Vulnerable
by Citadel

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club-
Your entry very obviously fits the challenge well, as is made evident by its placing but also by a solid and obvious use of a chair in your portrait. I like that you took things in a slightly different direction from the standard portrait, and think that the key to making a successful portrait is giving it some sort of direction or make it depict more than just somebody̢۪s face. Overall, I like your photo, but there are a few things that really distract me from the scene as a whole. The first is the strange way that your hair sorta turned into a mat due to the lighting. I̢۪m not sure if there was clipping or what, but I get stuck there visually. The other is the differing color temperatures. I think going with one or the other would have been better. Personally, I think staying away from the warming gel would have benefitted things you̢۪re showing a person who looks hurt and isolated, and cooler lighting is just more sterile and unbecoming of comfort. I would also second geinafets comment to lower the intensity a bit. Oh, and is that a remote in your hand? ;) Timer/other hand recommended.
All in all though, the score is warranted, as you̢۪ve met the challenge in a creative and interesting fashion, and what I̢۪ve noted are minor issues. Good job.

"A Penny For Your Thoughts"
by Jon_H

Comment:
Hello from the Critique Club-
The first thing that strikes me about this is that you have not made the chair a more important element in the photo. Some will vote you down for this, others could care less, but it is something to consider.
As far as technical details go, I think you have done a good job capturing her. I appreciate the softness to the image, and think it matches the mood of the photo/her pose well. Your background has been nicely blurred and is not distracting, keeping our attention focused where it should be. I agree with EL-ROI that there is too much empty space in the top left. I see her face, and then go back up to the empty area even though there is nothing there. I think I personally may have gone with a little bit more contrast, though that does go contrary to your more dreamy approach, so that would be a personal difference. One thing, though, that I think this would benefit from, is a slightly different pose for your daughter. The mostly closed but partially open mouth is just an awkward middle ground. While I appreciate your use of an off-frame gaze, I̢۪d like to see more of her eyes. Eyes are very important in photographs, and they help us connect as viewers. In this case, I think it might have increased our intrigue and curiosity. Overall, a solid portrait, especially when it comes to lighting, which is very even and pleasing.

hostas
by retake

Comment:
The shadow balances out the bright leaves nicely. Nice texture on foliage.

Egrets
by PennyStreet

Comment:
I think this is a pretty shot. At first it looked more like a puddle to me though, and I thought it was small scale, but then I saw the egrets and realized the actual size. I also like how they oppose each other.

Lady Rollissima's Wonderland
by gyaban

Comment:
Awesome shot, great concept. Did you consider using black thread at all?

Bridge of Flowers
by PennyStreet

Comment:
I'm liking this one. Great control of DoF. It's interesting how the foliage progresses from right to left, out of to into focus.

Skeeter Hawks
by MelonMusketeer

Comment:
Wow talk about a bumper crop of dragonflies.
We had quite a few in my area this year as well.
I like that you have a number of them up in the negative space of the sky for easy recognition, as well as some hovering a bit lower and against the vegetation.

World Trade Center Towers, c. 1973
by tvsometime

Comment:
This is really cool. The combination of the negative space and the leading lines works really well.

cloud formation
by pointandshoot

Comment:
I'm wondering if you're getting hammered in voting, but this is pretty cool. I like the minimalism.
(not voting)

Wall
by tvsometime

Comment:
This caught my eye when I first opened the thread. The window with the radiating lines has a nice effect, and then, upon closer examination, the crenulations in the wall itself become evident. Good shot.