Hold
by Neat

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 8s - I like it. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. Lovely kid portrait - I like how you are down at his level.
2. The hands are compelling
3. The adult's attire - gives a great casual/candid feel.
4. Nice gentle tones.
5. Those midges/specks between the subjects.

Nicely done.

Paul
by timfythetoo

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 9s - I like it very much. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. I like unusual portraits - this really fits the bill.
2. Brilliant, really brilliant lighting.
3. Love the empty space behind him - it makes the shot.
4. Great expression.
5. Great depiction of texture.
6. Very well controlled exposure.

Inspired.

Original sin
by figaro

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 9s - I like it very much. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. Puzzling and compelling - look at that repeating hand!
2. Shadows and scratches and reflections - marvellous
3. That transection of the lower image - bold and unapologetic
4. The lovely blue toning
5. Depth and flatness - together.

Either Don's or Jan's I would guess (or possibly even an eclectic Nixter...) I'll guess Don.

Great stuff.

Convergence
by Cuttooth

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 8s - I like it. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. We've been here before and there is a risk that you start to bore us.... but, you always manage to capture so much magic in your capture and utterly pristine processing that's it's impossible not to enjoy each permutation of this scene. I think it speaks volumes in relation to your talent that you can continue to delight us with these scenes.
2. Gorgeous colours.
3. The creation of a calm ambience with such high fidelity that it makes me want to take a deep breath of the air.
4. Perfectly judged exposure - I bet this is a perfectly optimised histogram.

Will do well I'm sure. I don't normally rate pretty landscapes so highly but here; it's the photographic skill, not (just) the scene that's caught my interest.

Crystalline Column
by markwiley

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 9s - I like it a lot. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. Superb perspective
2. Great use of monochrome when the colour might have tempted many.
3. The sense of scale given by the inclusion of the people. Without them this photo would have been unexceptional.
4. The great depth of field - really works for this.
5. The well-balanced toning, making excellent use of the wide dynamic range.

Great stuff.

Mutton Busted
by FtWorthphotog

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 9s - I like it a lot. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. What a moment!
2. Great title.
3. The flamingo-inspired sheep!
4. The ad-hoc tones - pulled highlights and deep (but limited) shadows gives an eclectic look.
5. The legs-akimbo unfortunate victim.
6. The casual onlookers.

Funny, dramatic and candid all at once. Quite a feat.

Happening
by jagar

Comment:


Awarded for the March 2013 Free Study

This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 10s - I like it very much. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. The signature Jagar glow (It can't be anyone else) - shot with the Fuji in JPEG?? I haven't seen you get quite this look with the Sony before so you've either mastered the workflow or you have reverted!
2. Very curious image - you make me want to look up.
3. Their worried expressions - might someone fall?
4. Perfect toning, as ever.
5. Great framing of your subject - I like the space you've left to the right, being able to see in there adds depth.

Masterful as ever.

movement - PENSIVE
by smardaz

Comment:
This image has caused me to stop and pay attention. That means it is in my 7-10 voting band. (Voted earlier)

Additionally, it is highly interesting/eclectic meaning it keeps me here long enough to offer a longer comment and a vote of 8 or more.

This is one of my 10s - I like it very much. Furthermore I think it enriches the DPC collective portfolio. Put simply, I wish we saw more stuff like this. Let me tell you why it pushes all the right buttons for me:

1. The mix of static clarity and background motion blur - inspired and effective.
2. The interesting subjects - I like how they both have hats as a common link.
3. Lovely gentle toning.
4. Great lighting - fully illuminated but with some shadows to give a sense of depth too.
5. The square crop - making the most of the restricting DPC real estate.

Overall, a really well conceived and executed image.

grey day
by PennyStreet

Comment:
Super image - gloriously conceived and spectacularly executed.

Firearms
by gyaban

Comment:
I never looked at this challenge during voting but noticed this on the front page.

As you know I'm a fan of your work, because of the communication of process along with the final product.

Here though, you have surpassed yourself - I think this is the best image I've seen from you; as ever it has supreme clarity and technical mastery but what shines through are things like tenderness, beauty and vulnerability. I found the paper tears in the skin quite moving but the stoic expression and the rays of light from the top right communicate a sense of strength and even peace. All of this from an image that could easily have channeled violence and dread.

We are used to the quality of your work by now and your mastery of Photoshop is so consistent that we do perhaps take it for granted. For me, it's important that we continue to take the time to look at your work with fresh eyes from time to time and reconnect with the artistic and visionary process that underpins it.

As you know, I'm a fan of blur, of low fidelity, of street, of black and white - frequently favouring such in my own commenting, but I also really value your pristine, colourful and necessarily contrived art - where others create through reinterpreting the real world, overlaying grain, pushing contrast and creating through the constraining of a scene (or moment), you create your own - it's another, and wholly legitimate, route to creating photographic art - and here, for me, you've demonstrated how emotive, personal and powerful that can be.

I very much value your contributions here at DPC - you've raised the bar for such high fidelity work so effortlessly that I think we sometimes forget the contribution you have made to changing the expectations of this small community in relation to such work.

I for one want to acknowledge that, to say thank you and to pass on a hope that you keep submitting and allow us to enjoy both your creations and the creative process that is so central to your work.

Thank you.

I read the accompanying piece too - congratulations!