The Void
by NigelLew

Comment:
Excellant DOF control with the vague, yet detailed background. The image appears to be slightly over sharpened with the "sawtooth" effect in several places around the image which is a very minor issue as it's not readily apparent on first view. The grain enhances the artistic presence of this image and the total effect is very positive imparting a lot of artistic impact - almost like the accretion disc of a black hole. Very scifi. Well done.

They're here...
by jsavinen

Comment:
Often when reviewing these images, it's a real strong temptation to look at it from a personal POV and say "well, this is what I would have done". In this case, it's really strong as in this reviewer's opinion, it would have been much more effective if the door were closed and the lighting was allowed to work against the dark by it'self. That being said, this does work very well and it's a creative look at the typical horror movie genre reveal shot. The white is right on the edge and the dark shadows and shadowed model impart a sense of surprize and curiosit - again, a typical genre shot. While the image appears to be grainy, it only enhances the artistic feel to this image. Well done.

Locascio
by SEG

Comment:
There is a very effective monotone feel to this even though it's not a monotone image. Very dramatic in feel and dark and forebidding from an emotional standpoint - a very good artistic success. From a technical standpoint, it's a little oversharpened, but that can be viewed two ways - as a positive halo effect or a negative one. Given the rich and variable detail, the positive approach is much more valid. Well done.

Doors to the darkside
by marvin

Comment:
Very clever and inventive - the eyes, nose, mouth apparent in the thumbnail sort of resolved into eyes/mouth on full view, but a very good concept captured perfectly. A little less flash would have helped as the center of the image around the door seems a little overdone, but that's a very minor nit pick. Well done.

Reading After Lights Out
by cebuloulou

Comment:
The technical excellance of this image is significantly affected by the soft focus on the subject. If the subject were crisp and sharp, it would be a very effective image reflecting the experience of anybody who has ever been a child. A technical triumph from the excellant white light control to the rich colors is offset by the rather unlikable lack of focus which directly impact it's artistic impression.

DARKNESS UNLEASHED
by SPIN360

Comment:
It's going to be a very natural reaction for the author to believe that the reviewer is plainly insane (no pun intended), but there is one issue that just jumped out of this image and caused a longer, more critical look at a very competant image. Right below the chin, 1/3rd of the way on the bottom from the right is a small light bloom that drew the eye immediately away from the model. Once that little detail made it's impression, it pointed the way to the highlights on the left chin (akin to hot pixels) and the two blooms (also akin to hot pixels) at the bridge of the nose on the left in addition to the similar feature at the tip of the nose and right chin. It would be terribly unfair to allow this nitpicking to affect the overall technical and artistic impact this image has which is very good. Well done.

Steeple
by ndanish18

Comment:
Elegant in it's simplicity, the image, while good, just doesn't quite work as well as it could have. There is a vague sense of this image being unfinished in some way that is unsettling. After a good long look, that unease comes from the very vague detail on the spire - left side which is the back of the spire - just barely discernable against the black background. The eye wants to track that detail and that is not quite possible. A different angle or shooting the subject head on might have been a better choice.

All To Herself
by angkokweng

Comment:
The more interesting part of this image is the mauve campaniles centered on the columned portico - that sets the tone for the entire image which is rich in detail and very distinct. While it may appear to be unbalanced by the additional structure to the right, it's not at all and the extra dimension added by the extra room is compelling. Rich in detail, color and a pleasing white treatment all set against a flat black background demonstrates proper white balance and camera control. A very solid entry into the challenge and a potential top ten image.

Puzzled
by srdanz

Comment:
The concentration on the puzzle is very palpable and filled with tension and purpose. The right on the edge white of the puzzle piece is a huge plus and gives the image some excellant contrast to the dark space. Looking higher at the image, the little pin point highlights on the subject's eye lids are an immediate distraction and impact the artistic component in a substantially negative way. It would have been within the rules to treat these highlights as hot pixels (which they are very similar to) and clone them out. Still, a very good image and technical capture. Well done.

the street are burning
by chuster

Comment:
This is one example of a longer look not always being the best choice. A more effective image would have been to concentrate on the Fire Fighter and the flames to match the title more closely. That being said, from a technical standpoint it is a very good low light capture with the highlights being properly controlled. From a artistic standpoint, it's not as effective as it could be in invoking the drama and tension of a post fire mop up.