frost flowers
by kenbo

Comment:
challenge met. a fellow icestorm photo (i submitted one, too). are you getting many comments about this being good for the blue challenge? LOL. i have to say i realy like this shot, despite some of its technical short-comings (pixelation, oversharpening?), i just can't quite say how or what it is. hm. i'm also speculating on who you are ... if i'm right, you really are developing your own recognizable style. :) in any case, good work!

added a little later ... i think i like that it looks as if this plant is willing to "stick its head out" above all the rest, despite the threatening dark blue sky in the background. and that it all looks so unreal because of the ice. that's what i like about it :)

Natural Stream in the Natural State
by kandyj

Comment:
challenge met. i love streams and moss-covered rocks, i also like that you included enough of them (for my taste), especially in comparison to some other entries this week. the focus on the rocks and the moss is good, i see the water is almost blurred. this is one of those few occasions where i'd like to see the exposure times, etc, i wonder if it was possible for you to use a longer shutterspeed and really blur the water (especially the foam on it) w/out blowing the whole picture out. this is still good, though.

Geothermic Activity
by Yomi

Comment:
challenge met. i like the contrast between the stones and whatever covers it (the brown stuff) and the steam. the foreground is nice and colorful, crisp and focused, and it almost looks like the end of the world where it stops and the steam rises. i think i would have considered cropping more off the top, especially where the steam is not so predominant and the green background on the other side comes through.

God's Gift
by svital

Comment:
challenge not met (in my opinion. for me, humans, or their presence was not to be included in the challenge). sorry. having got that out of the way, i'd like to comment on your photo, anyway. you have a very nice portrait here. i like how he is turning towards the camera, and that waterdrop is falling off his face. the catchlight in the eyes is great. you may get some comments on the shadow from the flash, and, while it isn't ideal, it's actually not that noticeable here, so i wouldn't worry too much about it. a great portrait of a very cute kid :)

Stranded
by kevinswope

Comment:
challenge met. nice focus, nice "splash of color" in the middle. i just wish there was something more ... maybe crop closer to the green stuff. technically it's a good photo, interest-wise it doesn't draw me in too much, sorry.

Preserving the Green
by gminish

Comment:
challenge met. i like how the water froze in round blobs in many places, but how you also have a couple of icicles. the green is a nice touch. what i'm missing a bit in this shot is a focal point. yes, i know it's supposed to be the green, but it doesn't stand out enough, my eyes are roaming around the photo trying to find a place to "rest".

Takin' it Easy
by rll07

Comment:
well, you are lucky i don't know anything about horses. i suspect from the discussion in the forum that this is a pure bred of some kind and therefore arguably does not fit the challenge. since i don't know this for sure, i'm assuming you did meet the challenge, and will rate your photo accordingly. you did a very good job filling your frame with the subject. converting to b&w worked well, the horse is nicely contrasted against the dark background, although that might have worked just as well in color. overall, pushing the contrast just a bit more would be nice, i think. also some unsharpen mask, the horse isn't quite a crisp as i would personally prefer it.

Lichen, can only live in a pristine environment!
by Ptman

Comment:
challenge met. the first thing i notice is kind of puzzling, while only a small part of the branch with lichen is in focus (narrow DOF, which, btw, i like here), the leaf on the right, which seems to be much closer to the camera also seems in focus. hm. illusion? wasn't that another challenge? ;) anyway. as i already said, i like the shallow DOF. the colors of the lichen are wonderful, and, while i'm usually a fan of simple plain backgrounds, the different colors of your background work very well. they complement the color of the lichen, branch and leaves, but aren't so recognizable that they distract. i'm sitting here in front of my computer twisting my head from left to right wondering what the shot would look like if the branch didn't run from left to right through it but at an angle ... did you try that out? might not be better, i'm just curious. overall, good shot.

Faith
by arnit

Comment:
challenge not met (according to my interpretation of the rules, no humans, or obvious signs of human presence should be visible). sorry. having got that out of the way, i still would like to critique your photo. i just love the total look of faith and awe (you titled your photo well) on the little girls' faces. i also like your overall composition of only including santa partially. another nice touch is the amount of reds and pinks in the photo, they kind of round the whole thing off. a couple of things (not all of which are in your control) that i would've contemplated doing differently. i don't like santa's hand position with the thumb sticking out much, did you get more shots (hoping he's moving his hand), or did you try moving a little further to the left (if that was possible)? that might also have included the third little girl more in the photo. i would like to see the girls shoes, and i would also have cropped a bunch off the top of the photo (probably just above the head of the man behind the woman dressed in black). the space above adds nothing to the photo and just distracts a little from your actual main subjects. just my two cents.

Blue Streak
by inspzil

Comment:
wonderful capture ... one to treasure :)