I want you soft-boiled
by ursula

Comment:
Well that's definitely soft. It looks like you used some sort of material over the lens, but the color renditions, and especially the delineation seem too unnatural. In the white area, the soft focus looks good, but a bit yellowish, and some more light would have made nice soft highlights.

Calm Day
by Crafty Sue

Comment:
A patriotic image.. The foreground, especially the left, doesn't add anything. I might have been tempted to go with only the sky. But I'm afraid I don't see any soft focus.

Finda and Friend
by LucidLotus

Comment:
In response to your forum request for comment:

I think you did a fine job with this! The light is perfect for online viewing, but you might find it prints a bit too dark on the right. A small fill light would keep the side lighting look while providing a bit more tone and detail on the right. And perhaps let you lower the exposure another 1/2 stop or so, in order to avoid what looks like overexposed areas on the left.

One other idea: Edit out that vertical line in the background on the left. Just replace the background with a nice gradient or clone to make it even. (Part of the problem with the line, if it stays, is that it is tilted).

Our Love
by jmritz

Comment:
Very nice shot, one of my favorite compositions. I think though, since they are facing so much to the left, the shot is a bit too imbalanced with that being out of the photo. If they were looking/facing a bit more right, the comp would be perfect. For this stance, I think I would have put them on the right of the frame.

My son Leifur
by tyrkinn

Comment:
Beautiful shot and expression. I think it might have been interesting to crop a little more at the top to make the crop you chose a little stronge, giving his expression more importance in the frame.

Thankful for my Family
by rj324

Comment:
Beautiful family shot with very nice light and tones. I think some back light or fill light at the top so the your hair doesn't disappear into the background would have been a nice finishing touch.

Flipin' My Family "the bird"
by joannadiva

Comment:
Good colors and tones for the bird. I think the composition could have been improved by getting rid of distractions like the counter behind, and maybe providing a wonderful context like a fully set table with flowers and the bird as the centerpiece.

Thanks for this world!
by Alexys

Comment:
Wonderful light and good "thanks" message.

Technically, I think this might have worked better as a landscape. I find too much space at the top above the moon, and overall too much blue sky. Also, I note that the horizon is tilted. I think it would have been better with enough DOF to have the tree sharp as well.

Family Traditions
by crabappl3

Comment:
This looks like a very special shot but I am having trouble making out what I am looking at. I see the tree, and snow, and a very birght overexposed light. I assume those are heads, and you are in a crowd of carolers or a service of some sort (sorry, christmas isn't part of my religion or lack of it). Shot wise, the most important thing I see is to fix or get rid of the light. I realize you can't fix it within the challenge rules though, and you may not have wanted to crop if that was important to your message.. If you had more of the heads on the bottom, you might have been able to just crop the left.

My daughter
by KevinRiggs

Comment:
Good shot of your daughter, I think you could have given it more impact by a different crop. The arm is distracting, so it might have been a good one to try a "real crop chop" and use part of her face and head. Sometimes that works really well, or maybe you had another shot wiithout the hand. Moving her off center would halp too (and that would happen with the crop.)