Red Bellied Woodpecker
by Gatorguy

Comment:
Congratulations on your ribbon - I thought this shot would take the blue.

When It Rains
by njsabs

Comment:
Beautiful work - does this come from the same shoot as 'TheSecretSharer'?

I think I like this one just as much.

The Bishop
by gsal

Comment:
I love the edit here - you offer up a delicate quality. Great stuff.

_MG_1455b2
by bobonacus

Comment:
This is much, much, much better!

Ariel
by stupidcat

Comment:
This is a great improvement technically - the eyes are a little soft still but that is just a matter of taste (looking at what is completely crisp, the focus here is slightly behind the left eye - the right is bang on. Erik is right though - a quick selective sharpen of the left eye would sort it perfectly.

4 Freddie.jpg
by ErikV

Comment:
Very nicely executed - if you're worried about the amount of fill flash, download the trial of Viveza and see what it can do for you.

Pelican High Key
by GregoryB

Comment:
Wow - what an excellent bird portrait.

'B' Movie
by Paul

Comment:

Originally posted by SandyP: What an excellent use of bleach bypass. I don't think I've ever been able to pull off using that filter where it looked good like this.

I think it only really works where an image already has high contrast that is 'working' for you. My favourite image where I used that filter is this one:

The Barn
by syker

Comment:
OK, I'm going through the Free Study submissions, purposefully finding those images I think are shot with a less conventional eye - this is one of those images! Thanks for offering something that isn't just DPC friendly eye-candy (though of course there's nothing wrong with eye-candy). I'll be picking one of these images for the Mu (most underrated) award:

Positives: Excellent contre-jour composition, I really like the lens flare too. The negative space is (mostly) marvellous and the building has plenty of intrinsic interest. I the slight violet touches it has introduced.

Critical stuff: I wish you had cloned out the shadowed areas at the bottom of the image and kept the negative space unsullied.

Overall: An effective image that is more than the sum of its parts.

Overall:

Reflections of Narnia
by Mark1966

Comment:
OK, I'm going through the Free Study submissions, purposefully finding those images I think are shot with a less conventional eye - this is one of those images! Thanks for offering something that isn't just DPC friendly eye-candy (though of course there's nothing wrong with eye-candy). I'll be picking one of these images for the Mu (most underrated) award:

Positives: Wow, this is marvellous, evocative work - a real treat to behold! The edit works perfectly, the high contrast, the grain, the framing. The scratches on the plexiglass work like an overlay to brilliant effect.

Critical stuff: Nothing.

Overall: Fabulous. 10 and a fav.