Sunny October Maple
by Rebecca

Comment:
Colors are really lovely here, and an interesting sense of depth.

Tiger jump - desat
by ShutterPug

Comment:
Wow, this is great. I really like the desat on this image. I think it helps pop the tiger from his surroundings. Very strong composition, too!

Use spurs with care!
by snaffles

Comment:
Susan, I really like the perspective on this. Even though the boots are a prop in the barn, the photo gives a sense of animation, as if someone were wearing them. I think it's the slight scuffing on the heels that provides that illusion- the boots look like they're being lifted off the ground. Very cool.
I think you scored lower than you would have in a different challenge - I had trouble figuring out how spurs related to "good" and I suspect other people did as well.
One suggestion would be to add a warming filter. There is a cool cast that may not be intentional.
Overall, great job, and again, wonderful perspective. Hope to see more shots like this from you!

Red Cross: Donate Platelets, Save Lives
by levyj413

Comment:
I think you chose a great subject for this photo. I also like that you posted the info on the Red Cross, as everyone should be aware and donate! Good for you.
Technically, maybe not your strongest shot. The composition is fine but doesn't jump out at me the way some of your other night photos do. I'm also not wild about the lighting, but I don't think you could have done much with it - I suspect you would have to take a lot of specialized equipment with you to fix the inerent problems due to choppy lighting design. Obviously in advanced editing you could have fixed a lot of that PP, but alas, it was basic :-) As Bob mentioned, I'd be interested to see this from a couple different angles.
BTW - pretty sharp for handheld at 1/5. You must have nerves of steel, my friend.

Message edited by author 2007-02-15 20:20:13.

Bye-Bye Keys!
by meyers

Comment:
Hee hee, gave me an instant chuckle. Fortunately, I've never had this happen. Maybe because I don't have kids :-)
It doesn't look like you took too much time to set the shot up - has a candid look (not necessarily a bad thing, especially given that the action is naturally a spontaneous one). I do think a fill flash on your son's face or directional light highlighting his features would have bumped you up a bit. I also find the gargabe can a little distracting in the front.
Overall very cute, though.

Driving Conditions
by posthumous

Comment:
Ooooh, I find this photo very interesting. I would have given it decent marks had I voted (sorry!) I really like the way the lights on the car in front seem to be melting in an almost Dali-esque fashion. Mainly I think it is a good photo because the eye is instantly drawn to the brightest area (the "melty" lights) and then have a chance to take everything in. Not a very DPC-friendly photo, but some of my favorites aren't frankly very DPC-friendly. Great job.

Trolls Do Exist! Bad Troll, Bad Troll.
by jaysonmc

Comment:
I knew you lived in Seattle the moment I saw this photo - I lived there right out of college for a couple years. Since you are already aware of the techical issues of your photo (hand-held at 1/6? - can't believe it is this sharp, actually) I won't elaborate too much. I suspect you mainly took this for fun, and it did fit the challenge very well. Looking forward to seeing further photos of this guy - next time with a tripod :-)

Black To Move
by Greetmir

Comment:
I didn't vote in these challenges, as I was leaving on my vacation, so this is the first time to see this photo. I can't evaluate it as a chess player, since I don't play, so will attempt to assess on photographic merits alone.

First, I will say good white balance and excellent tonal range. You have the whole spectrum covered, which makes for a much better shot. The lighting seems solid, and the composition is fine (though the perspective is a bit skewed from above).

I noticed almost all of your comments are from chess players :-) Maybe I should take up the game, and then I would understand better why this is bad.

Message edited by author 2007-02-15 20:47:12.

Tunnel vision
by quiet_observation

Comment:
Great lines and vanishing point. However, I have to agree with Jeffrey on this one; pretty hard to get a good shot in these conditions without a tripod. I don't know what the Nikon Coolpix capabilities are, but if the ISO can be turned up to 1600 or even 3200, grain might be better than the slight blur that's inevitable otherwise sans tripod. I don't know if the green cast was intentional - if so, please ignore - but if not, maybe consider changing white balance to fluorescent setting or bracket a few shots on different WB settings to see what works best. Finally, I think fill flash might have enhanced the foreground area, depending on how far your flash extends.

The doorway to hell!
by bmartuch

Comment:
Bob,
I think this is a really cool idea. I get the feeling that you took this as a snapshot, though, without really checking your lighting and DOF. Since it is advanced editing, I also think you might have benefited from some burning work around the devil's face to bring him out more.

I must say, though, that is a pretty cool-looking devil - it just takes a few glances before he's apparant.