Resting in the Shade
by mandyg5364

Comment:
Nice composition. The blad of grass curving through the image lets the eye wander along and the uncluttered background is nice, often hard to achieve. I think what lets your photo down is that it is significantly underexposed. I just played with the levels and stuff to see if postprocessing would help, and it did some, but not much. Since there's nothing really bright in the picture I'm wondering what threw off your lightmeter. Or did you leave it on a non-automatic setting that didn't work here (I have way too many of those shots at home).

The Love Bug
by clauderbaugh

Comment:
Hehe. Funny. And I guess it meets the challenge, even though I'd rather be looking at live than dead bugs. But, that aside, Ithink the technical execution of your photo lets you down. Since you had time to set it up, I'd expect it to be in sharp focus whic it is not. I would've also chosen something blue as the pillow to match the blanket and to not blend into the background so much. Regardless, you made me chuckle :)

T4 - Garden Terminator
by DennisF

Comment:
In my interpretation of the challenge, you were supposed to get up close and personal with a real life insect, this does not meet my interpretation. But it obviously meets yours, otherwise you wouldn't have submitted the shot.

As for the photo, l like the composition, there's a bit more room in front of your bug than behind it, love the red flowers that are mirrored a little bit in the reddish tones on the bug. Not sure if that would be possible to achieve in this setting ,but the background seems a bit cluttered which stops the subject from standing out more. You'd probably need more room between the bug and the stuff in the background to achieve some blurriness and that would change the setup of the photo and turn it into antoher photo ...

Bug Eyed!
by Sonifo

Comment:
I like it. Great composition, totally unusual for a dragonfly and yet instantly recognizable. Your focus is spot on and the white background helps a lot. One of my favorites of this challenge, there's nothing I'd change :)

The secret life of termites
by jjbeguin

Comment:
In my opinion, this doesn't meet the challenge "get up close and personal". I don't see any insects here, even though I think I can see that's the secret part, they are disguising themselves as humans. You obviously disagree, otherwise you wouldn't have submitted it.

As for the photo itself, you have a nice tonality range going here, the focus and lighting is good, technically a well-rounded shot. There's a lot going on in the shot, too much in my opinion, I don't know if there was something you could've changed though, candids don't usually leave you time for it, you have to seize the moment, and you sure did here.

The Moth and the Flame
by toeknee

Comment:
Even though this photo obviously meets the challenge according to your interpretation (otherwise you wouldn't have submitted it), it doesn't meet mine, sorry. The intent, I believe, was to capture one or more insect closeup. While you technically have insects in the shot, I can't see any details of them.

As for the photo, it's not very appealing for me, either. There's nothing in sharp focus, even the stationary items (house, lamp). The bright spot in the lower part (another bright light?) is distracting. Sorry. Remember this is just my personal opinion ...

Pewter bug
by Natator

Comment:
This obviously fits the challenge in your mind, otherwise you wouldn't have submitted it. However, it doesn't fit in my mind, sorry. I think the intent was to deal with life critters. But of course that's just my interpretation.

As for the photo, you got nice lighting and nice detail in the bug. Looks kind of weird rotated because I know that a pewter bug can't hang on. I would probably crop just a bit off the bottom to get rid of that swirly intrusion in the leaf in the bottome left.

Smily Eyes
by Jacko

Comment:
Talk about "up close and personal". I think you have everyone beat (although I only just skimmed through and I think there are a few more gems in there and only proper voting will tell). Congrats! :)

Death repeats itself
by heida

Comment:
I like the b&w feel without it actually being b&w. Also like that thee are some crosses that are lighter than others. The angle you have chosen works well, so does the DOF. A small suggestion would be to crop a bit off the left to give the illusion of it being more infinitie, as well as maybe a tiny sliver of the of the top to remove that little bit of black above the first cross. Regardless, I think you have one of the really good ones here.

Pick-A-Repetition
by thelsel

Comment:
Beautifully done. There are many things I like. The diagonal. The pure black and bright white and tonal range. The repetition of the keys as wall as the notes as well as the strings, and the fact that a couple of the keys are turned. I wouldn't change a thing.