Rocky Creek
by joanns

Comment:
challenge met. i really like how the trees seem to be fading into the background ... as if they are going on forever. truly w/out the hand of man! i also like the contrast between the dark rocks and trees and the white snow, you have achieved a very good tonal range here w/out blowing anything out. the only small criticism i have (and that's not even part of the photo and just personal taste) is the small white border. i feel it should be larger or not there at all. it also somehow looks wider at the bottom than on the sides (optical illusion, i'm sure). overall, nice entry!

sandstone
by connie

Comment:
challenge met. i love beaches, the patterns formed by the water washing the sand around objects in its path ... and you've captured a very nice photo here. undisturbed sand is great. i wonder why you chose to use b&w instead of the warm colors of the sand and the different colors of the stones. i think they would've earned you an extra point from me. but, nevertheless, your entry is high on my list of favorites in this challenge so far! :)

Ice Storm
by lionelm

Comment:
challenge met. oh, man, i'm torn on this one. i LOVE plain white backgrounds, and it works well, here, accentuating the branch and how it is completely covered in ice ... but the background looks unnatural. i'm not suggesting you cheated, i know that you just have to find the right angle to take the photo ... but it looks less natural (my interpretation of the challenge) than it would with more plants in the background. the clarity and focus and composition are all great.

Dead Wood
by LanSnake

Comment:
challenge met. the square format works well, and i like that you managed to find a location where you are able to show the whole tree, and not just its top w/out the "hand of man" intruding. i also like that the tree is almost a sillhouette, but there is still some detail visible. centering it worked well for this photo. just a nitpick, i would like to see the top of the tree, it looks like there's not that much more missing. overall, due to the weather (which is outside of your control, i know), the photo is just a little lacklustre in the color department. but, still a decent entry. :)

Nature Trims Her Tree
by DougPaz

Comment:
challenge met. very fitting entry for this time of year :) . i like the red&green as both a background and additional color. the pine cone makes a nice subject, good color. some of the berries (especially that cluster to the lower left of the cone) would be even better if in focus, but your camera's DOF limits may not have allowed that.

Deception Falls
by dltruex

Comment:
challenge met. i think? is it deception because there's something we dont' see or is that simply the name of the falls? i like the flow of the water through the photo, the long exposure works well. i would like to see this picture lightened just a little (i just did an "autobalance" in a cheap editor, and it increased the contrast w/out blowing out the white, it popped a bit more). i would also like the rocks to be very crisp and focused, to contrast with the flowing water. did you use a tripod? or would you be able to rest the camera on something? does your camera have a self-timer? setting that avoids camera shake from releasing the shutter (even on a tripod). i'm just speculating here. please ignore if none of that makes sense for your situation ...

Winter Stream
by alanfreed

Comment:
challenge met. i like how the stream curves through your picture and just disappears in the distance. also like how it is framed by the tree leaning above it from right to left. very nice composition that leads the viewer through the picture. winter is a hard time to take photos, IMO, because you need really crisp blue-sky sunny days for the photos not to look "drab" (that's not the best word, but i can't come up with a better one right now). also know that you don't have control over the weather (wouldn't that be cool! ;). so, in summary, nice composition, but the photo doesn't "pop" as much as i would like because of the muted tones...

Cotton Candy Skies
by CreativeFlyPhoto

Comment:
challenge met. wonderful colors in the sky, i like how they intensify just where the palmtree sillhouettes are. i would like to see more of the trees, but i suspect you'd see the "hand of man" somewhere if you included more at the bottom .... good use of negative space.

Winter Break
by crabappl3

Comment:
LOL ... i was sitting here staring at your photo, trying to figure out that faint line that's running through it ... and finally noticed it's a line on my monitor, not your photo. your score just went up a point! ;)
anyway. challenge met. i like how there's just a little bit of detail still visible in the bird, where it's placed, and how it is surrounded by the mainly bare branches with just a few leaves left. the twisted neck on the bird is a bonus because it makes the sillhouette even more interesting. the frame works well, too, but is a little too wide for my personal taste. i really like this shot though. :)

Catch me if you can?
by Morgan

Comment:
challenge met. lovely colors of the bird. great focus, too, and the catchlight in the eye is an added bonus. i don't like the background as much, personally. while it is sufficiently out of focus to not contain any distracting objects, it does have a lot of tonal differences from the light through the vegetation. the one to the left of the wing and just above the branch are most distracting, for outside of DPC you can probably tone them down a bit and therefore make this an even better shot.