Gear Down, Flaps Out
by pinback

Comment:
This one made me laugh out loud, It looks like a study for an animated cartoon. Graceful aren;t they? I like your late afternnon light with the tinge of orange. I like the way you have avoided shadows. your fous is right one, the composition is a very nice rule of thirds with a lovely leading line, the wing span of one goose pointing towards the other who almost seems to be moving left to avoid getting hit, Your frontal view makes their heads look really smal, and seems to be a commentary on their brain size. I bet the splashdown was another good shot. 8

Falling From Flight
by Shannon

Comment:
What if you had put the feather further down in the image? That would imply that it was falling. Your composition is too centered. An off center image is more interesting. 6

Flight of the Bumblebee
by sleekr

Comment:
You started with a clever concept - nice that it is not a bird or a plane. But your execution falls short. Actually I'm not sure what this is. THe folded paper plane had possibilites. I don't need to tell you that the focus is off, did you mean it to be? Is the lower sheet music supposed to be buzzing or something? Does it add to your composition?

Flight CRZeroNiner Leaving Runway B, Over.
by LucidLotus

Comment:
Well, you got something flying but that's about it. There isn't much else interesting about this image' It isn't quite in focus. That could be because the camera was trying to focus on something other than what you had in mind, autofocus is annoying like that. Or more likely this is slight camera shake. Learn to brace your camera against something or get a tripod. It is very hard to hand hold at the exposures that a digital camera allows us to use. Your lighting is off, by exposing for the shadow, you have over exposed for the background. It might be better not to include both shadow and bright sun. Also this harsh mid day sun is the most difficult and most unintersting lighting, Try shooting early morning or late afternoon when the light is better. Read the tutorial on the Rule of thirds - human nature, probably due to the biology of binocular vision, is drawn to the cross of the thirds lines. Notice what you have place at these points: ... Are those the most important visual items? Did you mean to emphasize them? Read the tutorial on the Rule of thirds - human nature, probably due to the biology of binocular vision, is drawn to the cross of the thirds lines. Notice what you have place at these points: ... Are those the most important visual items? Did you mean to emphasize them? Your bird is slightly off center, that is better than smack in the middle. What did you find captivating about this shot? Do you love it? Or are you just trying to enter any old thing.

Not an Eagle
by Excelsior

Comment:
more pixels please

Sleepy Time Pal
by DebN2003

Comment:
THis picture is very similar to one entitled Lazy Dog. If you look at that picture you will see how yours fell short. This is really a bad picture and I gave it a 2. THe focus is offf, I'm not sure what, if anything is in focus. Sometimes the problem with focus is that the focal plane is not where you meant it to be (utofocus choses what it wants to focus on, not what you want). But when nothing is sharp the problem can be camera shake. It is surprisingly hard to hold a camera steady at the shutter speeds that digital cameras allow us to use. A tripod is hgihly recommended, especially in low light sitations like this indoor shot. Read the tutorial on the Rule of thirds - human nature, probably due to the biology of binocular vision, is drawn to the cross of the thirds lines. Notice what you have place at these points: an out of focus over exposed paw, the bit of couch under the dogs chhek, his ear and some fur on his back. Are those the most important visual items? Did you mean to emphasize them? To me, a dog lover, it is the eyes , face, and yes, those big paws, that I want my attention focused on when I look at a picture. I don't want three fourths of the image to be blurry body, and the cute face all the way to the left. maybe if you had cropped of the right side you would have had a better image. try it. Some post processing would have made a world of difference in making the darks truely dark and the lights less blown out. One thing you did right compositionally was that your leading lines, the stripes of the couch, the slant of the eyes and ears DO lead into the dogs face. Try it again, I bet this dog loves to pose like this.

Peace in the glass frame (or eyelashes at rest)
by denispray

Comment:
Something is wrong with the balance of this photo. I like the concept a lot and I almost like the execution. However the over exposed look doesn't work for me; The cropping feels awkward. The eyebrow is cut off, the weight of the photo is at the top, as is the center of focus. the view is too straight on. the nice shadow of the glasses is lost in the glare. The black border contributes to the unbalance, maybe a lighter blorder or no border would be better. The border seems to crowd the top by the eyebrow, seems to emphasize that the bottom is too light and seems to draw the eye to the guys hair which is similar in color but which shouldn'e be a focal point. Where is the point ehre the focus is sharpest? It should be the eyelashes but isn't quite. the glare on the upper left corner of the glasses frame is distracting. This is such a nice set up that I really think you should try it again to make the photo image match your mental image.

Deep in Thought
by lentil

Comment:
Nice lighting. Is it my monitor or are the tones a little flat - could the black be blacker? the face is nice but the cropping of the neck is awkward. Your negatice space is well balanced. Also I think all the leading lines lead OUT of the picture - when the viewers gaze is led to the edge of the frame, his mind says "Done, next picture". The longer you can get your audience to look at your image, the better your score will be. There are details that will be missed on a quick glance. That's why leading lines are especially important in a contest like this where most people are speed voting. The curl of haor on the left leads out. The statues gaze, if I follow it, leads off the bottom. There is an unattractive dirty line of her collar that strongly leads out.

'Time-out' at the Park
by tph1

Comment:
A cute picture of your kid, but not one that speaks to me of all kids, or my kids. The soft focus and the slightly over exposed image do not contribute to the picture. His awkward pose and the odd way his eyeballs are turned make the image uncomfortable. I like your composition, the circular window is nice, the muted dreamy scene behind it makes a nice contrast to the bright scene in front. The subject in the lower third is well placed. I also like the semi monochrome colors. Besides his flesh, the foreground is all blue and the background is all green. It almost feel like a contrast between past and present. 6

More Than A Chip Shot
by bobgaither

Comment:
Lovely colors, striking shapes, great contrast of darks in the foreground and pales in the background. I think the darker tree on the right is distracting and takes ways from the wonderful curve of the shoreline. But then without the tree, the composition would be too smack in the center to be a visual stand out. So I guess the tree helps balance the whole. 7