Circle Of Despair
by Sonda

Comment:
Beautiful pose and idea that meets the challenge well. IMHO, however, the white background really washes out the pale skin (possibly correctable with different lighting too). It really is a lovely shot, I just think it's a little overblown on the highlights/white/light areas. 6

Agni
by aznym

Comment:
Love the colors and I think it meets the challenge, but it looks really overprocessed (which detracts from the overall appeal of the image). 4

Off To Save A Life!
by JayWalk

Comment:
Cool shot and idea. Nice movement capture. The background is a little drab (doesn't really add to the image IMHO). I know this is a really picky detail too, but I wanna see the LIFE SAVERS lettering on the mint right-side up. Overall good entry. 6

Rings & Reflections
by notonline

Comment:
Base score 5. -2 for lack of obvious circle(s), composition +1, beauty/personal appeal +1. Lighting good/okay (some blown highlights) +0. =5

Waiting for a night bus
by mmusicante

Comment:
Very cool shot. Love the lighting and DOF inside the tube, but the background is a little drab. Not sure how it could be spiced up or de-emphasized more (and I'm probably not expressing myself very well - sorry), but overall it's still a very good capture. 7

Crop Circle of Buttons
by kaelva

Comment:
Unique and interesting shot. Meets the challenge well on a couple of levels. IMHO, I think voters will probably deduct because of the image's small size. Because it is so small, you lose some of the detail that would otherwise be apparent (and I 'think' you have good DOF, but it's hard to tell). 7

California Shade
by SamfordSpleenless

Comment:
Very unique shot that meets the challenge well. I think I'd like it better if it wasn't dead center of the crop. Still... Nice lighting and DOF. 6

American Independence Day
by justin_hewlett

Comment:
Nice fireworks shot. It's a little busy, but is better than most of the others I've seen entered. IMHO, I think it's cropped a bit too closely - takes away from the awe factor for me. 5

Tuscan Sun
by pelf

Comment:
Simply beautiful. The only thing that bothers me about this shot (and it's a VERY minor thing) is the lack of DOF on some of the leaves/branches. It perfectly meets the challenge and I'm surprised there weren't any other entries like it. Very well done. 9

Following Shakespeare's Lead
by magnus

Comment:
*Critique Club Comment*

First of all, I think it met the Leading Lines II Challenge quite well (both figuratively by the words and literally by the line of the pen).

Composition
I think it is well composed, but might add some interest by off-centering your subjects a little more. The different sizes of your subjects in the foreground, midground, & background work well to establish both perspective and depth.

Lighting
Love the sparkle of light on the pen. Very good lighting on the paper and great lighting on the rose. The model could use a little more light/contrast and evening out of tones/highlights. I think the background is a little dark.

DOF
Excellent. The only minor thing I notice is that the model could be a little less "soft". Also, perhaps less emphasis on the background (gaussian blur perhaps?).

Color
Also very good. My only suggestion is again regarding the background. Perhaps bumping the sat up would make it brighter and more interesting (IMHO).

Overall
A really strong entry that I think finished much lower than I expected. You met the challenge perfectly and executed a technically superior image. Great job!

Just my 2 cents...

Jimmy