PhotoZAP

Article: Call for submissions: PhotoZAP.Our panel of critics praises and pans your photos

Think you’ve got the photographic chops? Ready to take some constructive criticism from a trio of photo experts who will pull no punches? Jump into the fire and send us your near-perfect shots!

Article: PhotoZAP 70: Shall We Dance?.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The dancer's gesture is dramatic and nicely timed, but unfortunately, the figure is hard to 'read.'"—Russell Hart

Article: ZAP the ZAPPERS 5: Falling for IR .Here's another ZAP the ZAPPERS shot by Jack Howard.

Go ahead, give Jack your honest opinion about this IR+visible spectrum shot taken with the Sigma SD15 with its IR Cut filter removed!

Article: PhotoZAP 69: Twitter Feed.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"You can almost feel the warmth of the Mexican sun. And therein lies my only beef: The bright sun is causing highlights on the blossoms and the bird’s back that are a bit too bright for my taste"—Ingrid Spangler

Article: PhotoZAP 67: Up To Something.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The moment is cute, the skintones are right where they are, and it is a commendable exposure for a single speedlite bounced off the ceiling, but I am bothered by the dinginess of the seamless." —Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 66: Like A Surgeon.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The image strikes me as a technically very good but still generic stock photograph of a surgeon."—Ingrid Spangler

Article: PhotoZAP 65: Spontaneous Glamour.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The eyes are fascinating and the first impression is that of a formal Hollywood close-up. But the devil’s in the details"—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 64: Hilltop Village.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The range of tonalities is reminiscent of the kind of result one might get on film using the Zone System.”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 63: Whodunit?.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The lighting, the overall texture of this image, the framing, all just works perfectly for me. This could be a book cover.—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 61: Off The Wall.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"This shot serves to prove that gear isn't everything, what matters more is the story that's told in the frame."—Ingrid Spangler

Article: Introducing ZAP the ZAPPERS!.In which our in-house experts submit their photos for you to ZAP.

Now it's your turn to critique shots by Jack, Mason, and the rest of the PhotoZAP team. Don't worry–we can take all the honest, constructive critiques you can throw our way. All we ask is that you keep in the spirit of ZAP and be honest, informative, and opinionated in your review.

Article: ZAP the ZAPPERS 1: Toeing the Line.Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Here's your chance to ZAP the ZAPPER!

We serve up our first ZAP the ZAPPER with this shot of Novak Djokovic squaring up a shot at Day 3 of the 2010 US Open. Do you love this shot, or is there too much to find at fault?

Article: ZAP the ZAPPERS 2: Yellow, Blue, and Bokeh.Here's another chance to serve up a photo critique to regular PhotoZAPPER Jack Howard

Focus your energy on explaining what you think of this shot of a return in mid-flight in this round of ZAP the ZAPPER! Again it's a shot from Jack of Novak Djokovic from Day 3 of the US Open.

Article: ZAP the ZAPPERS 3: Eye on the Ball.We line up another shot by PhotoZAP expert Jack Howard for you to swing away at!

Here's the third of the four shots Jack made at the US Open to launch our ZAP the ZAPPERS feature. What do you think of this one?

Article: ZAP the ZAPPERS 4: Timing Ain't Everything.Will the readers be making a racket over this frame?

How will you ZAP PhotoZAPPER Jack Howard about this mid-serve shot from the US Open? Let us know what you think!

Article: PhotoZAP 60: What’s a Dog to Do?.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The intersection of the humpback's tail fluke with the edge of the frame is an unfortunate compositional faux pas."—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 59: You May Dip The Bride.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"This is a very sweet shot that any newlywed couple would be happy to have among their wedding images."—Ingrid Spangler

Article: PhotoZAP 58: Palette Expander.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“Here's a great example of making HDRI and bracketing work for you.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 57: Fight the Darkness.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The boy's tangled emotional state has been subordinated to the design of an image.”—Joe Gioia

Article: PhotoZAP 56: Meet the Divas.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I see here a great image within a good one.” —Mark Lent

Article: PhotoZAP 55: Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"If you can’t reposition yourself to eliminate the distracting, mood-busting building, brown grass, and playground, you should cede this shot to the pro."—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 54: Baby Face.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The pose and even the drool on the chin all add to this wonderful moment."—Mark Lent

Article: PhotoZAP 53: On The Stoop.

