Eureka !
by LouiseB

Comment:
Nice shot. Wish I could see a few more details on the back of the hand near the wrist. Great position on the hand. Great angle, crop, border. You should do quite well with this one.

A Dandelion in a Different Light
by mariomel

Comment:
Nice shot. Good lighting, crop, border, frame. The white light in the background seems oddly shaped. It was actually the first thing that I noticed, and my eyes keep getting pulled away from the yellow to the white. Maybe a gradual gradient from dark to light would work too.

Light And Colors
by GolferDDS

Comment:
I like it upside down too. The shadows and sparkles really make this shot.

Reflected
by superdave_909

Comment:
This would make a great print. Everyone who plays a [whatever this is - sax?] would love to have this hanging on their wall.

Time of Light
by Dax-

Comment:
nice job with this one. Like the crop, angle, lighting, everylthing.

The center of the galaxy
by jjbeguin

Comment:
This is a very good shot. I get a deja vu when I see this one. Very nice.

Soft Roses - High Key
by agwright

Comment:
I'm kind of tired of flowers, but this one caught my eye. Very nice.

Moonlight Sonata
by dsidwell

Comment:
Very creative. Good Luck.

Ferruginous Hawk
by riot

Comment:
Critique Club Comments:

First of all, the goal of photography is to "inspire", and this shot certainly does fulfill that goal.

Creativity: This is a very creative shot of a subject that has been photographed literally millions of times. The cropping and zoom are excellent.

Aesthetics: For a photograph to be compelling, it has to be something you want to look at, and keep looking at. Again, this image succeeds. I can easily see this hanging in the lobby or waiting room of a corporate office building.

Furthermore, there are no items in photograph that "don't belong" It is very common for a great shot to be reduced to an average shot, because there is something in the shot that is "distracting". The viewer can't enjoy the image, because there are one or more things in the image that are distracting. Again, no problems here. The subject is simple and clean and there are no "hot spots", dust spots, etc.

Technical Details:
Finally, you can have a great subject, perfect conditions and timing, and still end up with an average shot if you don't understand the science of photography (lighting, depth of field, etc.)

I don't see any technical issues with this shot. It is well lit and sharply focused.

Possible improvements:
If I were to play with image at all, I would try two things. First I would burn the eyes a little to see if I couldn't get some the details of the iris' to come out. Second, I would dodge the top of the beak a little to bring out the richness and contrast. I will send you a PM of these two edits as an example.

Conclusion:
Great shot. Congratulations on your first first blue ribbon.

Sentinels
by kirbic

Comment:
Beautiful rich colors. It took me a minute to figure out the right side of the shot. The rock in the forground is a little distracting. My eyes keep getting drawn away from the great sunset and the rocks on the horizon.