The Aviator
by Yo_Spiff

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: Superb and unusual portrait, the context (dials etc) works so well to set the scene. The technicals are fantastic too, the focus, sharpness and toning are brilliant. Super catchlights in the eyes too.

Critical stuff: Not much - I can see why inclusion of the Stars and Stripes was seductive but I do think this side of the image is less strong than the other and the flag has a tendency to pull the eye away from more interesting parts of the image.

Overall: Super portrait, expertly made.

Engulfed
by ti_evom

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: Wonderful POV - this low perspective makes the shot for me. The selective focus is interesting and creates something that goes beyond 'capturing a dramatic wave scene' and makes your photographic choices clear to the viewer. I like that. The birds are the final crowning touch, offering a touch of life to this stark scene.

Overall: A great take on this scene.

Off Season
by xianart

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 wonderful scene to capture, the obvious juxtaposition of beach and snow is accentuated by the pretty bright yellow working with the dull dark tones of the sky. I like your choice of aspect ratio too.

Critical stuff: Not much at all.

Overall: A fine scene, well captured.

puppy love
by daisydavid

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: A lovely shot - full of life; those people who feel that photography is about sharpness should have this offered up as reference material. The muted colours and noise/grain certainly adds rather than detracts from the effectiveness of the image. On top of all that the topic matter is simply charming.

Critical stuff: nothing really.

Overall: Excellent shot that is more than the sum of its parts.

phantoms of the rock
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: Lots of things to push my buttons here, the coloration, the blur, the grain - all lovely. The strata provides the perfect backdrop to the scene and indeed the moving figures are seemingly at one with the geology behind them.

Critical stuff: Not much, perhaps I would like to have seen even more blur of the ground below their feet as the strong texture tends to pull the eye away from the stronger parts of the image.

Overall: A really good looking shot.

Hello from Yosemite
by wyverndragon

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 one made me smile - the juxtaposition with the context is superb. Surrounded by some of the finest potential for landscape photography in the world, you consign the splendour to 'mere' background and offer us a snowman instead! I love that. The photography is still very well executed though, the choice of low POV, the placement of the sun in relation to your subject, the perfect dynamic range, allowing us to glimpse the surroundings while losing nothing of the foreground subject and the overall quirky feeling of the moment.

Critical stuff: Nothing.

Overall: I really like the whimsy in this image - it communicates a sense of joy for life that can sometimes be hard to capture in an image.

Crossing at Gay
by timfythetoo

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: Tons of stuff to like here; the slice of life offered up, the through-the-windscreen POV that involves the photographer in the shot, the wonderful coloration (I'm really enjoying the red and green accents) and the overall richness of capturing the day / moment.

Critical stuff: The slight 'crunchiness' of the trees at the left of the image draws my slightly from other more interesting parts of the frame.

Overall: A highly immersive shot that I have enjoyed immensely.

The Boxers Defeat
by JulietNN

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 an amazing (and slightly brutal) portrait. The back story this evokes is amazing; the arm wounds, complete with grafts makes the viewer want to know about him and his life. I think your editing is perfect, I can see that the low light has led to some slight focus difficulties, but your edit has minimised the impact of these while contributing a good deal of drama.

Critical stuff: Only the slight focus issue but you have fully overcome it.

Overall: Proof that 'story' trumps anything else - fabulous, evocative work.

surfer
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: Wonderful in so many ways - your confidence in form over detail is brilliant, especially since a hint of selective focus in the bottom right of the frame hints at the lovely textures you have chosen to exclude from the shot. That's what I like about this image, it is full of choices and as such reflects what is going on behind the camera as much as in front.. There are number of aspects of the image that I think are effective; the sharp horizon, the reflection of the surfer, the leading line that links the reflection to the horizon and the multitude of wedges and triangle of light and shade.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all.

Overall: Really looking forward to seeing who made this. Excellent stuff.

Kelly 9 web
by LVicari

Comment:
Ha! Much more drama here. Amazing!!!!!!