Winter Blues
by Alain

Comment:

I really find this a refreshing and wonderful scene. The blues really work for me, using them as a metaphor for the cold of winter. I think my favorite part of the photo is how these tall pines almost come across as small blades of grass being blown by some wind. The only thing that is a bit of a negative is that I feel the image seems a bit unbalanced - the darkness of the trees on the right seem to weigh the image down and pull the image down on that side while the brights/ whites on the left don't quite hold up the image enough.

On the Path to Enlightenment
by jonfrommk

Comment:
Jon
Now I feel enlightened. I did not know what this building was until I read your comments.

I like the title and i like how you isolated the beautiful shapes of the pagoda top. I think the center crop is a bold choice for this shot. With a bold choice I think a bolder processing style may have been in order. The whites don't quite seem bright enough as if it is a bit underexposed - a boost in levels could fix most of this. Also, the crop is really tight on top and I think a slightly taller image would have feld less crowded and a bit less closed.

To me, the title is screaming for a more wide open composition. The sky is marvelous and I think bringing it out more would have been a big boost.

Whiskers
by sherpet

Comment:
Nice work Shez! Really good and sharp and I love the tongue!

The Moon Drops Through the Morning's Palette to the Horizon...
by NikonJeb

Comment:
I really like the layers created by the different hues in the sky. The placement of the tree works pretty well. I gave this a 6 during voting, primarily due to the significant color noise I see in the sky - as if the blues and cyans are not balanced when you modified them in Hue/Sat. A bit of smoothing either with a brush or using a noise reduction approach would have likely helped a great deal and bumped that score well over 6.

Cheers!
Peter

Winter Wonderland
by KarenNfld

Comment:
Golly Karen. This one is awesome. I didn't get to vote on it but I would have given this an 8 or 9. Stunning control of exposure on the snow, wonderful rich blue sky and excellent framing by the pines. I think my only nitpick is that I would have liked the path to be illuminated just a bit more - it is all completely in shadows and that path would really draw the viewer in more with a bit more light.

Paging Mr. Trombone Player
by BAMartin

Comment:
Barbara
I really like this - the lighting so subdued yet warm and inviting, the story of the tuba player waiting for the performance/ rehearsal, and the sousaphones in the background to frame the scene, all works really well together.

If I were to vote, I would have likely been a bit annoyed that you were looking for a trombone player rather than another tuba - because this looks a heck of a lot like a Tuba Christmas gig - NO TROMBONES ALLOWED!!!! LOL

Fishing at Twilight
by EstimatedEyes

Comment:
I thought this was a cool effort. It has a distinct watercolor feel and I think you pulled it off pretty darn well. I probably would have given this a 5 - and here is why....

I think the crop and placing the bird dead center was one thing that I would have done differently - the current crop seems a bit too static - and this contrasts with what you are trying to bring to the viewer. If you were going with the square crop, a tighter one may have worked well to reinforce the motion. Otherwise, placing the bird in more the upper right quadrant to provide some neg space for the bird to fly into and to show the textures of the sea below could have been cool. I think one thing that hurts the image is the low contrast - I am a contrast freak, but I think a bit more separation of the bird from the background may have worked better.

Hot!
by L2

Comment:
Laurie

A funny thing about this photo. I almost find it a bit unsettling that he is smiling as if just joking with a buddy, not at all concerned about the fire behind him. Maybe the fire is under control, or it is just a training mission, but the smile really grabbed my attention. I think it is a good shot and does tell an interesting story, but I just worry that this guy actually set the fire so he could put it out...

On the processing side (sorry I could not resist!!!) I see in your description that you purposefully did not sharpen his face - an interesting idea, but not the direction I would have gone. Your title says "Hot!" clearly describing him (and maybe the fire), but since it is likely about him, I think I would have made him jump off the screen a bit more.

Art Appreciation
by Hipychik

Comment:
Terry

I really like this one - very cool. The reasons I like it are that I can almost see the man being 'hugged' by the woman (maybe his mom or some other relative) in the painting. The starkness of the edit adds a lot of melancholy to the shot. The thick black border creates the illusion of it being a painting within a painting - a nice touch. I gave it a 7 during voting and probably should have gone higher.

Man and Dog
by Melethia

Comment:
Deb
I didn't get around to voting on this one, but I would have given it a 6 or 7. I quite like the story told by the man's shoes and the relationship to the dog. The reason I feel you have a story here is how the man's left foot is slightly askew as if waiting for his dog to finish having the drink. The way the lines of the dog's back and the crack in the street intersect at the dog's head also drew me in.

This is a risky shot for a FS but I really quite liked it and I woudl not have changed a thing about the shot. I think it would be funny to see the purple dog edit sometime....