Ghost Forest
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: Almost graphic art over photo - I like the purity in this image. Is it a 2 bit conversion? I remember see a treelike image at resembled a cardiac trace, this is a little remiscant of that shot. There is plenty of mystery here, particularly in terms of scale - how big are those objects?

Critical stuff: Nothing really.

Overall: Interesting and a little brave!

walk
by tnun

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: Picking this up on a second commenting pass. Great natural framing and great confidence demonstrated in your edit, allowing the highlights to blow is a master stroke and adds significantly to the interest level of the image. The central subject matter is compelling too. A simple moment shared.

Critical stuff: not much, I wonder whether I'd have darkened the bushes on the left to emphasize the framing of your subject but given I think you have achieved that successfully anyway...

Overall: A very effective image.

Surfing in the night
by LevT

Comment:
Alan - this must be yours I think. Very nicely done. Bumping to an 8. Pristinely executed.

My Dream
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: I like the confidence you've had to go with a low contrast look here - the overall composition / subject matter is lovely, I particularly love the haze around the feet.

Critical stuff: The low contrast! I like that you did it - that you stood by that choice, I'm just not sure it's optimised your image.

Overall: Great (and bravely presented) image.

untitled
by AP

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 inspired - one of those images that is so much more than the sum of its parts. The dark carriages contributing to a form of negative space, the red and white '3' looming figure, the perfect (for the overall scene) exposure, the reading man - quite magnificent.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all.

Overall: Some people point a camera at a scene, others create photographs... You are soooo in the latter group. Looking forward to seeing who shot this.

Wet Abyss
by evilbasset

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 many shades of shadow can you have?!? Interesting forms you have laid out for us here - I like the way that I have no clue as to what this is! I'm particularly a fan of the concentric lines.

Critical stuff: Not particularly accessible - viewers with monitors calibrated a little dark may return a particularly harsh vote.

Overall: Initially interesting but doesn't have the legs of some other abstract images.

Sail Away
by salmiakki

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 image - creates such a mood of warmth and evoked almost the sound of the sea. Your exposure recreates the light perfectly, but most of all your use of movement blur works like a magic trick, seemingly adding to the information the brain has to work with rather than detracting from the detail on offer.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all.

Overall: A truly lovely image.

Sixth Avenue
by bvy

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 furtive feel of this image - like some undercover film footage. A real mixture of elements in the composition but this serves to immerse us further in the scene, None of this looks contrived at all. Normally I comment that ALL images are contrived - because as a minimum we frame the shot. Here, even though you have converted it to B&W, it feels rather magically non-contrived; almost accidental.

Critical stuff: The horizontal(ish) element from the right side is perhaps problematical - having said that, it would perhaps be too 'neat' without it.

Overall: Very unusual image - do I like it? I'm not sure, but I certainly commend you for offering this up in a Free Study.

Embellished Dream
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: Ahh... one to make me stop and look! The superimposition of the colour noise on the texture works really well. This gives a simultaneous colour and black and white look that is intriguing. I wonder what the subject is - even the scale is harder to discern; the DOF suggests a high macro but it remains difficult to tell.

Critical stuff: it is what it is - nothing to suggest here.

Overall: Great to see something like this in the Free Study.

Beautiful Mountain Spring.
by mrbig65

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: Really nice colours here - the reflected sky, the water, the trees make for a rather elemental feel. It is interesting the way the image disorientates a viewer too.

Critical stuff: Not an easy picture to look at for very long - rather cluttered composition... but that is the nature of the scene.

Overall: An interesting study of light, shade and texture.