Mirror Mirror on the Mall
by DistantColours

Comment:
Ahh... The Bullring in Birmingham (Selfridges behind you) - you were lucky to not be stopped, I was told I needed to pay £150 for a permit to shoot inside when a security guard tackled me.

It is an effective image though.

The Elephant in the Room
by RKT

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: Great silhouettes and I really like the curtain detail too. My favourite part is the horizontal lines of the partially pulled blind behind the curtain.

Critical stuff: The blurry edge of the cat - it shouldn't bother me, there is plenty of sharp areas for the eye to rest upon, but it really does; almost suggestive of a Lensbaby but not quite enough blur for that - it frustrates rather than pleases the eye.

Overall: A nicely crafted image with a number of compelling elements.

blanketed
by krnodil

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: Very bold image - very brave to offer this up. I do see the in focus snow top middle of the image and in many ways it is the primer for the image. The overall effect works for me, it communicates the sense of 'blanketing' your title suggests and captures this in a way that an 'in focus' shot would not have. It isn't about the man or the trees or the house, it's about the snow and how it changes things.

Critical stuff: The shallow diagonal at the bottom of the image - although i perhaps adds information about the POV / vantage point, I think it does detract - a tighter crop may have been better.

Overall: A brave image which will probably get hammered. I find it rather effective.

Life After Holloween
by Car54

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: I really do think this a scene worthy of capture, I also like where you have placed the intersecting straight lines....

Critical stuff: This comes across as a low quality image - I'm a fan of grain and of the use of blur but here there seems to be be little artistic intent; that is a little strange because the scene and the composition has it by the bucket load. I either feel cheated or taunted. I get the feeling that you could've made much more of this image but you have deliberately decided to withhold any beauty at all.

Overall: A frustrating image for me - if that was your intention, to communicate something that was devoid of beauty (spent perhaps?) then you have succeeded. I feel a little played - perhaps that's a good thing.

The Forest of Hopeless
by posthumous

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: Well, the image does communicate a sense of foreboding and the difference in the lighting of the branches offers the viewer an interesting pattern - almost like a lightening storm.

Critical stuff: The level of intrinsic interest in this scene is pretty low and I'm not sure that whatever choices you made in post-processing was ever going to overcome that. The main issue for me is how flat the image looks - perhaps you have tried to eliminate a sense of depth with your edit; if that is the case, perhaps a different title such as 'The impenetrable Forest' may have communicated the wall like nature of the scene a little better.

Overall: A difficult image to like, though the pattern of the branches is interesting, there is little else in the scene to hold a viewers interest. The good pattern might make this an excellent candidate for an overlay texture but as a standalone image it's not one I warm to. Apologies.

2:58
by Covert_Oddity

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:This image has a crafted feel about - the care you have taken to offer the right POV is very evident. The position of the vanishing point, the right exposure time to give the 'right' amount of blur, the clarity of the clock - all very well crafted. The monochrome presentation is absolutely the right choice here too.

Critical stuff: The post processing is (I feel) a little heavy handed - perhaps it is just over-sharpened, but I think it isn't as simple as that, is it tone mapped? Whatever you have done, I like it in places - the brick on the left and the textured paving close to the track but I think it works less well on the ceiling, on the bricked flooring to the left of the pillars and on the window at the extreme left side of the image. It does depend on the software you have but there are a number of ways you could have been more selective in applying textural enhancement.

Overall: A VERY nice image, but one that (for me) doesn't make the most of the excellent composition you have crafted - over-sharpened areas distract the eye away from those leading lines you have so carefully built. Still a 7 from me, but I think there is more to be had from this capture.

Edelweiss Gallery
by beekeeper

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:There are some really excellent elements to this image - the clarity of the front of the building, the dynamic nature of the snow and the rather ethereal coloration. This is definitely a scene worth capturing.

Critical stuff: I think this is one of those 'nearly' images, where there are a number of elements that are nearly there but not quite - they become more conspicuous as a result. For me your handling of red is a little underdone - the ribbon on the tree is a wonderful element which could have been enhanced. The foreground snow is a little distracting because it is out of focus - perhaps a vignette (to white) may have helped here? I also think that given the prominence of the lamppost on the right, getting it truly vertical is almost mandatory.

Overall: A nice image which communicates the feeling of the moment but with a few visual niggles which conspire to frustrate rather than delight the viewer.

End of an Era
by jnenvir

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: This image offers the viewer something they wouldn't see every day - I like that. I also like the perspective your POV has offered, it has a geometric quality that leads the eye in a zig-zag pattern. The RAMBLER text and the sunken wheels of the trailer are the highlights of the image for me.

Critical stuff: The aspect ratio of the image is an interesting - I must say that I feel a little constrained while viewing it. The zig-zag my eyes take happens quite rapidly and the limited lateral real estate in the composition makes viewing feel a little like playing pinball! The coloration and the tone mapping is a little overpowering but I am sure this is intentional. If I were to pick a real hole in the image it would relate to the lighting which is a little flat to add much drama to the scene.

Overall: I think this image delivers what you set out to achieve - it is grungy, gritty and stark. However, I think the flat lighting makes this scene a little less effective as an image than it might have been.

Cytokinesis
by chipuc

Comment:
Just saw this on 1x.com too! Well done - to get a blue here and published there is very good going. I'm not sure I'll ever manage such a feat.

_DSC6181 600 york vanishing high contrast.jpg
by pawdrix

Comment:
I really like this - what lens did you use?