Symphony of Light
by Neil

Comment:
So, every time I come back to this picture, the title gets that stupid rap song "Shawty's like a symphony in my head" song stuck in my head, which is awful. Buuuuuut, I forgive you because this is a truly breathtaking and beautiful picture. And as I have already mentioned, it keeps me coming back to view it over and over :-) 9

Translucent
by GregoryB

Comment:
Is this really how this spider looks like? I never knew that spiders could be that colorful!
Looks beautiful, but for some reason that makes me even more wary of it. I would not want to encounter this spider in real life :-P. Beautiful picture with very nicely complimenting bokeh. An 8 from me.

Later:
I can't stop staring at this photo...Literally, it won't let me leave to keep voting on other images. The spider is drawing me in. Help? Okay, okay I am bumping it up to a 9

His slice of the world.
by Prash

Comment:
This image probably would have gotten an 8 from me in a Free Study. I think it is a marvelous portrait! However, in regards to this challenge I don't feel like the bokeh is really complimenting your subject. It certainly isn't hurting, but it is kind of just "There". I do feel like I need to judge this photo based on the challenge at hand rather than just whether I like it or not, so I will be giving you a 6. Sorry

After the Rain
by ronaldfw

Comment:
Wow, this is truly gorgeous! The colors are gorgeous, and the "feel" is just right with a lovely mix of softness and focus. This is the kind of image that I try for, and fail at :-P. Would you mind telling me your editing steps at the end of this challenge?
I do have to say that those two little petals peeking out of the left side stick out to me like a sore thumb, but I am sure you would have fixed that if it had been advanced editing.
Great job and a 9 from me :-)

Bokeh Bouquet
by mefnj

Comment:
By far one of the better flower bokeh shots I have seen so far. Very nice colors and clarity, and the bokeh of other flowers really compliments the picture. I tried very much to accomplish the same in my image for this challenge, but did not succeed nearly as well. (I love that saying that doesn't give anything at all away, because there are SO many flower images in this challenge :-P)

Water Fall ???
by kprasad9375

Comment:
While your picture does have bokeh, for me it is missing a subject. In my opinion, bokeh in general (i.e. not just in your picture but in most pictures) is not strong enough to be its own subject.

Baby Rattler
by Links 2 3 4

Comment:
The bokeh itself is nice, but for me it doesn't really compliment your subject very much. I can't exactly place a finger on why, if its because the colors are too bright, or because your subject doesn't stand out enough, or maybe something else, but it just doesn't feel quite "right" to me. It feels like your bokeh is loud and demanding, and overwhelming your subject in this picture.
Nice use of thirds rule to place your snake in this picture. 5

E2-E4 - First Move to Slaughter
by e10icus

Comment:
Unique Bokeh!
One criticism I have here is that the person is reaching for a pawn rather than one of the back figures. THe pawn is completely hidden behind the king, so essentially it looks like the hand is grasping at nothing, which severely takes away from the effect that you were going for. I know your title tries to clarify, and my knowledge of chess clarifies as well, but the actual visual effect is not very strong. I think if the angle of the board had just been shifted slightly so that the pawn was more visibly, this would have worked better.

A Relaxing Evening
by Luci11e

Comment:
This image lacks focus for me. For bokeh to be particular effective and pleasing, there needs to be that stark contrast between completely clear and completely blurred. That contrast is missing for me here.

Surrounded
by MaryO

Comment:
Great capture. One of the few examples I have seen where the bokeh creates drama rather than a peaceful addition of color, and does so in a way that adds to the image. I do think that the title is necessary for this one. I might find that the bokeh takes away from the image, if it wasn't perfectly clear that the dramatic effect was intentional. Fortunately, the intention is made perfectly clear. Your squirrel is "surrounded" indeed.