Shades Drawn...
by Davenit

Comment:
Sorry for the random stream-of-consciousness type critique, but here it is.
Why does this photo make me uneasy? I really like the bold red and the shadows along the top. You did a good job of putting the pieces together. The "hole" in the tree at the top right corner is a bit weird. Even if that's how the real tree is, I think it woulda been better to have it solid in this shot. I also like the reflection. You obviously did quite a bit of work on this. IMO, it sort of gets away from the whole idea of a photography challenge and enters into digital art, but it was legal in this case. The black border works well. The lighting is just so bright - it's uniform on all the objects, but it makes the photo so stark and cold.
This reminds me of the new digital cartoons that look so realistic and sort of mess with your perception of reality. I like the diagonal of the tree and how its texture contrasts with the uniformity of the siding on the house.
Overall, it's an interesting shot that was well received for good reason. You obviously know your editing software.

Frost Rose
by arnit

Comment:
Very cliche. I like how it fades from view. It's almost too close to the edges of the frame and I don't like the bright reflections on the right edge of the petal. Very beautiful tho. 9

Grace
by FranziskaLang

Comment:
Beautiful colors! Excellent lighting. I like the composition tho I think I'd rather see a perspective from a bit lower or a bit higher instead of right from the side. Perfect exposure. 10

The Early Bird
by jitams

Comment:
hahaha! What a great capture! You can just sense the jealousy of that bird next to him. Harsh lighting conditions. The feathers are hot in places. Also not quite as cliche as some of the other subjects 9

Innocence
by magnetic9999

Comment:
Very very nice. Perfect crop. The leaves moving out to the edge of the frame are great. Excellent lighting. I don't think you need the water - is that what all the white spots are? Petals are a tad hot, but everything else is so great that you get a 10 anyway.

Two Classics
by Jacko

Comment:
Yup. That's cliche! The refraction in the droplet is awesome! If you have enough resolution I'd try a closer crop of just that (for a variation) since it's so cool. Good, even lighting. Really neat that the droplet is right in the middle of a square too. 8

Stages
by rcrawford

Comment:
Great dof. Love the colors. I like the lighting - how it fades as you go into the shot. Almost looks like it was sharpened too much. On my monitor the front petals dont seem as smooth as they should for some reason. It might also work as a vertical shot without all the space on the left and some off the top. 8

Open Wide!!
by smellyfish1002

Comment:
This is beautiful. Great exposure and lighting. Love the color combination. Very nice composition but the center of the flower is almost too centered IMO. Nice use of dof. 9

Curves
by Natasha

Comment:
I love this flower. It's a perfect subject. I think I might like to see a little more stem as it seems to be cropped a little too close on the bottom. Good lighting - almost got some hot spots, but it isn't bad. Yellow on black is a great choice. 8

When Roses Are Not In Bloom
by Ricky Cleave

Comment:
My idea of this challenge was to take an overdone shot and do it yourself just to see how hard it really is. This is a different take on the topic, but it's still a good idea. I like the dof. I might prefer a little more light, but the darkness does add to the somber feel. 8