A Pencil Garden - With a Weed
by jimmsp

Comment:
funny idea, especially adding the 'weed'. good placement of it, too. i think i would've liked this better if the pencils were continuing in the background (a portrait format allows you to cover more space with the same amount of pencils if you don't have more) so that it doesn't just look like a bunch of pencils stuck in the soil, but like a close-up of a section of a field of pencils. -- gr8photos (3)

Forgotten
by HillWalk

Comment:
i like the gray and green colors in this photo, and the waterdrops off the chair. your horizon doesn't seem quite level, it looks like the pen should roll off to the right. nice composition. -- gr8photos (5)

Balance
by timj351

Comment:
i have no areas of criticism to offer ... you made it into my top 5 this week w/out me even having to think about it. great shot. -- gr8photos (10)

You want me to do what with this pencil?
by jimsapp

Comment:
you have a very adorable cat there, and photogenic, too. i'm not too thrilled by the background (too many different fabrics, patterns) or the fact that you cut off the cat's butt. could you have taken a portrait format shot? also, and this is just my own opinion, you have met the challenge, but i'm not very excited by the lack of interaction between the cat and the pen. sorry. -- gr8photos (3)

Reflection
by Bukios

Comment:
nice idea, nicely controlled white background, good placement of objects. the thing that keeps drawing my eye is the really out of focus tip of the pen. i know it's not supposed to be the focus of the shot, and that's why the DOF is that way, but my eye still wanders there. there are also too many details reflecting in the spoon other than you and the pen and the camera. i know i'm probably asking a lot, but do you have a plain wall in the house that you could've used as background (and, yes, i have a very hard time finding one in mine, too, but i think it would make a difference to the photo). -- gr8photos (3)

Modernization
by Maverick

Comment:
you definitely met the challenge, and you've used the selective DOF quite well, but - to me - the picture has very little appeal, sorry. also, i guess i don't quite get the title. the modernization probably relates to the heavy machinery and the pile of rubble. if you mean modernization from using old-fashioned pens, there's no link to what we are moving to. -- gr8photos (3)

Writing Instrument (6 letters)
by sulamk

Comment:
good title, good idea, but unsharp photo. i an wondering whether the original was unsharp or whether this happened in post-processing. i'm intrigued why you didn't use one of the light-colored pencils for the crossword puzzle to make a connection between that pen and the ones in the basket. i also feel that the photo is just a bit cluttered, maybe a plain background instead of the table cloth would've helped. -- gr8photos (3)

Pencil
by 4david

Comment:
if i didn't know this was the pencil challenge i would've thought you had a pen there, this is not recognizable specifically as a pencil. there are some highlights on the pen. interesting with the 'pencil' design in the back (it's a little pixelated ;), but, to be honest, the shot just isn't very interesting to me and i think (personal interpretation) you barely meet the challenge. sorry. -- gr8photos (2)

Rhythm and blues
by Jean

Comment:
this is a very cool abstract, the diagonal lines are great and the different curves in the reflections, too. almost looks like mercury. having said that, i'm having a hard time figuring out where the pencil is (i'm probably just totally and utterly blind, and i apologize in that case). the dividers aren't it (i don't think). is it in the reflection? as i said, i like the photo, but i'm stumped as to how it fits the challenge, so i will be voting you low. sorry. -- gr8photos (2)

underwater pencil sunburst
by notashamd

Comment:
your photo is horribly pixelated, i wonder whether that's due to excessive file compression (you are allowed up to 150k, you used only about 60k), or cropping out of a low res photo. anyway, that, together with it being blurry (through water, i know) makes it hard to look at. i do like the concept, just not too thrilled with the implementation. -- gr8photos (3)