In The Cave of my Soul
by heida

Comment:
Just enough color to make the black believable. Great composition.

Mittens
by amsmyth

Comment:
The colored background helps emphasize the black in the mittens. I think it could use a little sharpening.

Energy Black and Blues
by banmorn

Comment:
An interesting image that gets more interesting as I look at it.

Black Motorcycle Helmet.
by Cam

Comment:
I trust the title, but it's hard to tell that the helmet is black in this image. I think color would have worked better.

Black Hole
by peecee

Comment:
Interesting idea, but the black center seems out of place compared to the outside background.

chocolate
by falvey

Comment:
Great subject, but blurry. The purple steals the center of focus.

Black Rose
by arnit

Comment:
This image captures the form and texture very nicely, but the bright glare is distracting.

Coal made once the world go 'round
by Harz_Joerg

Comment:
Framing the coal with the blackened hand makes this image really striking. It was one of the first I saw, and has remained my favorite as I voted on the rest.

Faded Valentine
by JC_Homola

Comment:
The flowers add a splash of color that makes the black seem even blacker.

My Shadow Stayed There
by Mona

Comment:
Greetinigs from the Critique Club

The message
The artificial colors and soft focus give this image an ethereal feel, which is fitting for a shadow. It's an interesting idea, and it does grab attention to begin with; unfortunately, there isn't a lot of substance to hold it for long.

Creative choices
The colors used here are well chosen, and keeping the trees black gives the image a grounding in reality. The texture of the snow is very nice. The composition isn't very effective; the image is divided in half with little to connect the top and bottom halves. Cropping off the top part right below the largest tree would avoid this.

Technical aspects
The focus is appropriately soft. The exposure seems right, but I think making the midtones a little darker would show the shadow better and improve the image.