My Christmas Tree
by cowtownmom

Comment:
What a gorgeous tree! It really is beautiful. You did a great job of using the natural, available light, and in getting the whole tree into your picture. And I really like the sparkle of the reflected lights in the window. A very warm and inviting photograph - you did an excellent job!

Giving the Gift of Love
by cowtownmom

Comment:
Very warm and cheerful! And definitely in keeping with the spirit of giving. Sometimes people say things shouldn't be centered in a photograph but I think in this case it works very well. I really like the way the lights in the background sparkle behind the present, forming a nice frame around it. My only suggestion would be to try to "diffuse" your flash, to make the light a bit softer so it doesn't reflect so strongly off the ribbon on your gift. But I do understand that you wanted to light the gift so it would stand out against your background - and that was a smart thing to do!

Holiday-Side
by cowtownmom

Comment:
Very fun photograph! The giant gingerbread man does indicate holiday cookie goodness, and the positions of both the gingerbread man and the cheerleader make me think it's quite cold out - very wintery despite no snow! Very good choice to capture this with your subjects out of the direct sunshine - this gives you nice, balanced light. You also did a great job of getting your main subject in very sharp focus!

Lonely
by cowtownmom

Comment:
I think you've done a good job of depicting how the holiday season can be lonely for some. There's definitely a feeling of melancholy here, and the B&W suits that well. The one thing I do see (because my mind works in strange ways) that takes away from your picture's sentiment just a little bit is that the headlights in the distance are right where his hands are. I just watched "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" last night and it reminds of the light balls that the sorcerers can create and throw. BUT, that's only because I just watched the movie. And just goes to show that we all have our own different experiences which affect how we see photographs!

SeattlesSprirt
by cowtownmom

Comment:
I like that the tree isn't the first thing you see, but as you view through the photograph, it suddently pops up as a delightful suprise - a sort of whimisical nod to the Christmas season. Makes me smile! Very good job with exposure and crispness in this shot. It feels just a tad leaning to the right to me - a simple rotation to the left would correct that.

Winter Wonderland
by cowtownmom

Comment:
What a lovely outdoor tree! I see your point - this does seem to be a lot of work, but it is also something that can be enjoyed by all who pass it, so seems quite worthwhile! Very good job with the exposure and focus. As someone else mentioned, a slight crop off the bottom wouldn't hurt. This would make a nice card!

I Heard THe Bells On Christmas Day
by cowtownmom

Comment:
What an unusually large "jingle bell"! Very cool. I like that you thought out what you wanted to present, what to tell with your picture, then executed that. After reading your notes, I can see her stepping out into the cold to ring the bell for a visitor approaching, to welcome them to the home. Black and white suits this well and I very much like that we can see the snowflakes falling behind her.

A Christmas Evening
by cowtownmom

Comment:
The composition is pleasing to me - I like the upper right (an area where our eyes tend to go) as blank - that balances nicely against the curves of the ornaments. I very much like your choice of monochromatic toning. In our mind's eye, we can see bright colors if we wish, but the monochrome tends to emphasize the form and textures more. A very quiet sort of photograph. Nicely done!

Push
by Retroesque

Comment:
Wonderful!!!!

New Year's Eve Fireworks
by banmorn

Comment:
What an awesome run you've had in the past month! Congrats on the blue!