Allison
by dwterry

Comment:
This is a wonderful portrait. Wonderful lighting, clarity, and attention to detail. Nicely done! I'd wish you luck in the challenge, but somehow I don't think you need it. :D

Classic tea set study
by RUEDISCHMUTZ

Comment:
This composition has nice balance to it, although I would have moved the cup left enough to cover the small gap at the bottom (edge of plate). You did a good job with getting a good white background (not grey, yellow, etc... as many others struggled with). Lighting is ok with the main source on the left. Some bounce light from the other direction would help a little. The reflections are somewhat distracting but can be tough to eliminate entirely (different camera angle, more white material in immediate surrounding, etc...). Being that this is an advanced challenge with more liberal editing rules I would have applied a slight gaussian blur to the reflections, at least enough to not make it possible to see the camera, photographer, and doorway in the bottom left reflection. :D All of the above is JMO of course. Best of luck to you in the challenge.

The Mask
by Makka

Comment:
Very clever. :D Fun too! Only thing that seems strange from here is the white background is splotchy with an area starting in the top third, over and around the mask, and finishing in the top right, that is a dull flat off-white. The rest is a true white. Looks like an area of selection in post-processing perhaps? Maybe it's just this cruddy monitor I have to use at the office. :P Anyway, best of luck to you in the challenge.

The Egg & I..... Featured with the Platters
by shutterbug8

Comment:
Cute. Any other time this would probably do a little better. In this challenge I think the whites should be more luminous than the subject. JMO of course. Best of luck to you in the challenge.

The way to woman's heart
by krakur

Comment:
I like your selection of aperture here to obtain the DOF that works well here. The OOF areas are creating some nice bokeh. I do wish the at least some of the background was a true white rather than greyish. JMO of course. Good luck in the challenge.

Exposed
by riot

Comment:
I like this very much. I do wish however that the background was a true white instead of grey. The shadow adds a nice element to the composition. Lighting may be a little hot - very hard to illuminate shiny surfaces. Perhaps a diffuser? Anyway, overall a job well done. Good luck in the challenge.

Shadows Save the Day
by JerseyGenie

Comment:
Very cool in an abstract way. Not sure how this fits the challenge, but still a neat photo nonetheless. Technically, I think your DOF is too shallow. The angle I'm sure impacted this and I'm not sure how you could have changed it. Step back and then crop it in in post? Would need good glass and a low ISO to pull that off. All JMO of course. :D Best of luck to you in the challenge.

Cemetary Hill
by zeuszen

Comment:
Hmmm...nice photo. Not sure how this is going to be received by the majority as for meeting the challenge. Personally, I think the connection is quite thin because the trees are really your background with the fog being the subject IMO. Anyway, best of luck to you in the challenge.

Winter Coat
by tooter

Comment:
What a wonderful subject and location (with the snow) for this shot. Good detail in the dog, but you've not gotten the whites truly white as the snow looks beige. Just a little tweaking with B/W points or curves and this would move up substantially IMO. Best of luck to you in the challenge.

Illuminata
by Balko

Comment:
This works "ok". I think you lost a little bit of detail in the flower petals somewhere in the process. Not bad, but not jumping out and saying "wow, look at this". Hope you know what I mean by this. Haven't decided if I like the shadow or not. I think it adds more than distracts because of the size of your subject in the framing of this composition. All JMO of course. :D Best of luck to you in the challenge.