"The strong vertical lines guide the viewer through the frame, taking stops along the way to enjoy the body language of the various people."—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 52: Local Color.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"I'm not crazy about the way the background jewelry vendor's head interferes with the main subject's face."—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 51: Freight Train, Freight Train, Going So Fast.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"I wonder what this scene would have looked like if it had been shot during the golden hour before sunset, or in the early morning hours?"—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 50: Only have eye for you.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The photographer is in the midst of things with an open mind and active eye, and caught this beautiful passing moment."—Joe Gioia

Article: PhotoZAP 49: Potholes in the fog.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"What’s around the corner? The photographer correctly leaves this to our imagination."—Mark Lent

Article: PhotoZAP 47: Here are your flowers.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I really just don't get this current trend of deliberately adding slight vignette effects to images”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 46: Street Portrait.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"The photographer is asking for something that the subject doesn't really want to give up."—Joe Gioia

Article: PhotoZAP 45: Our biggest fan.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"Here's an example where all those hard rules that so many live by just don't add up to a gold-medal shot."—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 44: Step Lively.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“There’s huge potential in the moment, but it is lost in the technical details.”—Mark Lent

Article: PhotoZAP 43: Whatever Floats Your Boat.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"I’m enjoying the visual game that’s being played here, with the boats seeming to float slightly above the horizon line."—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 42: Hello, Newlyweds!.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"This is a good example of trying to make the photo 'say something', rather than letting it speak for itself."—Joe Gioia

Article: PhotoZAP 40: Pink sky country.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I’m not quite sure I understand the logic of the simulated infrared here.”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 39: White-Out.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“High key effects can be cool and fun, but I'm not really sure if it works for this image.” —Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 37: High-flying.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The illusion of height is diminished by all the ground in the bottom of the frame” —Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 36: Peek-a-boo.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“A few adjustments beforehand could have avoided this joyous shot’s glaring technical defects”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 34: Stranger in the Night.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

"I can’t see, from a technical perspective, how the photographer pulled this off as a single shot." —Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 30: Tequila Sunset.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“What's not to love about a perfectly executed silhouette shot against a gorgeous sky?” —Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 29: Dude!.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“This image is simultaneously a very charming kid photo and disturbingly incongruous.”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 23: Prom or Barn?.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I'm not crazy about the expression—or maybe perceived lack thereof—on the subject's face.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 22: Revved Up .Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“For all the color and crispness and sense of place in this image, the one thing there isn't, is a sense of energy.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 21: Lesson Plan.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I'm not crazy about all the blown highlights that show clipping in the info palette…or the completely blocked shadows in the curl of hair.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 19: Dynamic Sunset.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I can wander around this image and just get lost in the interplay of shapes, forms, and complementary colors.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 18: Season in the Sun.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The photographer captured the loving relationship of the couple, and the woman's direct gaze with the catchlight in her eye reinforces that feeling.” —Monica Cipnic

Article: PhotoZAP 17: On a Pedestal.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The photographer was so focused on nailing the white balance that he forgot about framing the shot tightly and cleanly.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 16: The Shadow Of Your Smile.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The lighting draws my attention right to her nose.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 15: Lost in a Fog.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The fisherman was placed dead center, and the image lacks punch.”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 14: HDR Overload.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“I feel like I’m looking at a psychodelic interpretation of this scene…it’s too much!”—Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 13: A Whole Lot of Sole.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“This photo is strange and unsettling, and at the same time it is peaceful and familiar.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 11: On The Road Again.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“Re-shooting on an overcast day would take care of the washed-out colors at the end of the road.” —Mason Resnick

Article: PhotoZAP 9: A Grave Situation.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“For a humor shot, this one is dead-on.”—Jack Howard

Article: PhotoZAP 7: Game Changer.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“Most of us 'see' an image, but often feel the need to explain what it was that we were going after in the picture. If that's the case, we need to do a better job.”—Monica Cipnic

Article: PhotoZAP 5: Bogged Down.Our critics praise and pan your pictures

“The [HDR] tone map process yearns for, searches for, and emphasizes contrast, even when it is slight or negligible, as is in the case with the nasty banding areas in the sky.” —Jack Howard