Crossover
by IreneM

Comment:
Some crazy stuff going on in this one, those reflections are out of this world. I love getting lost in these abstract images, especially when they're done as beautifully as this one. 9

Marina at Night
by jeger

Comment:
Wonderful colors, and surprisingly sharp (I'm assuming a long exposure here, especially with the deep DOF). Speaking of DOF, great DOF. The X doesn't jump out at me in the large image, but it does in the thumbnail, but that's probably because I tend to see the details in the large one and the overall image in the thumbnail. 9

Midpoint
by Paul

Comment:
My girlfriend thinks her head being there is distracting, but I disagree. The look on her face is great, though I can't think of how to put it into words. Is it "what ya' lookin' at, foo'?" Yeah, didn't think so... I'm not too good with these things. 9

Cross My Heart And Hope To Die
by Anthony_D_Archer

Comment:
Her right arm seems a little tight compared to her left, and the shadows on her body are a bit distracting, but they're a matter of taste, really. I like the light coming from the side and her facial expression, and the tones are excellent. 9

Mall
by dougi555

Comment:
I really like the "pop" in this, and the "X" is very clear. The bottom-right building seems a little gray, but that's not really a flaw. I'd like it to be straighter, though. 9

The Standout
by glad2badad

Comment:
Wow, this image really does stand out. Good concept, nice and clear "X," great composition... what's not to like? 10

I Am My Work -- the Thorn that Weeps, & Holds the Sky Entire...
by Bear_Music

Comment:
I saw a thumbnail of this in a forum post, so I thought I'd offer my two cents as to why people would vote this so low.

I think people thought it was a shoehorn image. They assumed you didn't have any ideas for a good self-portrait or you didn't have time to set up a tripod and lighting, so you gave a recent shot a clever title and stuck it in here. I know that's not what you did, but that's what people thought. Shoehorn images have become the norm here, and it's become the norm to give them 1s, unfortunately. Sorry it didn't score better...

Old Wars, New Love
by George

Comment:

Originally posted by Blackbox: Kind of Voyeuristic which is a little creepy to me.

Completely posed, actually. But I see why you'd think so - I expected candids to be common in the challenge, so I went with the most candid-looking one. Could've just set up a shot of me and my girlfriend, but I thought this would fare better.

Originally posted by Blackbox: To me, the photo seems slightly dark.

Yeah, I agree. It looked okay on the laptop, but not here on my girlfriend's monitor. Next time, I'll check the histogram before submitting.

Originally posted by Blackbox: Or, it may just be my monitor!

That could add to it. On my cousin's monitor, it's very low-key and saturated.

Thanks for the 8; I think it's more of a "5" or "6" image because of the darkness and weird composition, but your 8 helped offset the 1s and 2s.

Edit: line spacing

Message edited by author 2009-09-30 11:54:39.

Fungus
by cptpoland

Comment:

Originally posted by cptpoland: Originally posted by george917: In most cases, fungi aren't considered flora. Nice sharpness and composition, though... I think you should check your sources, and the definition of flora.

I still disagree, after checking my sources and the definition. Here's the definition of flora:

flo·ra n., pl. flo·ras or flo·rae
1. Plants considered as a group, especially the plants of a particular country, region, or time.
2. A treatise describing the plants of a region or time.
3. The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part.
(American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, via dictionary.com)

...and since Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, and Protista are the four kingdoms under the Eukaryota domain, saying fungi are plants would be like saying plants are animals.

I didn't vote on this image, and it wouldn't have affected my vote anyway because a lot of people view them as being plants. Even some scientists do group them together, but most don't and I went with the view of the majority on this one. Anyway, you already wasted 5 minutes of your life reading this 'cause I'm so damn wordy, so I'll stop here. Just thought it'd be nice to do what you asked, even if it's almost 6 months late.

edit: grammar

Message edited by author 2009-09-29 20:26:29.

Trabant
by Zigomar

Comment:
I've heard of it, I'm from Romania :)