Vendetta
by Lelez

Comment:
Oh my! So as I see it this is the start of another Hatfield vs McCoys family feud...Woodies vs. Duckies;-) Tis a twisted humor take on those who favor woodies over duckies. Very creative use of the green onions as the trees. Lighting is good with all elements well lit. Not my usual cup of tea but well done and in the above average category...or should that be category;-P

D U C K T E R R O G A T O R
by Art Roflmao

Comment:
That's one angry duck (I don't think I have ever seen a ducky with angry eyebrows)! My free associating mind had the momentary thought "Hassan CHOP!" pop into my head; but that's Daffy Duck not the Duckterogator. Wonder what info the Duckterrogator is trying to extract from the pepper...perhaps he is looking for it to spill it's Scoville rating;-P Lighting and set up are all done well.

Ice Fishing
by MaryO

Comment:
Nice idea and wonderfully put together. Nice details, great colors and the lighting is wonderful. A lucky coincidence or mayhap you searched for the right duck -- the expression is great for the ducky really does look happy to have caught the fish:-)

A Bountiful Harvest -- (And that's "just ducky"!)
by Lydia

Comment:
Love the creativity here - great find on that tractor that fits the rubber ducky so perfectly! And love the attention to detail - that little hat says farmer big time! Celery and pumpkin (candies or toys as that I have seen both?) is the creative inclusion of vegetables. This is wonderfully creative! I do have one critique though...as much as I love the whole set-up (gave this an 8) I think it could be even stronger if the ground plane was potting soil or tilled earth rather than the stark white board showing through.

Duckuilibristics
by LevT

Comment:
Great balance! No, really - love how the subjects are balanced in the shot:-) The string divides the composition at a diagonal with the tightrope ducky on the top half and the spotlight in the bottom half. I get the strong sense of the ducky being a circus performer in the big top- well done in putting all the elements together. Love the creative way you included the vegetables in the shot - for tightrope walkers do balance objects as one thing in their act. Nicely done!

Make him go away!
by NeVeRyn

Comment:
Love the idea of the caroler! Did a bit of a double take as that the cauliflower really took on the aspect of snow. Love the homemade string of 'holiday' lights that complement the festive presentation in the photo. The backdrop plays well with the action in the scene for the hazy white makes me think of cold winter days in the city. I do have two small critiques, the first is that it would have been nice to have the full duck in view (bottom is cut/cropped out). Again not a big thing but just adds a little more completeness. Next, not sure about how well the title plays into the holiday festive scene - unless it is a subtle reference to Mr. Scrooge's attitude.

Heist of '11 -- Getting the Carot from the Carrots
by karmat

Comment:
The idea holds much promise. Love the play on Carrot/Carat and the action that is akin to the action films where the heist plays a heavy role in moving the storyline. The idea is strong but the set-up needs a bit of help to boost this into the high above average category. First, I think that the white backdrop is way too stark and glaring - when you think about it most of the great movie heists where the thief is stealing the jewel takes place at night and it is dark. Not to mention that red pops better off of a black backdrop and looks richer in color tone. The typical color of a ducky being yellow would also pop visually on a black backdrop - understood this is the only ducky you could probably get so not a big factor in critique - but you would have had to use a spotlight on the ducky to make sure the purple did not disappear into the black backdrop. The other thing about the action is the duck is like a thief sliding down on the rope, but here he looks like he is being hanged by the neck. If you have a glue gun (easy to peal off the wax glue when done with shot) you could have simply glued the string to the bottom of the duck to make it look like it is 'holding it' while sliding down - if not simple craft glue or even crazy glue would have done the trick. The 'diamond' could be presented a bit stronger if you could stand it up (depending on the lights you might have even captured a lovely sparkle too). Hmmm, one suggestion: use three carrots glued to the diamond to prop it up like a tripod (and it will look it is showcased in a museum or such). Lastly a case or glass enclosure like they have around valuable gems would have made the presentation all the more stronger. Sometimes a hunt around the house yeilds something that could mimic the glass case sometimes not. Hmm, if I remember correctly craft stores have this simple plastic rectagular containers (about the size of that plastic cup) that are small for beads/rocks/pebbles/whatnot that costs less than $2.00. As I said before the wall of words:-) the idea is good it just needs a little more attention to make it excellent.

Steps to the freedom
by Windtale

Comment:
Hello neighbor!(looking above and below me) Congrats on the 4th place - Nice capture of the sunburst - star in the sky. Mountains and scenery is beautiful - very nicely composed. Love the slight cool blue tones for it complements the chill of the snowy, winter scene.

Morning Sunlight greets Evening Shadows
by glad2badad

Comment:
Nice capture of the moon and clouds as the morning rises. :-)Looking at your photographer's comments - I can totally relate to that process of picking the perfect title ::chuckle:: maddening at times, isn't it? Anyway back to the photo - love the sweep of mountains, clouds and the moon. I am curious as to what the color version looks like. The B&W conversion left a sepia tone/slightly higher saturation of red channel that I think (JMO of course) lessens the impact of the dynamic differences between light and shadow (looking at the way the light rolls on and off of the tree covered mountain in forefront - removing the slight red/brown hue would make the play of light and shadow pop more).

...and they lived happily ever after...
by androgeus

Comment:
Congrats on the yellow ribbon! Very pleased to see this make top tier. Love the silhouettes of the couple walking hand in hand at day's end. The clouds seem to part for them to let them pass or the other way I have looked at it is that it nestles/shelters them as they take comfort in each other's company.