last leaf
by charliebaker

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 certainly bold! The 2 bit colour depth reduces the scene to its most basic form - this isn't without appeal to some.

Critical stuff: The image is extreme enough to appear cynical - I think that is a problem. Although the outline shape has a certain appeal, this really isn't an attractive image and as a consequence it is hard to like. It doesn't communicated much story or much else to me other than your photographic will - perhaps that was your intention.

Overall: You obviously not submitted this with then intention of pleasing the masses but even with my most interpretivistic hat on I'm coming up short when trying to appreciate this image.

Storm Debris
by Scoman

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 like how 'limited' this image is - by that I mean controlled, constrained, framed, defined. I'm always fascinated how we can get more structure out of the OOF focus areas than the areas we have focussed upon - this phenomenon ensures that the periphery of the image isn't lost but contributes to the image as a form of natural framing.

Critical stuff: There is a downside to constraining an image to this degree - the intrinsic interest level is quite low and I fear that this is an image that will fascinate few. The inanimate nature of your subject makes it hard to create any story and I imagine the voting hasn't been too kind.

Overall: The image is very good at what it is very good at! It is effective in its own way, but it isn't an image I can image returning to just to look at.

Piano Man
by Abra

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 most lovely portrait benefitting from highly effective lighting. The crisp focus on the hands and the paintingish softness of the rest of the image conspires with the coloration and lighting to produce something quite special.

Critical stuff: I have mixed feelings about the surface at the bottom of the image and the wall moulding on the right - they seem to intrude and detract a little but if I mask them out with my hands the image seems diminished. On balance I think their presence gives context and life to the image.

Overall: An image that gets better and better the more you look at it. So much so that by the time I've got to the end of my looking and writing I feel a need to fav it.

momentary
by 4trtone

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 do like the image but I'm finding it hard to articulate why. There are many effective elements, the hand, the uber-blurry face, the shadows, the subtle lighting behind the figure, the overall scene shrouded in mystery - all very effective.

Critical stuff: You know I like the elements - I'm not so sure it all hangs together though; I like images with a story and although there is plenty of mystery here, There is something not quite working for me - I wonder if it is the lighting on the left, the brightness undermining the potential menace of the right side.

Overall: Intriguing, an at least partially successful image (for me) and certainly one I've been pleased to meet.

seal of solomon
by whiteroom

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 like the ambiguity here - it could be a vertical surface with graffiti or a horizontal surface with shadows (perhaps barbed wire loops). I like the texture and toning too. Best of all I like the subtle differences in the three surface zones.

Critical stuff: I like these textual pieces but I think they have an implicit cap on the amount of interest they hold for viewers.

Overall: Nice enough but probably lacking enough story to be truly interesting.

The Lady and Her Dragon
by wetland

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 highly interesting scene - I can see why you'd want to get a shot of this. I think your composition / aspect ratio works really well and the eye is led very nicely around the image.

Critical stuff: The image is a bit weak technically - all down to the low light? Is that a bit of movement unsharpness I'm seeing. The dragon probably carries it off but the lady is more problematical.

Overall: A great scene, well captured but technical limitations have placed a cap on overall quality.

Li'l Saint Hervé
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: How bizarre! A good thing! I like the coloration, the blur and I very much like the emerging green fence behind the subject.

Critical stuff: To my eye the composition is suboptimal, I'd have cropped a bit more from the right side I think; having said that, the slight unbalancing of the composition does contribute to a general uneasiness which suits the over feel of the image. The eyes... again mixed feelings - I don't like them being so prominent, the effect is out of kilter with the rest of the image. Having said that, I can't deny they draw you in and almost define the image. The question is - do they over-define? I'm undecided.

Overall: A fascinating image full of unusual (but influential) choices. I like how your image make me (the viewer) deal with it on your terms.

Elsa
by krukvaext

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: Great composition, lighting and model - I like the subtle coloration too. The make up is great.

Critical stuff: I think the low contrast detracts from the image a great deal and the strange patchy brownish hues are (in my view) quite ruinous.

Overall: Potentially a great image but ruined I feel by the stuff I've mentioned above.

nighttime
by whiterook

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: An image at the threshold - I've looked at it on my laptop and I see the moon and a few branches and something occluding the moon on the left. Then I tilt my screen and the whole scene emerges. That is somewhat interesting.

Critical stuff: The above (in my view) is not enough. The overall enjoyability of the image is quite low.

Overall: I can appreciate the minimalistic thing going on here but in the final analysis I'm not really a fan.

Always with style
by gyaban

Comment:
I have no idea how you pull off these shots time after time, so technically competent - amazing.

Alignment with the intentions of this challenge is low though, so I'm sure this reflects the relatively low score (for you) that you have posted in the forum.