LiFecYcLe
by BeckyT

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: Not an everybody photographic subject, but an everyday event - I like the balance and honesty in that. The frog's pose makes me think of dissection and in a way, this visual dissection of the scene is just as penetrating. The HDR / tone-mapped appearance contributes a lot - revealing every detail and nuance of texture.

Critical stuff: Nothing really.

Overall: I can't say I like the image - it is rather garish, though I can see a rationale behind each of the choices you have made. Good job.

Wishing Waiting
by ScooterMcNutty

Comment:
One of my 10s - lovely work, subtle, delicate, full of mood. I'm not sure I like the dark edge (wall?) on the right of the image but I like the rest of it enough not to let that bother me too much.

In a Country Cafe
by chalice

Comment:
One of my 10s, I love the subtlety of this image. Very well weighted exposure and composition. I hope it gets as appreciated as much as it should.

me and my peonies
by liberty

Comment:
Just back to comment as I bump this from 9 to 10. The lighting, colours, textures and the mystery the mask brings is all just fabulous. To be honest you had me with the lighting, colours and textures - I'd have rated it just as highly without the mask.

Just super-accomplished.

The End
by LVicari

Comment:
One of my 10s. Great commitment. Bravo.

Tranquility Interrupted
by DCNUTTER

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 to see images like this in the Free Study - ones where people have actively chosen somethIng that is not obvious FS material. I feel we see more of the photographer that way. Here, as your title indicates we have a number of juxtapositions: of stillness and movement, of timeless and modern, of horizontal and vertical, of red and white (with some green on the side!). All of this speaks to an active composition and of evidence of you having made choices rather than just being there. Technically, I like the DOF and how that offers sharp foreground grass and barn and how this juxtaposes (again) with the (movement) blur of the middle depth zone.

Critical stuff: Despite all of the above, the overall interest level in the scene isn't that high - I think you have maximised it but there is a intrinsic capped limit. I think the missing element may be the presence of a clear narrative.

Overall: I'm glad you offered this up. It has a lot of merit.

strike a pose
by xtian

Comment:
This one confounds me a little. There is quite a lot of potential in this shoot (I won't say this shot); but it seems like every choice you've made here is the wrong one. It almost make me wonder whether that is deliberate... By doing it so wrong, you communicate your awareness of what 'it' is.

Just in case it isn't deliberate - feedback on the wrongness: the pose, the flat light, the grey coloration, the DOF, the processing (especially the haloing / tone mapped look) - shadow handling makes her look dirty. Each of these on their own would be enough to spoil the image.... But together?

I'll be interested to see the comments of others on this one. I hope I haven't offended but I'm pretty sure that with the right pick from this shoot and different editing choices you'd have a really great shot.

Brighton Lanes ... head and hat and glasses
by casatigeo

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 sense of life here and the quirky nature of the street scene. I also like how your eye has picked something out of the hustle and bustle and subjected it to photographic scrutiny. Without your agency we, like the passers-by, would have strolled past. That's what makes this image really - you pull us up, make us stop, make us look and remind us of the little details that make our macro-reality.

Critical stuff: Technically, it could be a tad brighter.

Overall: An interesting image- one that I'm glad I've given some time to.

Beyond
by ChikaZAWa

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: On the surface, this is an image that does little to impress - but somehow it really works. the 70's coloration, the precise composition, the 'casual' soft focus, the slight vignette - all the features add up and complement each other. Then there is the story - the gender and age ambiguity, thoughts of what is in the woods and the possibilities of the next few minutes in the life of your subject.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all.

Overall: I think this is pretty masterful - for me, you have transcended 'image' and have moved into story and communication. The technical choices are no accident, for choices they are - each made in deliberate service to the narrative you have crafted. Bravo.

It's a Whatsit Bug
by MaryO

Comment:
Looks slightly bright on my monitor but there is no doubt that this is an excellent capture.