Feeding The Young
by Pooba

Comment:
Great scene. As I'm sure others have noted the bird is clearly not in focus due to too long of an exposure, which hurts the image considerably. I like the theme and the fact that there truly is a nest, a mother, and food in the composition. The only missing item is the chick, which would have been, obviously, very difficult.

unconditional love
by Seanachai

Comment:
Beautiful image. Likely a top ten finisher due to the "polished" look and post processing skill applied. It's always hard to get them to comply, but of course I think this would be mildly better without the slobber. Mine won't keep her mouth dry for 2 seconds though, so I know how it is. My only other suggestion would be to maybe have a little more room to the left of the baby's face. As it is, he or she seems a little crowded into the frame. The cropping of mother's face is, to me, well done and needs no work. Great shot that will likely net you a 6+.

That Only a Mother. . .
by cycleboy

Comment:
Title is the only thing that brings this into the challenge. It's a good enough idea, but the lack of (an obvious) mother and child pairing in the frame keeps this from really shining through. My eye is drawn to the bright spot on the chin of the animal on the right-side, but the cropping of that animal leaves me disappointed. The focus seems a bit off, perhaps more on the nose than on the eyes. I would reshoot with a mother and child in the compositions and more attention to cropping. Hope that helps!

The Energizer Bunny (Still Going After All These Years...)
by SJCarter

Comment:
Very harsh lighting ruins an otherwise touching moment. The flash used appears to have been on-camera or close to it. Also, the image is quite contrasty. This is due either to what appears to be too much sharpening applied or, again, just the harshness of the flash. The fact that the gentleman is taller than the lady might call for a slight tilt to the composition (clockwise) to help the lady seem more on even ground. Lastly, when you are photographing a couple in this manner, pay special attention to how much you crop each subject. In this shot, the gentleman seems to have "popped in" for a smooch from the left, since you can't see his whole body. Give equal cropping attention to both subjects, unless you have a special reason not to. Good effort though.

"Of course I'll wear it tonight, sweetheart!"
by rachelellen

Comment:
Decent effort here. The lighting is almost good enough, but fails to properly illuminate the models chin. I think some hair light from the right side would help this image immensely, highlighting the neckline and leading the eye to the necklace. Also, the light source is too low and close to the subject, causing the light "fall upward", fading in intensity from bottom to top. This is unnatural to my eye and casts a funny upward shadow on the necklace.

Still, it's a nifty idea and good execution. The cropping work is spot on and the necklace being nearly centered in the image works.

maternal instinct
by thehitter

Comment:
Not sure I understand why a bottle speaks of "maternal instinct". I think a baby suckling a breast would be a better match to the title. Attractive child and fine use of DOF nonetheless. Perhaps the object on the right side of the frame could be omitted to better effect.

My Corner of the Sky
by JohnTF

Comment:
I can't believe how low this placed. It's a beautiful, graphic image that takes a keen eye to see. Whether you shot it this way or cropped, doesn't matter -- my hats off to you all the same.

Wine Glass
by m--E

Comment:
Simple and elegant. The image seems about 1/2 stop overexposed on my monitor--the stem of the glass is getting washed out by the highlights. I love the overall high key effect though and your cropping is fantastic. Other than the slight overexposure, I see nothing wrong with this image. 8

Refreshingly Lime
by jessfrolio

Comment:
This is nice. Cropping work is thoughtful and pleasant. I see just enough of the glass to understand what the lime is doing there. I wonder if you could have thrown the background out of focus even more though. Also, perhaps backing up a bit and making the slice smaller in the frame would improve the shot. The colors in the background complement the lime nicely. A 7 for you!

Got a Light?
by Ice-Tea-1983

Comment:
This is nice! If only you'd have cropped out the corners I'd be a lot more interested in this image. As it is, the viewer is made aware that those beautiful lines of light have an end and so the mystery is lost. Try cropping those corners and my guess is that you'll like the shot even more. Good eye, though.