The Descent
by mgarsteck

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 strong vertical and horizontal elements - you have somehow managed to maintain great clarity whilst introducing a lovely softness - Nik Software's Duplex filter?? There is just something about this image that holds my attention - surprisingly compelling for such a simple composition.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all

Overall: This all hangs together really - somehow it's more than the sum of its part.

Rainy Day Pond, Two
by dtallakson

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 really colourful image but there is a lot more to it too! The colour pattern is intriguing and it makes me want to know what is being reflected - it makes me think of Vegas! The ripples are of course brilliant and make the image.

Critical stuff: Nothing really.

Overall: A bold, semi-abstract image that manages to communicate much about environment whilst maintaining ample mystery.

The Snow Princess
by gsal

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: Another gsal masterpiece, I never get fed up of seeing these and your high contrast treatment always makes your portraits stand out from the crowd. I'd love to know what your editing work flow is to get this 'look'. Your model does you proud here - the straight on gaze, the hair into her mouth adds drama. The narrow depth of field and nailed focus adds plenty too. I was going to say we didn't need to 2nd figure and suggest a square crop, but if I do that with a piece of paper I can see that I'd be wrong - the 2nd figure add spatial context to the viewer - your model looks pasted into place without the figure there to anchor the scene.

Critical stuff: Nothing at all.

Overall: Superb portrait.

Winter Blues
by jerseyjim

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, placing the tree down there in the frame works brilliantly. I really love the stark snow too - I'm so glad you allowed this to be block white. It was also a good decision to hold onto the colour and not go monochrome.

Critical stuff: The low levels of contrast in the upper part of the sky detract from a very powerful image. I can think of a bunch of ways to add a bit of drama to the upper part of the image - kinda wish you had.

Overall: A very effective image, personally speaking the upper sky doesn't do it for me but I like the image just the same!

yin-yang
by ursula

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: Ursula - this is lovely, I have this image and the 1x version up on my screen while I type this and unusually I prefer this slightly smaller version - is it a bit sharper? I also prefer this image to your similar 'running water' - this one seems to have more life somehow. I really love the colours here too, the bronze with the copper oxide green is wonderful

Critical stuff: My eye is never drawn away from the wave on the left and I wonder how a square crop of the left side of the image might look.

Overall: Quite lovely.

Fractured Rhythm
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 think you have the exposure just right here and I'm not sure everybody would pull that off. I wonder if this is a pre-outtake for 'parallel lines' - it would be a strong entry there.

Critical stuff: The intrinsic interest level within the scene is a little limited which means that there is a ceiling on the interest you can convey in the image. Somehow it doesn't feel completely sharp.

Overall: A nice image that would do well in the right challenge but probably doesn't have the level of interest to do well in the FS.

Boom boom
by gyaban

Comment:
Wow - beautifully captured.

The Bridge to the Other Side
by Digit3

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: Now this is what it's all about! Love this. Perfect tones, the snow and the fog conspiring to give such wonderful stillness. I like how you verticals stat upright across the frame - did you lens-correct? Your POV is perfect too - offset to perfection.

Critical stuff: I wonder how a tighter portrait composition may have been, cropped just medially to each of the gates - I suspect that may have increased the sense of depth because then the bridge would suggest extension behind as well as ahead.

Overall: Flat out great image - immaculately presented.

To Catch a Moonbeam
by RKT

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 simple but very pretty image - it looks sunny until I actually look past the baubles and into the outside world. I'm quite keen on the curtain too - the pulling back suggests of the magician's cover being pulled back to reveal a magic trick.

Critical stuff: There's a slight magenta tint to the curtain which I think is a little distracting but other than that I can't think of any suggestions that would improve the image.

Overall: I do like this image - simple but more than the sum of its parts.

Thoughts
by ladibug

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 rather pristine piece of work, it's difficult to take much fault with it - the angles and the composition serve the image very well.

Critical stuff: I am vehemently anti-smoking, I hate looking at images which show someone smoking - I know I'm not the only one. The lighting is very subtle, perhaps a little so subtle - I feel the image has been robbed a little of vibrancy and contrast. The more I look at it, the more I want to nudge the field of view to the left, giving some more space behind him and a little less to the right of the glass.

Overall: Completely competent and well made but the smoking motif alienates me as a viewer.