Purple Rain
by bowhenn

Comment:
Beautiful rose but I'm not seeing a connection to the Prince song really other than the title and thus not seeing the connection to the 80's. I even checked the official Purple Rain album cover art to make sure I wasn't misremembering the imagery on there and thus missing a connection.

Technically a lovely image, meeting of the challenge, not so much. I gave a 6 due to the photo itself, had there been some way it met the challenge (in my estimation) I'd have likely given higher.

[1983] CDs go on sale - [1988] CDs now outsell vinyl records
by goc

Comment:
Hm.. I like the abstract nature of this, but I probably wouldn't have guessed they were CDs without the title. Its a very simple image but the coloring with the darkness to the left and the border give it a nice impact. I even like the muted feel of the neon-ish color. In the challenge vein, its impact is a bit lessened, but on its own as an abstract picture I do love it. No idea why there's a difference, but there is! I gave a 6.

Meltdown
by rembo

Comment:
Great impact! How'd ya get the lettering in the ice? I like the play on the words with the cold/ice and I like how it shows the war's end with the melting. The color is not my favorite but I do think it gives the image a boost of drama. I'm not sure about the lighting. I feel like the whole image should be completely lit but.. it does work as is. My favorite portion of the image is the droplet in the "L". Nice. I gave a 6.

The Empire strikes back
by caba

Comment:
Nice! I love the background the most. Adding in those storm troopers to the back but having them fuzzed out with the shallow DOF really adds to the image in my estimation. The lighting and focus look great, and I like the composition for the most part. I do wish though that the hand was either completely in the picture, or the crop was made right before where the fingers on that left side start so we aren't as "aware" of what we're missing so it doesn't grab the eye. Well done! I gave a 6.

Twist and Spin
by Cam

Comment:
Great presentation, I like the angular, simple feel to the image. Nice use of a mirror. Everything looks very clean and crisp for the most part. I do wish that the colors and the white in the background were just a bit brighter though. I think if that looked a true bright white, it would've made the colors pop and thus the whole image take on an even higher "Wow" factor. I gave a 6.

Sippin' on juice
by bergwalters

Comment:
Ha. Nice shoes.

Phone Home
by DefyTime

Comment:
Aww. I love that movie. I can't remember if his chest glows inside on this doll (that's what it looks like) which if so that can be tough to not get some blown out looking stuff, it also ends up making it look like his chest is gilded a bit which is a tad distracting. Not sure how that could be adjusted though. I do like the tact you took for the simple presentation and how his finger and eyes really glow out of the blackness. I wish there was a skosh more negative space on the right and left though. When I look at it *I* feel a bit cramped. The use of light looks good but the focus seems a smidge soft. I think this would have benefitted from a border too. I gave a 4.

Playthings of the Eighties
by olddj

Comment:
Wow do those bring back memories. I like the idea behind the image. The colors seem a bit muted as does the lighting - maybe it needed a different white balance mode? Its got a brownish hue to everything. There are many points of interest to examine which is nice but I'm finding the composition - how they have been laid out to be a bit lacking. There's no drama to the image, mostly a flatness that doesn't draw me in. It feels more like an image I'd use if I were trying to sell the items on eBay than as an art image I'd put on a wall. That said, I DO think if there was an adjustment to how the lighting was used (maybe complete darkness with a number of small lights spotlighting each individual item) or if they were arranged in a different manner to give it less of a static feeling then this image could have a greater impact. I voted a 4.

The Cabbage Patch Hostage Crisis of '86
by tate

Comment:
Mine's name was Bettina Wendy... Cute take on the challenge. Cabbage Patch Kids were certainly all the rage! I like the environment, the gritty and barren look to it helps further the "hostage" feel. It feels a little too contrived though for me. Not sure why, but after the initial, "ha that's funny/cute" the image doesn't invite me in to explore - it feels a bit two dimensional, I don't know how to explain it better, sorry! That said I did like the environs, the idea is fun, the focus and lighting work well too. I gave a 5

Bon Jovi, 1986
by mfairbanks

Comment:
Ha. I love Bon Jovi. That's their best album too! I like the take off of their album cover. It looks as if you did an actual writing on wet window? instead of just an image of the album, if so - nicely done. I like the high contrasty/noisy background too, makes an excellent foil for the lettering. I gave a 5.