Dumb as a pile of rocks!
by Ja-9

Comment:
And as useful as square wheels!

As American As Apple Pie
by DanaS

Comment:
Quite fitting that the US claims apple pie as a symbol of their country given that it (like the people who founded the US) was originally european; and only with the importation of several ingredients across the atlantic was it possible to be recreated in the foreign land (while the US is still strong on immigration and amalgamating people into the melting pot of US culture). The integration of apple pie into US culture is an interesting 2 minute read if you're so inclined :)

Regarding the image, it's a good picture technically with the only problem being a slight shadow due to the light source, but that is relatively insignificant to the overall image presented.
a 7 from me.

She Stood As Proud As A Protective Lioness
by PhotoPhantom

Comment:
some PP work and a different camera angle could have done so much good for this image.
cropping out many of the distracting BG elements would help keep the focus on the family, setting them against the water and not a narrow strip with land and other people behind would help elevate this from "snapshot" status, and some level or curve adjustments in PP software would help with the lighting some.
hopefully this is taken as the constructive comment it is meant as - i was given the same advice here many times over and hope that it helps you with future entries :)

As Lonesome as a Lighthouse Keeper
by hesitant

Comment:
i really enjoy the horizon. the blur and color of the lights looks like the ocean has been set ablaze!
I'm going to assume this is Bear due to the lighthouse-ness of the image :)

Marriage is like going bald - there is no parting
by KristinaG

Comment:
8 for the humor value and earnest expression of the subjects :)

As Quiet As the Dead
by Samantha_T

Comment:
have to say i'm not a fan of the stitches here. the same effect could have been achieved without them, the image would have been more classic and believable. i'm not aware of any reason to stitch a mouth closed.
The faded/muted tones on the rose are complementary to the feel/theme of the image, but i have to say that points will be lost (from me and im sure others) for the stitches.

like harbingers of doom
by skewsme

Comment:
not a fan of the PP here with the yellow sky...
also, it looks like you've cloned the same bird multiple times, some of which overlapping and some at near impossible positions on the tree.
Also, the fact that there are various problems in clumps that can't possibly exist, such as the top right branch to the left (when viewing) of the bird's wing, the extra feet below the bottom bird and the extra feathers sticking below the bird perched precariously on an angle branch mid-way up the left side.

Overall this feels like a pretty early attempt at cloning items into an image, but it feels messy, poorly planned and honestly very fake.
The bright yellow background only serves to emphasize the flaws in the image by giving us the ultimate bright backdrop to contrast your image against. The fact it is uniformly yellow is a clear indicator that it is a pre-selected bg color for this and not a backdrop behind even a staged photo shoot.

I commend you for the interest and hopefully enthusiasm with which you pieced this image together, but realistic images will always be received better, even if boring our out-of-focus than something that seems so blatantly chopped together.

The Flames Were Like Rage, Exploding and Taking Over
by IAmEliKatz

Comment:
Wow, pretty crazy scene to find. can only imagine how this even started.

Hanging in there till the very end.
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Great lighting on this shot. :)
subject is a bit dry (pun intended) but still technically well done :)

Working Like A Dog
by Lydia

Comment:
Hopefully when i look as "wizened" as this guy i'll have even 1/2 of that much hair left of my head ;)