Phoenix_0016_BW
by cbeller

Comment:
Good shot :)

Did you try a more dramatic crop?
Crop

I hope you don't mind my editing your picture to show you what I mean, please let me know if you want me to remove it and I will of course do so :)

What do you think of that crop? I think it has more impact.

36B
by miss parker

Comment:
I had a feeling you would do well, very good shot and fit the challenge well too.

from above
by Seanachai

Comment:
congratulations on winning, excellent shot.

Come back Daddy...
by perkygoth

Comment:
Good idea. I really like the composition of this picture the way that the triangle that the kid forms leads straight into the ball. That leaves the rest of the frame which again is a triangle. The lines of these shapes also create a dynamic which is reinforced by the off centre composition -- very effective.

My biggest gripe with this picture is the artefacts that you can see on the boys skin, if you look closely you will see quite a few of them. I am not sure if these are JPEG artefacts or if you Neatimaged the picture, I would have thought however that they are probably JPEG artefacts.

I would probably also prefer to have seen the car a little bit closer, but then again so what it's still a good picture.

Fight or Flight?
by librodo

Comment:
Good off centre composition with plenty of emotion in the shot, and very good powerful eye contact. Also a good location with the background reinforcing the picture. To be ultra picky, although you probably couldn't control it, the highlights in the eyes appear a little bit busy. That however is only a very minor distraction from an otherwise brilliant photo.

Chasing the Action
by PaulMdx

Comment:
Nice shot, I really like that Fellows Halo.

I really feel that you could have benefited from more depth of field, but then that is the opinion of a cranky photographer :-)

Gotta light?
by kiwiness

Comment:
Heh, a holiday hasn't blunted you has it?
Great shot as usual :-)

Fantasia
by Gordon

Comment:
Is that score for real? Congrats way the best score I seen and a zinger of a shot to get it with.

Swirling Snow
by kirbic

Comment:
Nice horiz. banding... you got a Canon?

Nature's Treasure
by moodville

Comment:
Interesting picture, very shallow depth of field and almost a complete lack of noise. I also like a way that the border draws your eye towards the dark parts of the image, therefore providing greater contrast to the blue in the image.

I personally think that the depth of field should either have be used to concentrat on just one particular part of the image, or that you should have used a greater depth of field to show off the shape that you have in this particular picture. The shape is not really borne out by the fact that it is a bit blurred.
Also by using a very shallow depth of field, but not concentrating on just one particular element, you have ended up with a picture where you effectively have three parts in focus which are on a diagonal from bottom left to top right. This leaves the opposing diagonal somewhat empty and devoid of focus. Maybe it is this that seems to unbalanced this particular image.

As it stands there is something that I don't quite like about the image, but it is very good nonetheless. You have also achieved very crisp focus, which is obviously a benefit in a macro. Good luck.