it easy. It's not like the world is going to end because I turned in a poor quality picture.

now now children................ .....welcome to the site author! Yes, you are correct, this is a fun site, but at the same time, we all strive to enter our best work! Your entry will get votes, no doubt about it......but it will also get comments like those which mperri has already made.....if you don't like these comments, don't enter work which will attract them!

Bashing? Dear... I never meant to bash... I only mentioned it was poor quality, which is, in fact, a technical comment, may I say...
Mine was a pretty simple comment, if you can't handle that kind of comment, you better get ready, 'cause I have read some pretty caustic ones around here.
Important for you to remember entries are anonymous... there is no way for anyone of us to know what level you are in...
Sorry you got so offended by what I said... Take a chill pal!
The world will indeed not end...

I can't handle comments that does not help me move forward. Adeincyprus was helpful when he or she agrees with your "poor quality" comment but went further to say "strive to enter your best work". Constructive criticism is when you state what you don't like but give a solution. It encourages people to do better.

You simply came across as snobbish, which was a bit discouraging. It implies that because it was taken with film, it was poor quality. I know everyone's entitled to their own opinion. You seem to be capable of constructing multiple coherent sentences so use it to help others. Otherwise, just vote the lowest possible score to state you dislike and shut up.

Since you mentioned author anonimity, you don't know if you're giving a poor comment to a teenager who may be aspiring to become a great photographer. God forbid he/she receives a caustic comment, as you said is present in this site (I quickly searched for examples and I have yet to see one), and abandons pursuing this field. Who knows, we may have lost the next world renowned photographer? Just my two cents.

Check out friiskiwi's comments on other entries here. Look at her profile and see how many thankful members who has responded to her helpful comments.

Check out Ade's comment on "Sit Back and Relax" in this contest. It's about poor quality. Had I gotten something like that in the first place, you would've gotten a big "THANK YOU... I'll do better next time".

That's just my constructive criticism on the way you commented. I rest my case. That's all.

Hah. I'm done having a cow over this. LOL

ps - not film photograph... film as in recorded image and frozen frame... a regular cause for the jagged edges you got there...
It was a simple question... an attempt to avoid giving a 10% vote on a computer glitch that may have caused a distortion on the image... but, hey, next time I'll just say "great shot!"...

Hey, i'm all for giving credit where credit's due. I've seen your "great shot" comments on deserving entries. All I'm saying is, by all means give a low vote if you think it deserves it but when you take the extra step of leaving a seemingly negative comment, don't stop at, "Looks very poor quality" because, as I understand on your last reply, there may be other factors involved and it would help if you pointed them out. You seem to know your stuff so share the knowledge. Makes a big difference.

Author, I agree with Ade and will offer the following...read the guidelines of every contest CAREFULLY, just because an image CAN be entered in a contest...doesn't mean it SHOULD be entered. ( I learned this one the hard way at first!), the worst comments are NO comments at all, take into consideration that this is an international site and being such, some comments that appear rude are simply a language barrier thing (at times) and welcome...I hope you do well here...

as far as this entry is concerned...it's already been hammered...I'll take it you already know...If I can ever be of assistance just fire off a PM...