Where everybody knows your name...
by wavelength

Comment:
The closest table leg and the legs and seat of the table occupy much more of the image than their contribution to the scene justify. The orange cast would look more like atmosphere than a technical problem if it weren't so pervasive; adding an oasis or two of cool colors would add a lot of balance.

35 cent refill
by mpeters

Comment:
I didn't know that Joey Lawrence operated a coffee shop. I can't say that this looks like someplace where I'd purchase something to consume, but it's a striking photo. The film grain and dirt contribute nicely to the grunge effect, but I think that higher contrast might have given this enough of a kick to push it into ribbon territory. I find both the gold ring and the lipstick on the cup intriguing elements, and I think that either removing them or emphasizing them a bit more could make this interesting image that much better.

Going though the Motions
by manic35

Comment:
The reflection adds a lot to this image.

Black & White
by Younger

Comment:
The salt is overexposed; placing it behind the pepper would have helped. I'm intrigued by the reflections in the silver caps on these containers; a shot from above of this reflection might have been quite interesting.

All Nighter
by adamweb

Comment:
I'd like this image better if it were a little less crowded.

Triple Shot?
by Nald

Comment:
I'm curious to know how you did the skull & crossbones effect, but somehow the image looks too staged to effectively tell the intended story. The model's lack of strong expression would be fine if she weren't making eye contact with the camera, but a stronger look is required from someone caught poisoning someone's coffee.

The bright white of the coffee cup and the edge of the counter top draw unnecessary attention to them. Using a brighter light from farther away or softening up the light that fell on those objects would have helped to reduce this distraction. I would have liked the border better if it were darker (closer to a forest green).

No liquids on bus
by ttreit

Comment:
I love the bokeh and the indistinct contour along the bottom edge. The only things I'd change would be to (1) remove the white part of the border (or make it a less pure white - it creates too much tension between it and the off-white cup) and (2) alter the focus on the cup (either softer or tack-sharp focus would work, but as it is this looks just far enough from focus to look unintentional). I love the subtle interplay of warm and cool colors in the background. I don't normally go for anything that consists almost exclusively of a company logo, but you nailed everything else so well that I can't help but love this. This is easily my favorite image so far in the challenge.

Symmetry of Coffee
by maguero

Comment:
The speck in the bottom right corner is distracting, as is the obvious over-sharpening. The leading lines make for a strong composition. The odd shadows suggest that this was painted with light, which I think worked well. I wouldn't be surprised to see this in the top ten once the challenge ends. I think that a little more attention to detail could have made this a shoe-in for a ribbon.

Coffee Tabletop
by Wilson Low

Comment:
If this were sharper (allowing the features to be more readily identifiable) or more abstract this would work much better. As it is, it has enough recognizable features to make me try for a literal interpretation, and nothing I can identify is particularly interesting.

into the deep
by sodastreamer

Comment:
This image seems to be lacking something. The strong contrast between the cup and the background is quite striking, but this high contrast seems to break down inside the cup. Perhaps rich, brown coffee with a sugar cube or mint sprig floating in it would have helped to complete the composition. Even so, this is my favorite image in the challenge so far.