Red-Shouldered Hawk
by Gracious

Comment:
8 - Nice clarity, detail and strong coloring. Criticism; difficult given you've likely cropped it like this for a reason - and does work like this anyway in my opinion, but perhaps a little tighter at the bottom and looser at the top/more space (depending what you had to work with of course), may have made this even better in my opinion.

Hmmph...
by halcyon

Comment:
8 - Good capture, nice colors, good composition. Criticism; a little more detail, although I realize you may have intentionally gone for this 'softness'.

Nervous Poser
by Postgate1

Comment:
8 - Very good and clean. Criticism; not much, more definition mainly, but difficult. Tweaking of the colors, focus looks slightly sharper at the fore perhaps, not sure.

Invitation to Art
by imagine74

Comment:
This shot perhaps more finely tuned crop-wise, possibly also with a slight nudge rotation for added symmetry would be better in my opinion. The concept of the sculptures/pillars creating a pseudo frame is good, but again needs to be 'used' more - whether it be via a different depth of field, making them out of focus, or just more 'abstract', not sure. The yellow and red 'band'/whatever 'stuck' in the iron/metal detracts slightly but again, perhaps could be 'used' as an element in this, not sure. Just looks like something discarded/stuck there, as is.

School Study
by Cutter

Comment:
Good and unusual capture/view. Toning works well. Perhaps an even tighter crop at the top to accentuate the line/school of fish - but I realize you've gone for a central composition. No expert on fish, but they look like they all have a 'false eye', so whether they are the same species but males/females, or different, not sure.

full-wing-spread-hawk.
by MacDonald

Comment:
'7' maybe '8', for 'Off-Centered Subject II' - had you entered it. I guess you entered something even better than this....(kidding). Very nice capture of a.. red-tailed hawk.

cruisin`
by MacDonald

Comment:
Another nice capture. Again, quality dependent, this even bigger = better, in my opinion.

take off
by MacDonald

Comment:
Nice capture. 'If only' the very tip of that wing in the frame (but you know that). Nice composition and colors - quality dependent, this at 640 (width) be even better in my opinion. The face/eyes look very good. Not sure if the framing is intentional or not (and apologies in advance if so), but on the right and the bottom there is a thin white line.

CRW_9556DIC.jpg
by Mary Ann Melton

Comment:
Nice shot. 90 % sure this is Gilia cana ssp. triceps - 'Showy Gilia'.

A good photo can be found here at CalPhotos (University of California, Berkeley). More photos (same source) here. More regional information here.

National Park Service information on Death Valley Wildflowers here.

A good source for other wildflower information here (although you may only be able to access Google cached info - site seems down).

Search results from Dave's Garden, no image but information here:

Family: Polemoniaceae
Genus: Gilia (JIL-ee-uh)
Species: cana (KAN-uh)

PS
A quick Google image search using the botanical names you mentioned in the thread for the other flowers looks like returns correct 'visual' matches for all. Calycoseris wrightii, Mentzelia affinis and Encelia farinosa.
edit: apologies, didn't look at the link provided below which already referred to CalPhotos

Message edited by author 2006-01-29 07:12:16.

Proud
by arbil14

Comment:
8 - Very good. Criticism; not much, the 'snout' in focus as well, maybe a 'composition' variation (depending what you had) with a little more space, perhaps on the left to incorporate the other OOF hind leg, not sure. Like the sharpness and definition in the claws - 'if only' more of the lizard had the same clarity, make this even better in my opinion, but obviously difficult.