Channel Islands
by Tom

Comment:
Pretty place. Compositionally I'd have moved to the right some and let the beginning of the foreground rocks start off-center to the left. Lighting is a little harsh, but sometimes you have to work with the time of day you have available. :) The red flowers pop out at the viewer quite nicely against the green. Best of luck to you in the challenge.

footnotes
by chele

Comment:
Interesting. Very moody, "artisitic". Something looks strange on the far right side. I'm seeing a section that looks to have been stamped with a texture perhaps? I find it distracting. The horizon is causing an optical illusion of being tilted (I'm thinking it's the terrain sloping up). Personally, it's "ok". Don't love it, don't hate it... Good luck in the challenge.

Old Kentucky Home
by beamsclan

Comment:
I love the tone and feel of this photo. Only minor complaint from me is the slight blowout in the sky. Overall, well done. Good luck.

Grey Sky Morning
by aerogurl

Comment:
The composition works fine. Personally, I like solo trees for solitude type photos. In this image I wish the tree was in focus and not blurry. Something about the horizon looks off, like you've merged too images and didn't quite get the seem right. JMO of course. :) Good luck in the challenge.

Fields
by birkin

Comment:
Wonderful lines in this. I'd wager you're getting a few comments on the horizon being tilted, even though it most likely isn't (just a hillside angle). The cloudly sky in most situations would be peaceful, in this image the sky adds turbulence by disrupting the flow of the long smooth lines. Except for the blown-out sky in the top right, I really like this image and your approach to the challenge. Good luck. :)

A Day Out
by sarber

Comment:
First impression...this looks like some Mars variant. The stark colors and contrast push this image too far IMO.

Flower arranging
by Di

Comment:
You've inspired me to try and do something with my cellphone! :)

The voters hammered this scorewise, but you did get some nice comments/reactions. I think people don't mind looking at something this "artsy", but don't feel it's true "photography" when it comes to voting.

A very gutsy move, and an interesting result that's fun to look at. :D

Tribute to Old Country-Style Fitness
by LaMas

Comment:

Originally posted by LaMas: I know I know- this rrally isn't a fitness shot. That's okay, I really wanted to try and break the norm of your usual fitness idea. To show that there are people out there who feel that this REALLY is their form of fitness. No joke! Regardless, I do know it was the wrong photo to submit now and boy did I get punished for it. Thank you though for all your comments, some good some bad- all lessons!

In the FWIW column, I gave this a 9. Perhaps it hit close to home. My dad is a multi state champion at trap and I've done a bit myself (along with working in the "pit" as a kid).

This sport may look easy, but it does take some effort with hand/eye coordination, not to mention swinging several pounds of 12 gauge shotgun 25 times per round. Many of these guys will shoot 100 birds minimum, in tournaments they'll shoot several hundred birds by the time the event is over. Fail to mount the gun correctly and you'll have a nice sore shoulder. Lift your head up to "see" the bird (poor form BTW) and you'll have a nice "mousie" on your cheek to show for it. :D

I found your composition to be right on the money for the subject and the processing adds a nice nostalgic touch (although this is still an active sporting pursuit).

You mention that this was the wrong photo to submit. Do you like it? If yes, you did just fine. Certainly, this "sport" is not common to many people and is a thin connection I suppose to fitness that most people think of - therefore the lower score. I'd wager that if you posted this image for stock (macro or micro) you'd sell some copies. Put it up on ShutterPoint for at least $25 - $40 (see my profile for link).

Sorry for the delay in commenting, I was out of town on vacation. Smile and keep having fun! :)

Lavender and Peach
by lament

Comment:
This site looks familiar! :) Nice catch of the light reflecting off of the water. Good luck in the challenge.

Encounters Of The Third Kind
by rosiehall

Comment:
I love these! Always SO cool to see it happen AND have a camera handy. :) I have a couple shots similar (Landscapes, Shenandoah Scenics). Well done on this shot of yours.

Probably getting some hits on whether this meets the challenge or not? I could see where not really having a "subject" per-se is holding this back. Although, that being said, it IS shot towards the light. :)

This would be a great candidate for trying some HDR/Tonemapping with.

Anyway, just some observations, and all JMO of course. :D Good luck in the challenge. Oops! Forgot to mention - LOVE the title!