Grate Illusion
by overboard

Comment:
Even with the title, I had to look a long time to figure this out. Soap in the holes??? This really plays with the viewer's eyes... bizarre...

down in front
by oldbimmercoupe

Comment:
I like this for the pattern of the linear seats and the the steps between the seats. A tighter composition/framing (I realize this is minimal editing rules, so no crop) eliminating the top overhang and the red steps on the left would have made this stronger (at least for me...). But you know, the longer I look at this, the more I like it. It is full of patterns.

Golden Dragonfly
by KarenNfld

Comment:
I thought your dragonfly was pretty well captured. I gave this a 7. Just my opinion, but if you had captured it from the front side, I think it would have scored much higher. It's all about eye contact :)

Dear Photograph - she still likes riding bicycles!
by Beetle

Comment:
I read the thread re: Dear Photograph. It's a great concept and this is a nice rendition.

Silver Dollar Diner, Newport News, VA
by vawendy

Comment:
That (DQ) sucks, but it's still a great shot.

Slug Bugs and Beetles In Their Natural Environment
by PetRock

Comment:
:) haha out of the box. Nice.

The Drummer
by Marc923

Comment:
I just noticed that you hit well with some voters (1 - 10, 1 - 9, 9 - 7's). Also, you got a higher average with participants than non-participants... which is unusual.
Keep on shooting :)

The Drummer
by Marc923

Comment:
I read a comment you made on another thread so that's what brought me to your Free Study entry.
First of all, it's a Free Study, so I think viewers have a high expectation of "wow" factor (not the typical DPC wow scenic shot???). It's a bit grainy (you know DPCer's like the clean pics), kinda looks like a snapshot (instead of the "show us your best image of the month for a FS"). Composition wise, the cymbal on the left is blocking part of the drummer's head; so if you were able to compose the drummer between the two cymbals, it might have been better. Doesn't "wow" in having a "story" behind it.

With that being said, I think the B&W and grain works well if you are going for a moody image. I actually like the spot of light on his face. As mentioned earlier, if you had been able to frame his head between the two cymbals, it would have been much better. Also, his expression just doesn't give off an "emotional wow"... perhaps if you had captured him in a moment of excited expression or maybe with his eyes closed (to show he was really into his music...???), that would have pulled the viewer into the image/story better...

But I think this was a tough shot to do well in a Free Study...
(Just a humble opinion from a 5.3xxx shooter.)

Silver Dollar Diner, Newport News, VA
by vawendy

Comment:
Pretty sweet pic of a diner. I like how the chair backs are "uniform" in facing toward you (don't know if it was happen stance or orchestrated...). I like the composition of filling the frame (not much wasted space). I like how the viewer is lead down the counter chairs to the table. My pick of the challenge. (Just curious though, maybe an outtake in color for comparison...)

_MG_5925
by BrennanOB

Comment:
Love the colors in this pic, especially the aqua of the water. I like how you composed this. Nice pic.