Close to the Edge, Down by a River...
by mgsmith53

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: A very effective juxtaposition - it's as if the whole parking lot is afloat in a cloud. The splash of red on the jacket works really well too. Of course the blurry foreground gulls make the image here and gives the work a sense of life and dynamism that might otherwise be lacking.

Critical stuff: I can't think of any changes in your edit that might make this more effective for me.

Overall: A fine piece of work.

Dawn
by Tlee05

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 the lighting on the face is pretty good and this area of the image would make for a very effective portrait; the rest of the image is very quirky- I don't regard that as a bad thing.

Critical stuff: The pose, the lighting, the clothing, the story, the background - all of these seem a little at odds with one another; in one way, there is inherent interest in that, in another it frustrates the viewer... I feel a little excluded from the image, my viewing experience is incomplete, I have become detached by being confounded.

Overall: Interesting but not fulfilling - if that is what you were going for, you have succeeded.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (now that was a smashing party)
by Oded

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: Well, this image got an instant reaction from me as it burst onto the screen like some recreation of the moment of the insect's death. It is certainly pretty well executed too - with the exposure displaying maximum goo.

Critical stuff: Do I like it? Not really - I'm not at all squeamish and I am quite unfazed by gore but in the end I'm left with the question - why show it, why share it. From a technical stand point, I wish the corners were a little brighter.

Overall: The main reason for me to write these longer comments is that it forces me to spend a long time looking at each image, often this enables me to form an appreciation which a shorter look would not have offered - with this image though, I find that after the initial impact (excuse the pun), there is little in the way of follow up. Pretty accomplished, but not an image for me.

Laundry
by aznym

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: Interesting colour palette here and the deep shadows are a great inclusion. I'm wondering if this is something that you just came upon and as such is a 'slice of life' offering or whether this is more of a contrived and set-up shot; I hope it is the former - somehow that seems a better fit.

Critical stuff: Despite the evidently bright sunshine, this is still a dark image - perhaps that was your intent but for me, the image feels a little suppressed.

Overall: Quite a nice find but for me the overall interest level is just middling.

Still Following Us
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: There is a real sense of authenticity and candidness in this image, boys at play with no mind of you or your camera. Your title is truly part of the work and serves to guide the eye and to communicate your interpretation of the image so. The light is great, the low sun casting the compelling shadows adds slight warmth to the chill the clothing suggests.

Critical stuff: Of course I wish that the back shadow wasn't clipped, but your image can carry that. Coloration wise, I'd have probably taken the green channel down in the wall area (but that is just a habit of mine - you won't find too much green in most of my images).

Overall: Very nice candid work.

Important Mission #329: Red Ball
by Lydia

Comment:
Love it!

One Golden Morning
by colorcarnival

Comment:
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 captivating image! A technically difficult focussing job too. The light behind the wings is stunning and transforms what might be an overly busy image into something else entirely. The flashes of yellow help lift the image too.

Critical stuff: The dome shaped thing at the middle right edge looks a little out of place - I think I'd have been tempted to clone out under the freedom with have with advanced editing.

Overall: A very effective confluence of artistry and technical competence. Great stuff.

A Windy Day
by chickadeezl

Comment:
Fabulous capture.

hush
by skewsme

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: Uber-blurry, I like it! This image makes me think of process as much as product - what I mean is, although I can see and appreciate your product (the image), I am also pondering on your rationale for shooting and editing this subject in this particular way. To me, it looks like an image that has evolved from an edit rather than being contrived and deliberately manipulated into this form.

Critical stuff: Not much really, I suppose I'm not too keen on the what looks like red chromatic aberration, it doesn't sit well with the silky smooth colour transitions elsewhere in the image.

Overall: I'm sure you're getting hammered score wise, but I'm equally sure that there will be a good few people who like it too.

fly with me
by nixter

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 this is a wonderful image - I really like the colours and I like the sense of pace; your subject is clearly striding with purpose and you have captured that. I really like the colours too - the turquoise top in particular.

Critical stuff: Not much at all, I suppose you keep me wondering how it might have looked 1 second before so that we are seeing his approach rather than his departure, but perhaps that would have destroyed the sense of pace I like.

Overall: A very effective image which benefits from a good match between edit and shot.