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.

Nature's Flow
by DigiFotoBuddy

Comment:
My word - this has a 3D effect the like of which I'm not sure I've encountered before. Quite startling!

Coincidence of Colors
by tehben

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 this and your title really helps to add interest - I'm sure I would not have twigged without the mental prompt. Stunning backdrop and an interesting foreground too. I feel that I'm getting a glimpse of the world that I'd never get without this photo - true of most images I suppose but this one seems to be particularly poignant in that regard.

Critical stuff: I suppose I wish it was slightly sharper.

Overall: An image that has surprised me by how much it has caused me to reflect - that's got to be a good thing hasn't it?

Message edited by author 2010-03-10 11:43:44.

The hand
by hajeka

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 an unusual composition - inspired by the Children's Toy / robot weirdness stuff going on? Whatever the motivation - it is very well done though. I think the DOF is just right too.

Critical stuff: It is what it is but I wonder if it runs a little short on overall interest level.

Overall: I like it but I'm sure you knew that this was never going to garner wide appeal.