Woven
by tanguera

Comment:
Not really a puzzle, not really puzzling. If 'woven' is the harbinger of a puzzle, I have a stack of puzzles in my closet which keep me warm in the winter. Goofy challenge theme aside, not a bad shot. Composition is nice and good detail throughout most of the surface of the hands. One hot spot in the lower left, and a number of areas where all shadow detail has been lost. Overall not bad.

Pinned
by phylsy7

Comment:
Other than puzzle piece shapes on the pin cushion, there's really nothing to this photo. The placement of the pins appears to be haphazard, and some have even been partially cropped by the edge of the frame or are partially disappearing into the large black void in the background. There was probably a better, more creative approach to this subject. Maybe even arranging the pins in the form of a question mark and composing so that the pin cushion fills the frame. Something like that would give the photo something to say, a life of its own, rather than being a documentary shot of a pincushion.

The puzzle of the smoker
by Rino63

Comment:
An unbalanced composition. The photo is divided into quadrants, with the only substantial object occupying the upper left. The box is less a puzzle than an arrangement of product labels, and the photo itself entirely reliant upon the title for any sort of substance or meaning. Shallow dof to bring the ashtray into the composition is a nice consideration, but doesn't really add anything to the shot. The lower right corner is dying for something to occupy the space and anchor the shot.

Now, where's that corner piece?
by TrollMan

Comment:
Not so subtle play on the theme of puzzle, with cracked ice as the pieces. Exposure is good, composition is fine though the red iron ring pulls the eye given its placement in the frame, and really has nothing to offer in return. While technically competent, the photo itself is rather lifeless, offering nothing of interest beyond an allusion to the challenge theme. That's not said as an insult, but rather a call to step up the creativity to a level that matches the technical prowess.

shoe-strings
by ladibug

Comment:
Concept is good. Little kid puzzled by the great mystery of tying shoe strings. However the laces are obscured so any impact they might have provided (think a big tangle) is missing. Primary focal point of the shot is a toss up between face and point of puzzlement (fingers and shoelaces). The face is well displayed, but the expression comes across as boredom or concentration rather than a puzzled child. Hands/shoe are pushed up against the frame and come across as incidental to the shot entirely (reinforced by part of the left hand being cropped). Processing is nice, has a nostalgic feel.

ranger_portrait_2679.jpg
by Rob O

Comment:
Lol, look at the size of those paws!! Ranger is going to be a big guy!

Devotion
by patio127

Comment:
First, thing you did right that is usually an error made when shooting our long nosed friends - got the nose in focus as well as (well, pretty damn close) the eyes.

Technical things you can correct for next time:

- Great expression on the dog, give the composition some room to breathe. Compose so the dog is looking into the frame and leave some space on the other side of his head. Also because we (westerners) are slaves to our subconscious, you'll find a photo tends to resonate better when composed so that the eyes follow the same motion as they do when reading a book. Left to right, top to bottom. Dog on the left, eyes at top, nose at bottom, dead air on the right.

- Lighting. It's an investment, and a necessary one if you do not want to be completely reliant on natural light. Assuming you don't want to spend money on a flash or two (read strobist.com), then your next best option is to wait for daylight and shoot your friend next to a window. The natural light coming at him from the side will do a great job of providing both detail and contour and give your photo a nice 3D look. Assuming an accommodating pooch, you can rotate him around and see what 'pose' works best with the light at hand. This will also solve your whitebalance issue pretty much on its own, or at least remove the yellow cast introduced by indoor lights.

I am guessing some of the very low votes are 'snapshot' votes, as even the most facist of voters would have to consider this a portrait and not dnmc. That's probably entirely due to the lighting so easy enough to work around next time.

Good looking dog, and you did get the expression you were after so good job on that.

Not another bloody party!
by Judi

Comment:
Clicking through thumbs the first day, I thought this guy was going to be a glass full of trouble! Not surprised at all to see it ribbon, good one.

Fight Club (tribute to Image# 751903)
by senor_kasper

Comment:
Insanely good shot.

Never Too Late For Sunrise
by Stagolee

Comment:
Good move not referencing the original shot during voting (in the title), definitely worked to your advantage.