Perfect Landing
by senor_kasper

Comment:
Flying is not a "natural motion" for a human ... just kidding -- nice job!

Watercolour
by BeeCee

Comment:
[quote=BeeCee] Jeff says I should post this here... :)
Excellent suggestion!

What I like most is that I recognized it as textured glass before I read your notes. Otherwise, what most of the others have said goes for me too -- excellent work.

Mystical Pond
by FocusPoint

Comment:
This is a soft (in feeling, not focus), subdued scene with no particular point of attention, a place calling for a quiet contemplation which the typical speed voter rejects. They (seem to) want to be hit by something obvious, splashy, bright or bewitching, not something which makes them want to sit down and write poetry about the meaning of life.

The colors and lighting give it a very painterly look, but without a recognizable landmark or distinctive feature it becomes just another lovely landscape shot to most people. I can picture it as a stock image found in pre-packaged picture frames; an instantly-recognizable yet anonymous scene. It's evocative, but unfortunately, (of course -- it's a little digital picture!) not to the degree you felt when you were there.

I think this is "well above average" and a fine piece, perhaps even earning a bonus for daring to go where DPC voters fear to tread.

Across the Universe
by Kali

Comment:
I thought of using a swing ... nice unusual angle.

The Battle of Antietam - Blood Alley 1862
by hihosilver

Comment:
Thanks for the notes -- that's quite a bit of stuff. I think if you're using a later version of Photoshop you can set it up to keep a log of all the editing steps in a text file, which you can then copy/paste/edit for your notes.

It's interesting that you did most of the editing after converting it to the duotone colors.

The Battle of Antietam - Blood Alley 1862
by hihosilver

Comment:
I really lake the interplay of light and shadow, and the sense of action introduced by the gunsmoke. The very-sharp foreground and blurry background and the stark lighting almost make it look like a studio shot of a model/diorama -- an effect which works well for this image.

"Modern Times" (1936, Woodie Chaplin)
by Pug-H

Comment:
Excellent performance by your stunt-double ... ;-)

Well-executed recreation of a classic scene.

3846 And Counting: War Protest Continues
by GeneralE

Comment:
Thanks for all the comments -- I thought this did surprisingly well!

I had taken a tighter-in shot as a couple people suggested, but I really wanted to show the broad expansiveness of the memorial/protest more than focus on the individual markers -- I figured as long as the figures on the sign were legible it would work.

I did try making it grayscale, but it was just too tonally flat to use without editing not permitted in this challenge. Also in a "real" photojournalistic situation, I'd have probably cropped out the road and part of the sky as was suggested.

My camera doesn't have a very wide-angle setting; what I really would have wanted is more like this panoramic, stitched from six hand-held shots using Autostitch.

Viking
by GueDesigns

Comment:
Probably not a good outfit to wear to the airport!

In The Distance...
by EducatedSavage

Comment:

Originally posted by travis_cooper: This shot looks very 2d to me, yes I realize it is a picture, but the lighting and the sky make everything look very flat. There isn't really any detail to the picture, it almost looks like a drawing.

I think that's what I like about it -- it reminds me of one I considered entering myself, though I ended up in the other challenge. I like the soothing blue shades ...