Power!
by rurikkarl

Comment:
I much prefer your Free Study entry - I can't blame you for putting the picture there though - it is fabulous.

Having said that, this is really good too - the detail on the structural sections is quite striking.

Snow White...
by grgkopanas

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 often start these pictures by saying 'I don't normally like cat pictures but...'; I think I've said that too many times for that to be true anymore! This one is rather special though - fabulous use of exactly the right depth of field, exposure is bang on, as is the focus. I like your brave composition too - offsetting the cat and having the confidence to offer up that amount of negative space. The eyes of course are a major factor in the success of the image - how they glow! Did you do that in post?

Critical stuff: Nothing really.

Overall: Great image, technically and artistically excellent.

Waiting to Change Dreams
by raish

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 very nice evocative image with a title that makes you think about people, their lives and our assumptions / preconceptions. I like how you've edited to the light here and by so doing you have maintained the atmosphere that was no doubt apparent when you took the image.

Critical stuff: Not much - I think I might have been tempted to crop out the guy on the left, I know you would lose the left side of the frame but I think you'd have gained a little more emphasis on your primary subject without compromising much of the environmental context.

Overall: A nice effective image which reminds us of how we share the world with other people - people with their own agendas and dreams.

95th Birthday
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: What a beautiful, sensitive, soft portrait. Utterly perfect toning and you have balanced sharpness with softness masterfully. I might have been tempted to be critical about the artefacts on the table but in reality they add context to the scene and transport us to the table.

Critical stuff: I think I might have been tempted to take the background a little lighter in post processing, but that's a personal choice thing.

Overall: Magnificent portrait image - I hope it scores well, it deserves to.

Nikolai
by oskarak

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 directness of this image is staggering! I challenge anybody to pass it by without some form of reaction - it made me laugh out loud. I think you have the lighting just right as is the toning / conversion.

Critical stuff: Great picture to be sure but since Nikolai as given you this wonderful expression, have you delivered on the photographic aspects? Lighting is great but I think your focus is a little off; there are some aspects of the edit I might taken issue with - firstly the background banding.... how did you shoot this? RAW? Did you use the highest possible bit depth throughout the workflow? Also, I think I'd have ben tempted to smooth the skin a little - the conversion has emphasised some of the natural vascular mottling on his chest and arms.

Overall: A great, great image but one which has a couple of minot technical limitations.

Now boarding gate 173 to Santiago
by wolf

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, I love the grain in the desaturated background - it adds to the metallic feel of those areas and the acid yellow green of the LEDs is importantly and well preserved. The whole image has a clarity that I like.

Critical stuff: Not much really - I kind of wish you had desaturated the underside of the signs.

Overall: A very effective image - nicely made.

Spring is Just Around the Corner
by jbright

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: There's something about this image that is a little quirky and it that quality that has me interested. The austerity of the sky and underpinning landscape is so very in contrast to the vibrancy and cheerfulness of the chairs which invade the duck egg tones of the image with their gaudy rainbow.

Critical stuff: The more central chair is very sharp but some aspects of the image are a little soft - perhaps its just something like a glow filter or some noise reduction at work.

Overall: An image that halts the viewer - I like it.

After the Storm
by k9logic

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: Very brave decision to go with this tint on a snow scene but for me it definitely adds. I think the placement of the elements is just about right.

Critical stuff: I don't think there is that much interest in the scene to it tops out quite quickly for a viewer.

Overall: I like the overall tones of the image but I'm not sure it is enough to truly carry the image.

R&D
by hanneke

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: Very interesting image - the style seems quite counter-wedding (though I appreciate that infers an expectation of cliche) - the POV and the billowing fabric is wonderful and the focus is right where it should be. I also like the way you have included quite a lot of the environment to set the context.

Critical stuff: nothing really.

Overall: I like it!

A night for stargazing
by william88

Comment:
I'm sure this will hit all the the right buttons with a lot of people. A bit too 'fantasy art' for my taste but the quality of the execution is amazing.