Smooth Operator
by mdiddyv

Comment:
Not really keen on this one, there's too much that doesn't fit together for me, not to mention my usual dislike of selective desat.

At your service for decades
by gyaban

Comment:
I like this one, it has a great look to it and it's unusual but definitely gets the message across (excuse the pun).

Stock Image: Spirit Phone™ (1936) & Genuine Haunted Photograph™ (1875) as Crossover Operator.
by rooum

Comment:
Nice artifacts, but I don't really see it being a stock photo that would be used by a call centre or such.

Wooden Operator
by cynthiann

Comment:
This guy would probably do a better job than half the "operators" I end up speaking to!

Who You Gonna Call?
by wbanning

Comment:
I don't really get stock photo from this, I think it's because of the old fashioned look you've given it.

21st Century Operator
by toddhead

Comment:
Very much the sort of shot I was expecting in this challenge, clear, sharp, relevant, but the background is putting me off a touch, it seems to have a tinge of pink!

evie
by JulietNN

Comment:
I think it's a really great, natural looking shot.

Like others have said, it's not your standard child portrait, but for me it's far better than that, it's got real character and life rather than than the usual fake posed smile.

It also interestingly has a feel of a past era to it, reminds me of something from the 40's or 50's, in a good way :)

I think what could be putting people off the shot is that it does have a slight "Hitchcock" feel to it, I think it's the black and white, and in particular the lighting.

All in all, great shot, much better and more interesting to look at then your average studio portrait!

Salad meal
by LonnieD

Comment:
When I saw the thumbnail I was really puzzled why this scored so low, but it became quickly apparent when I opened it. You're super high ISO probably knocked as much as a 0.5 - 0.7 off here.

The setup is nice, the bread makes it interesting and sets it slightly apart from the other simple salad shots, but you always get torn apart here for "bad technicals" and unfortunately your use of high ISO has fallen foul to that.

The Face of Wisdom & Experience...
by NikonJeb

Comment:
This is a surprise shot from you, I was fully expecting you to be on the front page this challenge with one of your superb auto / ruined building shots.

That being said, this is a really nice portrait, which for me fits the challenge nicely, I'm surprised it didn't finish a lot higher, and I can't really offer an explination why.

Absolut Waterproof
by IreneM

Comment:
Bet that took a few attempts and a lot of cleaning up and starting again!