Evolution of the Shell Gatherer
by bspurgeon

Comment:
I like the various stages of focus here, nicely done. I can't help but wonder what this would look like with a nice B&W conversion.

Egg Hunt
by TonyT

Comment:
Sepia tone here, IMO, is a little too strong for the wistful nature of the photo. The warmth is good, but it's fighting too much with the playful nature of the photo, wanting to give it a darker, more antiquish feel which I don't much care for.

Easter Blue
by jerseyjim

Comment:
Bold move to keep the shirt saturated, as it'll probably get hit hard by the anti-desat movement that's about these days.

Personally, I would have kept the eyes saturated as well to help balance the photo out, although if they're hazel/brown/etc. it wouldn't have mattered much. In which case I would have kept the shirt B&W. There's a bit of an issue with composition balance as well, as the upper part of the photo doesn't really add much, and takes away from the feel.

Not saying, of course, that you should do these things, but that's how I feel when I look at it.

Work Boots
by NikonJeb

Comment:
chipuc sort of touched on it, and I think that it's something that most voters didn't even consciously REALIZE, even if it most likely sub-consciously affected them, but this shot actually anthropomorphizes these boots, making them seem a little alive, like they have mouths open in laughter, full of teeth. This gives a static shot something more, and probably helped the audience connect to it.

China Doll
by smurfguy

Comment:
If this photo can't even get a 6, then screw doing any more child portraits on this website in challenges. Seriously.

I'm officially retired. lol.

Hey kid...
by Kine

Comment:
I don't get it.

This is simple.

It tells a story, with an element of humor.

It is fairly unremarkable in WOW factor.

It has almost no extraneous post-processing to speak of.

It is unassuming.

It is, quite frankly, the opposite of everything that DPC has come to stand for.

And yet here it is with a Blue Ribbon.

Can it be that DPC voters actually got it RIGHT for a change?

Inconceivable!

Adam
by michaelmonn

Comment:
Hello, your shot has been chosen for my Daily 5! This is where I choose 5 shots per day (or close enough) from the Recently Uploaded list that do not yet have comments, and comment on them.

Like all the shots of this type, in this series, I like the clean feel, but I can't help but wonder at the lack of personality I'm getting from these. They may just be a little TOO static. TOO clean. The band members all seem to be exuding a bit of "what am I supposed to do here?", with blank looks, uninspired and stiff poses, and what seems to be a bit of a lack of direction. As a viewer, I'd like to be able to get a bit more about what and who each of these people 'are', in a way. More expression, more body language, and just a little... more.

If that makes any sense.

Nov 25 - Nuts
by hajeka

Comment:
Hello, your shot has been chosen for my Daily 5! This is where I choose 5 shots per day (or close enough) from the Recently Uploaded list that do not yet have comments, and comment on them.

Ah, the walnut and the nut-cracker. For me, it's a powerful catalyst to memories of childhood. Of Christmas Tree decorating day, which was such a strong family tradition that the smells, sights, sounds, and feelings of every single one still stay with me to this day. The spread of nuts and chips and chocolates and drinks, the hanging of ornaments that were both bought new, every year, mixed with those that had been made by us children throughout our school years, growing older and more beat up with every passing season, but still maintaining an important place of honor on the tree.

So, while I ramble, thank you for unwittingly allowing me to feel a part of my history and past tradition, and for the smile on my lips, and the memory in my heart.

Hypnotiq
by LVicari

Comment:
Hello, your shot has been chosen for my Daily 5! This is where I choose 5 shots per day (or close enough) from the Recently Uploaded list that do not yet have comments, and comment on them.

Wow, what an awesome change from the ordinary. Dark, gritty, moody, and a refreshing change from the everyday. I absolutely adore the occasional showcase of a slightly darker side of humanity, and the 'celebration', if you will, of that which we are not always so comfortable seeing.

Your title is especially enigmatic, as it is not a word that is generally associated with dark beauty. You seem to be saying that one is to be entranced by this stare, this look of not-so-thinly veiled angst, and that even despite what should be a repulse, instead, and amazingly, we are indeed drawn in, and hypnotized.

IMG_8589ann.jpg
by Ivory

Comment:
Hello, your shot has been chosen for my Daily 5! This is where I choose 5 shots per day (or close enough) from the Recently Uploaded list that do not yet have comments, and comment on them.

The majestic Blue Jay, a strong and sometimes angry bird, that makes for such a statement in a photo. The colors fly from this, the bokeh is a very nice complement, and I feel like this bird is aware of us, and strutting his stuff for the shot.

However, while I like this photo a lot, I cannot call it Stellar, for that is not the right type of Jay :D