Valerie
by agrimace

Comment:
Looks like something I might enter ;-)

For me (on my monitors) the highlights would benefit from a bit of recovery and the face with a little more sharpening.

I do like the pose and the lighting set up though.

Just re-read; I do like the image a lot more than the above comments might suggest! 7 from me.

welcome
by tanguera

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: This is utterly glorious - wonderful colours, lovely empty foreground, minute-perfect light and a well judged vignette. It feels slightly cool but you can still feel the remnants of a hot day.

Critical stuff: Johanna, I think I've seen another in your Flickr portfolio or blog that I think is even better?

Overall: Stupendous colours win out. 10.

The Red Fence
by Bear_Music

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Fantastic colours - somewhere between Vegas and Twin Peaks! I'm just waiting for a man to talk backwards! There are all sorts of fascinating elements here - the fence like pencil; the seats retro-futurist and of course the overall coloration is fabulous.

Critical stuff: I think I hanker for a stronger vignette or some edge burning - not sure why.

Overall: Eclectic and effective.

With Grandma
by jomari

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Such a sense of depth! Lovely tones too. The light in the room is magnificent, as is the room itself. I really like the long shadows too and that glint of the sun at the end of the trail our eyes take.

Critical stuff: Nope

Overall: Just lovely.

cozy
by cutout

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Gorgeous coloration combined with a strong sense of claustrophobia. I really like the dappled texture to. The glow of the light brings illumination, but no hope - that's quite effective. The top crop works wonderfully as a curtailment - makes us feel even more confined.

Critical stuff: Not really

Overall: More than the sum of its parts.

take
by jmritz

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Ha! Very zone-platey! This is a much more complex image than a first glance might suggest - those fence panels bottom right cause us to think twice and to check our orientation. The story of the figure in intriguing too.

Critical stuff: I'm not sure what's caused the blur top right - I think it perhaps detracts more than it adds.

Overall: Bizarre but interesting. Always a good combination.

σιρόκος (Sirocco Sand)
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: The harmonics of noise - in oxymoronic challenge to all that is random! This is an image of such dynamism - it almost dances before us. The texture/noise is of course the making of the image; without it, it would be much diminished.

Critical stuff: Not a crowd pleaser - but you already knew that.

Overall: A fine conceptual piece.

rising march
by bspurgeon

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Makes me think of Ben. I like the bleakness of this and how it makes you feel that to this is the route to oblivion. It is like reality is being washed away as you move up (into) the image. And, although I can imagine sound - it is hushed, deliberate and of the sea alone. The restrained tones work really well too.

Critical stuff: Nope.

Overall: A one image lesson in how to photograph a mood.

Window Shopping
by markwiley

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Looks like a 'shot from the hip' image - and that's a good thing. The eclectic framing will be a hate or love it kind of thing - I like that, an audience dissector! I like the story too (well, that it has a story). Great monochrome handling here, quite high contrast but details preserved in the shadows.

Critical stuff: I'm not so keen on the crunchy paved surface - it keeps pulling my eye.

Overall: Nicely presented emergent image.

phenotype
by 2mccs

Comment:
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: High drama! Not understanding the surface we are looking at, this imprint is hard to interpret - it could be a desperate plea for help of a carefree piece of art. I really like the texture of the image and how the contrast ramps from left to right.

Critical stuff: Nope.

Overall: A very enjoyable image.