Captivity
by BHuseman

Comment:
Incredibly powerful image. I just had to come back to see if you had shared the story behind this one, so thank you for taking the time to share it. This close up shot makes so much more of an impact than if you had just shown us the entire elephant. I'm sad that this shot was even available for you to capture, since it just isn't fair to this magnificent creature, but I thank you for taking the time to capture this and share it with all of us. Congrats on a fantastic score and placing in the challenge!

Moon Rise Day 22
by riversong

Comment:
This is beautiful! I sometimes forget how powerful the moonlight can be for nighttime photos. Very nicely done!

Ice Rink on the Edge Day 24
by riversong

Comment:
Beautiful view.. and what an unexpected find with that sign! It definitely looks cold up there!

Five levels
by thomasjessen

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First Impression: Great location, and the long exposure really helps to show the flow of the water over all the levels of the falls. A bit too blurry though, and the bright spot in the upper left is a bit harsh.

After reading your photographer comments, the blurriness is obviously due to lack of tripod. I kept having this problem of leaving my tripod in the car, only to find a great spot when I'm out in the middle of a hike... so, I got myself a Gorillapod for Christmas! Maybe something like that in your camera bag would help you too, so you don't have to rely on trees!

I do like the framing here... my eye follows the soft flow of the water down to the bottom of the shot. It's almost even in the shape of an S curve, which is nice. The b/w is a nice touch... the more I look at the shot, the more I like the high contrast of black to white. I think with the blurriness of the shot, leaving it in color wouldn't have worked.

I didn't vote in this challenge, but it seems as though many voters dismissed this as dark and out of focus, and then voted you a 4 or 5. However, you got some nice comments during the challenge from those who took a bit more time to explore the shot. And, to get a comment from posthumous naming this "the most underrated of the challenge" is quite a compliment! :)

Hope these comments were helpful! Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about my critique.

She is my muse
by Quasimojo

Comment:
Good focus on the face... like the tilted angles too. Lighting seems a bit harsh on the frame and her forehead though to me.

It's a cold day
by Alain

Comment:
Not often that I come across a landscape framed by the tree branches that feels like it works, but this one does. Love the contrast of the pines framing the shot compared to the rest of the trees that are covered in snow. Well done!

Light through the Sky
by dsmil

Comment:
Great lines, shadows and symmetry here. Must have had a short window of time to get this lined up so perfectly. Great job.

Palms framing the view
by jsundin

Comment:
Might not have been possible to get any higher, but feels like the palms are almost blocking the beautiful sunset view instead of framing it. Love the variety of shapes and textures in the silhouettes of the plants too.

//##0##\\
by ShannonLee

Comment:
Love all of the lines and symmetry here. Looks like a very patient and willing model you have! Great job!

Flattening Frames
by gtjewell

Comment:
This almost feels like an optical illusion. It's hard to see the depth in this shot, which feels strange, but definitely keeps me looking harder at all the elements of the shot.