Mary Poppins
by Shermy

Comment:
:spoken with a british chimney sweep accent: Oh, I know that silhouette anywhere - Mary Poppins!!!:-)This is a wonderful shot trying to capture the magic of Mary Poppins. I love the silhouette of the woman against a blueish grey sky. The vast negative space works for it keeps the eye's attention on the main focus/element of the composition. With the hat, the umbrella, and the overcoat she does take on the impression of Mary Poppins but there are two little things that could have strengthened the connection to the charming mysterious Mary Poppins even more (I know picky picky, but spit-spot lets have a look into it shall we?;-) ). The Mary Poppins we are all familiar with and love is that brought about by Julie Andrews performance. She always made it a point to stand with her toes sticking out and heels together because she wanted to remain true to the illustrations in P.L. Travers Mary Poppins books. Also, there is the flower that sticks up out of her hat and I see no adornment on this figure. Lastly the pose of the model seems a tad stiff. Her movements seem forced in this photo as that the arm with the bag is lifted much too high and the arm sporting the umbrella seems held too stiff - I would imagine that the arm holding the umbrella would be holding much more aloft in order to catch a breeze to take flight.

Never Too Old
by Rebecca

Comment:
Certainly a different take on Magic & Mystery. A tribute to those of us who still love mysteries - and who grew up on Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys:-) My first Nancy Drew that I read was #47 The Mysterious Stranger - then I read all of them...but I digress. The merits and critique on the photo. I was going to make the point that the model should have had her hair like Nancy's seen on the back cover when it then dawned on me that the title plays into the reason. She is wearing pigtails which is a connection to childhood - and even though us gals get old we always remember our girlhood reading and enjoying Nancy Drew. The expression of the model is good because it shows she is totally engrossed in the action that is happening in the pages of the book. My critiques lie in the elements of the composition. I think that if the pigtails stuck out more than an even stronger connection to childhood and you are never too old would be established. I also think that you could have better utilized the background space - here it is just negative space that has nothing in it. It could have been used to help make a stronger connection to the enjoyment of reading Nancy Drew. Some examples: the cover art for The Mysterious Mannequin shows a veiled woman pointing to a tapestry. You could have had that book in the shot and had a tapestry similiar to the cover art hanging in the background. Or the cover art for The Clue In The Old Album you could have had a picture of a moustached man playing a violin hanging in the background to match the book cover. Or The Scarlet Slipper Mystery in which you have a painting of a ballerina in the background to match the cover art of the book.....you see where I am going with the suggestion. If there is some negative space in the shot that can be used to strengthen an element in the shot without it becoming too busy then it might be worth exploring. Lastly, mayhap tis just me, but the green shirt just is too overpowering a tone for the photo. A more muted green......mayhap even clothes that alludes to an elementry school uniform or girl scouts uniform would have would have been better for the composition for it would help strengthen the connection to childhood and one "never being too old" to enjoy a revisit to an "old friend"

Ghosts of the city
by marvin

Comment:
I can see what you tried to accomplish in this photo. There are 'numerous' mysterious ghostly figures milling about. The problem is the composition and angle. None of the figures are terribly prominent in the photo. The figures in the distance maybe make-up 4 % of the photo. While those in the foreground are almost not visible because they blend into the dark background and the busy lights of the city. Making those ghostly figures in the foreground more prominent would be the key to moving this out of the average range and into the 7 and up range. Perhaps shooting the photo at a lower angle would have helped. Placing the camera low to the ground and shooting angled up so that the figures appear more on the backdrop of the blue sky would have made them as visible as those ghostly figures you see in the background faintly silhouetted on the ocean. Also too much of the bright lights would only serve to distract attention away from one of the key elements that being the ghostly figures. Just keeping a narrow slice of the city lights and city line would help keep the atttention tihtly focused on the main elements and make a stronger connection to the title of the piece.

Paper Patterns
by timfythetoo

Comment:
Love the shapes of the paper curls. They swirl and curl and not only captures the eye's attention with shape, but coupled with that beatiful blue hue the mind becomes enchanted. This image is very visually appealing. Upon viewing the photo the viewer is easily entranced and can enter a daydream state very simular to laying on a grassy hillside and gazing up at the white clouds that drift by.

Blowin' Smoke
by cislander

Comment:
I love the attention to details in the composition - all the titles in the sheet music match the mood and title of these piece.

Barn@Davis Road (Small).jpg
by RayEthier

Comment:
I love the colors in this photo. And what makes it especially beautiful to gaze upon is the snow draped tree branches that make a natural frame around the wooden barn centered in the composition. Very lovely. I just found a hidden jem to add to my favorites.

sailing_test1
by Agaricus

Comment:
Love the colors on this peaceful and serene waterscape. The sailboat catchs our attention and holds it as we sail away unto a pastel blue and pink sky.

Beside Derwent
by talj

Comment:
I love the composition of this shot. I like the colors of boat and how the angle/perspective makes it appear that it is approaching the viewer by 'sailing' out of the shot. The mood of the photo is one of a peaceful solitude. I agree with others that this is a great shot, it has all the right elements that make it appealing but if you do a little PS with upping the saturation, a bit of curves and some contrast adjustments it will move from the great category into the outstanding cateory.

What makes you think you’re something special when you smile? - Hey Bulldog
by notesinstones

Comment:
Simple B&W presentation really makes the focal point of your photo pop off the page. The white tones of the doggie really pop off of the dark hues in his surrounding environment. And that expression!!! That wonderfully smug happy 'smile' on the dog's face is just great! As I look at it I do indeed hear the lines "What makes you think you're something special when you smile?" Hey Bulldog, I give you an 8.

The fool on the hill
by birkin

Comment:
Love the deep rich tones of the oranges and yellows in the sky. These warm tones are very appealing. Attention to detail is good. The subject is wearing a fool's hat and his arms are thrown wide in joyful abandon. The subject and the ground plane are in deep silhouette which is good because it really pops off the warm tones of the sky - not to mention that if any other colors showed it would clash for the eye's attention and 'clutter' the scene. My only critique is that I wish 'the fool' was holding a can and not an umbrella for it just doesn't seem to fit all to well with the time period represented with the fool's hat. Then again, this is representing the Beatles whose songs were sometimes whimsical, silly or avant garde. 10