The Calm After
by hideout

Comment:
This is the third time I have looked upon this image and I have to say that every time I see it I see the dog, Bodget, from the 1963 movie The Incredible Journey. When I see this lone dog I can't help but wonder where his other two companions, Lauth and Tao, are:-) I cannot help but see this dog traveling a long journey like that of in the movie to get back home. The composition and setting are very eye appealing. The only main critique I have on this photo is that the colors could be richer in hue - they look a bit washed out. Depending on the capabilities of the camera you could adjust the saturation & color as well as contrast levels in the camera OR you could do that in photoshop.

L'oiseau Vert
by smartypants

Comment:
What a fabulous close-up of this hummingbird! Love how you can see all the wonderful details of it's plummage - and those shimmering greens are lovely to look upon. I know that it is difficult to capture these birds stationary but I am going to offer my suggestion anyhow. The stark white 'background' does nothing to complement this composition of the hummingbird. I do like that splash of red on the bird feeder for that adds a splash of color. The only thing that I can think of that you might have been able to do to eliminate the 'background' at the time of the shot is to have taken it at a slight angle (45 degrees to the subject) looking up such that the blue sky would then become the background. Then the blue sky would be a nicer complementary color to those wonderful greens pictured here....of course it would also depend on if there was a nice blue sky to be found on the day of this shot.

Captivated
by scalvert

Comment:
Love the colors and the candid capture of this feline. Colors are very rich and the details on the face are sharp enough for you to see all the fine hairs on this wild cat's head. A closer crop or focus such that the composition is filled by just the cat's head would keep the focus on the cat rather than the background.

Cross
by Brin

Comment:
B&W tones are wonderful and dynamic - hues are not flat. The 45 degree angle to the cross and looking up adds dramatic interest. My critique on this one is that had you further integrated the background to the object of interest this could have turned into a really unique shot. That cloud formation in the back that looks like it is escaping the main front takes on the appearance of a bird in flight/object in flight/escaping spirit. A slight change in angle would have placed the 'foot'/tip of this cloud at the center crux of the cross such that it would take on the appearance that a spirit is taking flight from the earthly plane.

Moonlight Sonata
by kirbic

Comment:
And a sky full of stars....this photo is breathtaking. Love the rich deep hues seen in the sky, the craggy mountains, and the foreground with beautiful floral ground cover. This is the sort of composition that draws one into the beauty of the scene such that we take a seat and just gaze upon the scenery.

Schoolboy's Dream
by davequick

Comment:
It is quite possible this was a precariously dangerous shot to take especially if you were the driver - but this is a photo opportunity that does not come around easily so the photographer's eye was working at full speed to recognize this:-) The yellow hues of both vechicles establish a relationship between them that goes beyond them just being modes of transportation. They are nearly side-by-side. One is a sporty racy car and the other is the lumbering school bus. I can see a face in the back window that when you attach the title of thie piece to the overall elements present the meaning is instantly recognized. A boy daydreams of the day of owning a cool car like this...his mind is not at all focused on education at the moment:-) My biggest critique on this piece is that there is too much empty space surrounding the main focus/objects that they become lost in it and focus is drawn away from what you want us to really notice. The composition would be greatly strengthened if you tightly crop the frame to just have the two automobiles fill 90 % of the frame. This would also help us to see that face pressed upon the window of the bus as it seems to be looking at the sporty car passing by.

Toma Lo
by beamsclan

Comment:
Love those reds and pinks that are very vibrant in this candid photo of this (Bolivian or Peruvian?) woman. And to make the composition interesting is the juxtaposition of two 'cultures': one is the south american culture with the woman dressed in the native costume and the other is the red brick wall advertising a bit of americana, Coca-Cola. I have two critiques on improving this photo. The first is to crop out the bit of street that you see on the left hand side of the composition. It adds nothing to the overall composition - in fact it distracts attention away from the main focus. The second is to see if you could get your model/subject to pose a tad more relaxed. It appears here that she is a little too nervous to pose for the camera; she is a bit too wooden. Hmmm, it maybe that the culture might still hold to the ideas that by taking a picture you are capturing there soul which would explain her unease.

Golden Morning
by cools98

Comment:
Love how the the lens/effect that you used to give this photo a soft look - it creates a magical mood that transports us into this dreamy scene of the horses grazing on the open plain. Rich and warm hues also give this photo an appealing look. My only critique is that I think that you could easily go for a tighter crop cutting out some of the sky & right hand portion of the photo. That would keep the focus on the main subjects and make them the literally the center of attention by having them fill more of the frame.

Sonoma Vineyards: Pushing Away the Fog
by rjkstesch

Comment:
I love the rolling layers of colors and textures you see in this photo. It is a three tier composition. The foreground provides us with the burst of yellows while the middle is the neatly lined green rows of the vineyard. Above in the background is the grey white fog that falls like a blanket top layer.

Keeneland
by farmer48

Comment:
This is a great action shot. We can see the horses thundering down the curve of the track as their hooves pound into the ground kicking up dirt. As great as this shot is - timing is sometimes everything. To move this photo out of good to great a better shot would have been very similiar to this but it would be more closely cropped to the action AS Well AS capture the faces of the jockeys as they race towards the finish. The photo here has their faces mostly hidden behind the horses - it would really be great to see the looks and concentration of the jockeys as they spur their horse to the finishline.