Double Break
by timfythetoo

Comment:
I voted 6 for this image because I liked the clarity and colors. The complementary green and red was a bonus as far as I am concerned. I would have preferred to have the people in the image too, as I think fireworks are even more dramatic when there is a frame of reference. I would not have added the frame, but I didn't mark down because of it.

Paper Patterns
by timfythetoo

Comment:
Trading Post Comment

Congratulations (obviously) on your ribbon and 7+ score. What I especially like about this abstract photo is the negative space and the subtle color shift of the blue areas as you move out of the center (darker) to the edges (lighter). I also like the "fun" aspect of this photo...it's almost like looking at a maze (except there is no way out). I didn't vote in this challenge, but since I like abstracts I would have been right up there with the concensus of the voters. Well done.

Fire Flower
by Kelli

Comment:
Trading Post

I like the image - the well rounded shape of the "flower", the bokeh for a background, and the off-center position. I would have preferred to have the crop be less severe on the bottom, showing more of the "stem"...but since I don't know what was down there, perhaps you made a wise choice.

Celebrate
by Kelli

Comment:
Trading Post

Congrats for having this image land in the middle of your top five. I like the abstract quality of the fireworks, the multiple colors, and the slightly off-center capture/composition. Given that I like fireworks this photo works for me. Since PP is not permitted, I guess that sums this up.

Sailing towards calmer water
by Kelli

Comment:
There are two things I like about this image: (1) the idea of using color to simulate a storm or rough waters, and (2) the blue colors themselves and the way they fill the whole frame. Having said that, I am not a fan of posterizing and other heavy filters. Here it is particularly tough, because the subject is glass which by its nature is transparent. The posterized treatment comes right through the glass and makes the focal point of the picture hard to discern. With glass, less is more IMHO.

Marching Alternates
by nards656

Comment:
I am not sure what to say in this challenge. Since PP is not allowed, there is not much to critique. The focus seems a bit soft to me...with the outer portions of the shafts and the cotton a bit out of focus...along with the shafts in the last couple of swabs on the right. Lighting seems a bit flat, with very little shadow. On the other hand, perhaps that is exactly what you wanted.

Blackeye
by Louis

Comment:
Trading Post

This truly is art. As good as your score was (76 out of 374) it was still underated. I think this is your best work to date...I gave it an 8. The flower has as much emotional punch to it as any flower I ever remember seeing. The simplicity of the set-up is also powerful. I don't know much about Mapplethorpe (I saw one gallery exhibit of his work in Chicago some years back) other than his controversial nudity, but as I recall his technique is solid. So is the technique in your image. Well done.

Message edited by author 2006-07-11 02:17:11.

Three generations
by Melethia

Comment:
Terrific picture. I love the color of the bloom, the brown center, the blurring of the leaves and the sweep of the stem to the right of the flower. Setting it off with the white background also works for me. I voted this a 6 as there was some pretty steep competition.

...as for your cat knocking over your set-up, I suspect that he/she was upset for not having a leading role in this image after starring in the twisted glass photo. Divas are like that.

Joe's Fruit and Vegetables
by Melethia

Comment:
Trading Post

I like this photo because of the rich colors of the truck and foreground flowers as well as the PoV. I did think that the focus was a bit off (none of the lettering on the grill, license plate, or door seems sharp to me). The background is also a bit busy (the trees compete with the plants in the back of the truck) making it a bit difficult to distinguish the details of the primary subject from its surroundings. I gave this a 5 (...he says honestly while ducking to avoid being hit with one of Joe's fruit or vegetables), but I generally scored all of the photos in this challenge down a bit because most of them seemed to suffer from the inability to do a little PP.

Cat on Glass
by Melethia

Comment:
Trading Post comment.

I read your comments...and the list of criticisms you levied on yourself, to which I say...yep, yep, yep, yep and yep to all the technical deficiencies. But this photo isn't really about technique...otherwise the cat would have been wearing a shirt. ;-)

On the other hand, you have "perspective" nailed, humor elevated, and (of course) there is the matter of that twisted metal. Most important..."no animals were harmed during the making of this photo"...and all of that means this photo is worth at least a 6 or 7.

Message edited by author 2006-07-11 01:40:34.