Restrained
by pepitoid

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment. I keep seeing this in the line-up of scored uncommented images and my eye keeps coming back to it. There is just *something* eye-catching and interesting that I can't quite put my finger on. The colors of the horse contrast dynamically and darkly against the backdrop which really draws our my eye to the horse. I guess what I really find interesting that my eye is captured every time is that action that is caught here. The composition is shot as a straight on horizon shot yet the horse is running at the diagonal...the hooves run right into the bottom right corner. I hear the thundering hooves, the muscles ripple & move as they propel this noble spirit....oh...I believe that must be it! The appeal is the action and motion and grace of this horse that is captured here in the composition.

Family Lookout
by Cboydrun

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments now. Wow! Great capture of this moment in time when all the cubs are looking at our direction while the mother cheetah stands guard. You can definately say that this is a great family portrait of the cheetahs in the wild:-) This must have been an exciting sight to see real time! I do want to take a moment to point out one area that would make this great photo pop more visually. Contrasts are good in the shot but they could be better and little more dynamic. Boosting the contrasts levels a bit more could really make the cheetah family pop even more especially against the backdrop.

Footsteps
by shot

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. I really love the concept being expressed in this photo. The young child follows in his parents/grandparents footsteps. Love how you captured it with the shadowplay. The boy's front step is caught stepping directly on the back leg's shadow of the man. This clearly communicates the saying "Following in his/her footsteps". The passing down of traits and/or heritiage, and traditions. It is a touching sentiment and good eye to spot the potential of that being caught here. I do have a few critiques (I know, I know, picky picky right:-) ) I think that there is too much negative space that does absolutely nothing to compliment your photo. Cropping it closer to the adult and child will also have the effect of further emphasizing the concept by keeping the eye's attention squarely focused on the two main subjects as they dominate the scene. Lastly to further emphasize the significance of the shadowplay and how it ties into the concept, I think it would be best to crop out the portion that shows the shadow portion of the adult's shorts. This closer cropping would then make where the boy has/is stepping all the more noticeable - and thus would further strengthen the visual impact of the concept you are conveying.

New Beginnings...
by L800Lisa

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. I *LOVE* the concept you are conveying here in this composition. The hand of the young child grabs hold of the adult/parent as the child faces another day with many possibilities for the future that lies ahead. Parents and care-givers are the support and guidance counselors to the children. They need that love and support - a holding of their hands as they grow. The photo holds a very touching and true concept. While this is a good shot it has the potential to become an outstanding one. The strengths: I love that you have the child's hand holding onto the parent's hand/finger as they watch the sun rise. The sun peers out from the horizon just off to the left of the child's thumb. One area that needs improvement is the arrangement of main elements in a pleasing order that introduces symmentry. The parent's hand emerges from the top right corner. If you crop or compose your shot that the child's hand emerges from the far bottom left corner then what you have is a nice straight diagonal line going from right to left corners of the composition. It is a pattern that the eye will subtley follow and one that will put further emphasis on the joining hands. Lastly to further emphasis this endearing moment of hands joining and further strengthen the emotional response to it, the position of the sun should be closer to the where the two hands join - right there between the child's thumb and the adult's finger that is being held. It would be a subtle visual that shows the moment of contact - the warmth and spark of that connection.

Antelope Canyon 2008
by Canonguy39

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. One can never truly get tired at looking at nature's beauty. This is a good capture showcasing the beauty and artistry of this natural wonder. Love the sweeping lines in the rock and the colors. I do notice that the colors and contrast are a tad washed out - a simple boost in contrast to make the differences in light and dark stand out and a slight boost in color levels to make the red/oranges a little more vibrant and this image will go from above average to spectacular.

In All Their Glory
by Shan2112

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. Wow, great focus on the two eagles for we see some really nice details in their feathery bodies and head. While you have captured great detail, I think there are still two areas of work that can greatly improve this good shot. First, the color hues seem a tad washed out - contrast and a little saturation boosts can really shine the spotlight on this capture. The main focus is on these two majestic birds - nothing wrong with bringing us closer to fully appreciate their beauty. Cropping out the branch at the bottom will do so and further increase the appreciation of this photo.

Ruby Throated (Hidden Gem, DMC, Does Meet Challenge! :)
by delin

Comment:
Voted earlier leaving comments now. What a stunningly beautiful amount of detail on the body of this hummingbird!!! Love the colors and fine textures in the feathers that we can see of this small bird. The wings are blurred but that gives off a wonderful sense of motion and, in a way, coupled with the blurred bokeh background a wonderful 3D effect. The body of the hummingbird just pops off the page. This tiny fast moving bird seems to be zooming towards us. Great job in capturing this beauty!

Mona Lisa
by sidpixel

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back for comments. I am ready for my close-up now! I can't help but think that is what this curious cow is thinking as it comes in closer to investigate:-) Lighting is good and the focus shows off the face by the eyes, but a greater DOF is needed to give us a really good detailed view of this cows full features. As I mentioned the focus is nice and sharp on the eyes and hair of the forehead, but lacks strong detail in the mouth and nose. A greater aperture (say 7.0 or above) and a slower shutter speed that is adjusted for exposure will increase the DOF. So if you focus say on the top of the nostrils then the eyes and forehead should retain sharp detail as well as sharp detail on the front mouth...the cows further back though may be blurred but a bokeh background would be good for then it would keep the focus tightly on the main cow while having an environment that is complimentary to the subject.

Soul Harvest
by reephoto

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments now. Wow! The colors are wonderfull in this photo from the golden fields on one side to the deep greens on the other side of the road. I like how you composed the shot that the country road dominates the center and how starts in the foreground and then leads off to the distance. It is the leading line that our eye travels upon to arrive at the church with it's interesting stone architecture and gothic style windows. This is a very scenic picture of the rural countryside.

My little Gem
by muz64

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. Very true, children are a joy and a gem...even when they test our patience;-) Very lovely portrait of your son. You caught some great catch lights in those big brown eyes. Lighting and skin tones in this color portrait are great too! I do have a critique (picky, picky right;-) ) and that is with any great portrait one never caps off the top of the head - unless your composition just has the face fill the frame. Nonetheless this is a great shot of this happy smiling child.