self pity...
by Hairlessman

Comment:
I think you got some dnmc's for having a partial face? That's the only explanation I can think of for this not being over 6. Beautiful.

Stamp
by whiteroom

Comment:
I gave this an 8, but I didn't comment because it seemed so clear that whoever did this knew exactly what she was doing, and executed it perfectly. Congratulations.

The Da Vinci Woody
by scarbrd

Comment:
7 for cleverness.

floor
by Keit_LT

Comment:
You get my dnmc 7. Fun frame. The cat seems to be playing with it, and it reacts nicely with the diagonal wood grain.

Gone Fishing
by jimika

Comment:
Those clouds are really gorgeous. What I like best about this photo is those two people, who are very small and standing right on the reflection, so it seems they are standing on clouds, and they are small enough that I am able to "buy" it, visually. The majestic curve of the shoreline becomes an escalator to heaven. I like the few foreground elements. They don't draw the eye much, so they are not a big distraction, but when I DO look at them, I can't quite reconcile how small those people get so quickly. It's a dizzying effect. Overall, my reaction is one of wonderment, grandeur.

411585
by undieyatch

Comment:
A portrait has an immediate impact: somebody's looking at me! Being accosted this way generates an immediate reaction. It is this reaction that the photographer is responsible for. Usually, the reaction is "I don't know this person. Who's next?" The photographer must overcome that. And you have, at least for me. Or maybe your model has. I don't care who is to blame, but the key is the warmth in his face, and a surprising amount of vulnerability for a cowboy with a beer in his hand. All I want to do is buy him his next beer. The beauty of your photo is that nothing distracts from this impression. The bottom half is mostly blacked out, but we still get a strong sense that he exists down there, and it makes his buckle and his gun more iconic. Instead of the iconic sheriff's badge we get what looks more like a convention badge. This places the subject well, shows how he is compromising with reality, and judging by his face seems very accepting of it, and willing to be of service in whatever world he is dropped into. Normally I would say the processing is too "glowy" but that would be foolish, since the photo accomplishes everything it needs to accomplish, then there is no reason to get rid of the glow. Mostly it's the booze that glows anyway, and that's entirely appropriate.

SP2-Day-21.Heartbroken
by idnic

Comment:
This reminds me of Daffy Duck's magic trick. I don't remember the details exactly, but it was quite spectacular. He basically blows himself up. It's a real showstopper, but he can only do it once. You've managed to take a very emotional photograph simply by photographing yourself when you're very emotional. It works quite well. It has that tension for the viewer that most good photographs have: how did she do it? how did she capture this moment, which looks so fragile, so unselfconscious? Of course, as an artist, you can't keep beating yourself to create the emotion you need. But a moment like this, captured as it is, can be a guidepost for you on your road to being an artist, which is a road I believe you're on, because this is not the only guidepost of yours that I've seen. Look back at this photo and think of it as a standard you have set for emotional honesty, emotional frankness, even when you are finding the emotion in a bowl of fruit.

Rythm
by buzzrock

Comment:
You are using the classic S curve, which I discuss on this picture:



You have the disadvantage of not having your curve in any sort of context, nothing for it to play against. I like the complexities of the different things along the edges of the cd cases, but ultimately they are all in the same S curve. Slight variations also add some interest, but to be honest it's not very long before I'm done looking at it.

British Columbia - Room at the Inn
by ShutterPug

Comment:
This is a good genre piece (the genre being landscape, of course). The grass is lush and golden. The barn is not run of the mill (so to speak)... quite a fascinating shape and color to it, and the second "storey" is so different than the first. I like how the tree leans up against it so intimately. For me the main interest of the photo lies in wondering about this building. Is it still being used? How much? What condition is it in? The saplings/bushes in the left foreground break up what would otherwise be a too simple composition, and provide a diagonal counterpoint to the main item of interest. The sky has great clouds. Personally, I like to be "woken up" from the dream of genre. In other words, I like a genre to be subverted, even if only in a small way. This doesn't do that, but working within the genre it manages to maintain quite a bit of interest anyway. As to your title, it adds Biblical undertones, and I find it rather sad, because I don't think there are any animals being tended here any more, if there ever were. So there's not even a manger for baby Jesus. I wonder if this is meant as a tourism ad, but that mention of infamous Biblical inhospitality might work against it.

1185 W. Georgia
by zeuszen

Comment:
As a viewer, I like to be disoriented. It involves me in the photograph. And this does that well. I have trouble understanding where I am, where I'm standing, what I'm angle I'm looking at this from. What are those eyes? Are they a reflection? Is this whole thing a reflection? It's different, though, than utter chaos because there are major shapes of light and dark, so a sense of divine order (qv Genesis) still remains... and there is also this large box shape that can be construed. But its lower edge is irregular, giving a sense of incompleteness, a poignant, vertiginous sense of things not coming together.