Would you all be kind enough to criqitue this for me? I'm nearly done and it's down to things that will make it a really *good* picture and I'm pitiful at seeing that in my own work. As it is now---the bottom third or so hasn't been AA'd yet and there's a chunk of the small, dark tree on the right that hasn't been also. (This is taking forever to render.) A couple of questions I have are: is that same tree too dark? I'm using a photo texture on it and have lightened it as much as I can but it's still very dark, nearly too much for my taste. The other trees have Bryce texturing and I like them better really. Also, does the fence post and wire add anything or detract from the whole scene? I like it, but I'm just not sure. I'm planning on adding another flowering plant of some sort, probably in yellow. I'm going to try to model one so I can have it leaning in from the left side, showing against the sky. I'll probably put a few smaller ones in the grassy area just to keep the color going. Other than these things, does this need anything added or subtracted?

IMHO, the small tree doesnt do much for the pic but it doesnt detract from it, either. I think the shade is about right. The trees on the right are just perfect. I love putting old fence posts in images, I would certainly leave this in. A few more differntly coloured flowers would look good. I think this pic is going to look its best without being too fussy so I wouldnt look to add many more elements. It has a great composition.

Love the POV, and I agree with Sambucus about the trees: perfect. The only thing I'd work on is the sky; it seems a little flat, and I think some wispy clouds would do wonders for this. :)

Nothing wrong with this. The POV is great, but perhaps the sky needs work?

Looks Great, don't know that I'd do anything to it, changing the sky might change the mood. It depends on what you want. POV is great.

A big Vane (Tail) out the back to keep the mill always pointed into the wind. Maybe a bird or two so keep the sky from looking so open. It's still better than anything I've ever done!

It's a good start but try adding more life to it: birds, bugs, bees, butterflies. There is something wrong with the horizon, you can see where the sky meets the blue ground (no ground). I'm not sure but is there a piece of wood in the middle of the image with barb wire around it? I suppose that the mill should look old so I would suggest adding details like things hanging down from it and making the wooden pieces a bit askew.

Thanks all! I'm going to try to leave the sky as it is since I'm aiming for that midwest prairie, cloudless sky look. I thought about a bird or two but wasn't sure if I liked that look or not. Won't hurt to try tho! :o) There is a tail vane on this, it's just not visible because of the direction the windmill is facing. I played with the angle of the top part (whatever it's call) trying to get the tail more into the picture, but I didn't like the rest of it as well then. I may tweak that abit more and see if I can't find a compromise. @bazze...yup, that's an old fence post with barbed wire. :o) I'm not really going for a really old windmill, so I just used a weathered wood texture...it's not quite falling apart yet. I just modeled it! ;o) I like the idea of bugs. I've been wanting to do something with butterflies...maybe this is the one! :o) Thanks for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate it. Susan

Susan: If it is possible, rotate some of the flowers so that they don't all seem to be at the same (or similar) angle. Flowers growing like this should be facing in all directions; and I agree that the tail of the windmill should be visible. Otherwise, I love the feel and character of this. John

This is going to be really nice,.....like others have said, a flock of birds maybe, also some insects and if you have Poser and the songbirds pak, how about a close-up bird going after insects ?

Yeah, I noticed the vane was missing too. You definitely need to add one.

TJohn: I thought flowers generally faced the sun?

Don't have time to read the other posts so sorry if this is no longer an issue but KEEP THE DARKER TREE! It really helps the overall composition and depth. I think it would hurt the image to remove it if it is not atleast replaced with something similar.

Well Eelie... I live in the midwest praire... South Dakota, and your sky certainly does have that midwest prarie look to it. I do like the idea of a few birds maybe and a bug or 2. This has great potential. Very good so far.

Looks really good. The only suggestion I can think of is a slight radial/motion blur on the windmill vanes to give a sense of wind.