The Apprentice
by nidici

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: I really like this image, you've captured an honest and compelling moment. I also like that you've left this in colour and not been tempted down the monochrome path, ot makes for better exploration of the food! The light in the scene is great, offering bags of depth that brings the image to life, that depth is the secret to it's transportative power. You have a pretty large DOF here, no mean feat for an internal shot like this. This observing girl is well captured, I like the way she is leaning on the glass - simultaneously restive and intensely engaged.

Critical stuff: Although I like the lighting in the scene, I think it could be better controlled in the image, I think the blown highlights, especially on her face are distracted and could easily have been brought down under the advanced ruleset of a Free Study without affecting other areas of the image.

Overall: A very nice slice of life image.

oom
by posthumous

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 technique you've deployed here certainly leads the eye to your subject. I like how the subject is somewhat ambiguous - with the head lost in shadow, cow-like but with a slight oddness.

Critical stuff: The brevity of the section above has probably already given you a clue that I'm not a fan of this image. I'm a fan of blur and of Lensbaby work (the blur pattern is very Lensbaby-ish) but here it just seems to be used gratuitously.

Overall: I like that you've made some bold choices here, but they aren't one that work for this viewer.

Other Side
by Tiberius

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: Your crop means that this is a wonderfully naturally framed (and nested) image. Great stark red coloration, contrasting with the yellow signs. The figure too is very interesting with his hand placed awkwardly over his face.

Critical stuff: I normally don't mind selective desaturation but I think it looks a bit gimicky here.

Overall: Highly interesting image, beautifully framed but for me not optimally edited.

Gray
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: Oh wow! This is just off-the-scale good. Where to begin....? The scratchy textural effect you've managed to produce is so, so compelling - it almost adds an etched 3d effect. The figure looms large and almost scarecrow-like with hands of straw. The flag and gravestones(?) give this an additional poignancy.

Critical stuff: Nothing

Overall: Astonishing work.

ShadowWood
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: Looks like someone got their Silver Efex Pro 2! I find this image to be thoroughly disorientating, that's a good thing - I like images that confound. The textures are obviously very well developed and I suspect this has turned out just as you wanted.

Critical stuff: Although I admire the image, I don't like it - I tend to dislike crunchy looking foliage and is uber-ccrunchy!

Overall: Nicely made but not for me.

One Of Those Boys
by gsal

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 a flat out wonderful portrait, I like the honesty of it. The light and composition are perfect, as is the depth of field. I really like the cool muted coloration, it matches the overall image very nicely indeed.

Critical stuff: Nothing

Overall: Perfectly judged in every respect.

yesterday, today, tomorrow
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: What a great sky (especially that cloud just above the sea on the left) and the moving figures are marvellous too. I really like the highlights on the sea beyond the figures.

Critical stuff: I do like the vignette but I think it could be a tad darker, also this is one of those images that I think would look even better with a little added grain.

Overall: Lovely stuff. Well made.

City Light
by tvsometime

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: Beautiful, distortion-free, well-toned image with extraordinary light. This is one of those images that are more than the sum of their parts. I like how each of the windows offers something similar but with variety - like a box of chocolates. Where does that pattern of light come from? Reflected sunlight from a building behind the camera lens?

Critical stuff: Nothing really

Overall: This has great appeal, it would make an excellent wall poster.

Warning!: Not to be used as a floatation device.
by nixter

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: Easy to get distracted by the thoroughly entertaining inflatable but there is much more going on here than just an inflatable doll in a pool. The splash around the leg is so well captured, like the foot has just entered the water, yet we see it - firmly in place - on the step. We expect a male figure but that looks like a dress, the legs are smooth and the nails are painted. We look for more clues in the reflection but our view is obscured by our pneumatic friend. We think we can see a face, but to me this has a strange plastic-like quality to it, like someone wearing a mask of a dead president reminiscent of many a Hollywood heist production. Then there is the other reflection, is that a tower of some sort? The thought changes the context from a back yard pool to something entirely more public.... intrigue upon intrigue.

Critical stuff: Far too interesting to mention anything here.

Overall: Highly engaging, I feel like I'm watching a good movie.

e n c r o a c h m e n t
by rooum

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 beautiful. Effective, not least because of its ambiguity - essence of ocean, beach, sky and car lights but not enough information for us to be sure. The choices you've made with saturation and tone are wonderful.

Critical stuff: Not much at all... perhaps the slight darkening of the right side is a little prominent given the smoothness of the rest of the image.

Overall: A very nice abstract indeed.