Welcome to the Party
by JuliBoc

Comment:
This is very whimsical. I believe this could have used a hair larger DOF as I would really like to see the hat in focus too because it is really popping off the page and in my face. I am not fond of the crop simply because it looks a bit like a decapitated doll. Including more of the body would have improved this, IMO. You also seem to have lost the tip of the hat. While that may have been intentional, it is going to seem to most like a mistake. I am not sure what the thing is on the left of the image, but may have been able to tell with the deeper DOF. It is very distracting to the overall composition. With a little more attention to detail and a few little tweaks, this has great potential. Good luck! :)

Last cigarette on this night.
by pedrobop

Comment:
Your idea might need a little bit of tweaking... I do find your focus a bit off and the entire image is just a hair too dark. Your lights in the bg are pretty but they don't really enhance the image I feel you are trying to portray. Perhaps a great iced glass of scotch or whiskey as the bokeh would have complimented it more... maybe just a table with empty chairs. I just don't feel like the lights were the right choice here. I hope this helps some :) Good luck!

On Life
by Covert_Oddity

Comment:
A point to remember when shooting a photograph. Your subject needs to catch and hold interest. While your bokeh is very pretty, I can't tell what it is and it frustrates me. So it doesn't make a good subject. Therefore, I turn to the person. Still, I am frustrated because I can't see that person and the silhouette isn't giving me any indication of what is going on here either. Perhaps if you would have included more of the person in the frame or blurred the bokeh just a tad less it would have worked beautifully. As it is, it doesn't catch and hold my attention. Good luck :)

An Ornament with Lights
by banmorn

Comment:
You probably already have been told this, but you have a lot of what resembles sensor dust on your lights. While they are a pretty effect, the spottiness of them really detracts from the beauty. Also, your main subject (the ornament) gets a little bit lost in the background of black. Some soft light coming from the other side might have helped this (flashlight, perhaps?). The ribbon(?) that the ornament is hanging on is way too colourful for this shot. A pretty hook would have been a better choice. Remember to compliment your main subject, not take away the attention. Check out this thread and this thread. The second has a lovely part about how to find out if you actually have sensor dust. I hope this helps :) Good luck!

butter.fly.effect
by crayon

Comment:
While the DOF is very narrow and blurs out the foreground and the background nicely, there is little interest beyond the eyes of the butterfly. A different angle to give a more pleasing overall composition would have helped this tremendously. Also, either centering the critter completely or setting it fully to one side or the other is always a better choice than having it slightly off. Your exposure is perfect, btw. As is the sharpness. Good luck! :)

Christmas Warmth
by Skippy_NF

Comment:
Brightened up a bit, this would make a very pretty Christmas card. :)

On to the C&C:
You managed to get very nice catchlights in your snowman's eyes but you left the tag on and it distracts a bit from his cuteness. His placement in the frame is nice but the lights overpower him from the back a bit. Sometimes, less is more. Snowmen are supposed to be white and while the lighting looks very warm and toasty and makes me feel very at home, I'd like to see a bit more of that whiteness. Your images is a bit dark overall (as already mentioned) and I understand that if you brightened it too much, the lights in the back went all blown out. This is where an advanced ruleset would have behooved you as you could have brightened just the man. Perhaps a small flashlight on him would have helped... I hope this has helped in some way. Good luck! :)

The Heart of the Matter
by mgsmith53

Comment:
While the area on the left is causing an interesting effect in the bg, I find it a tad unnecessary. It really detracts from the main subject (the cross). The overall image is very highly saturated (a bit too much for my taste) but the colour is nice and warm and gives a homey feeling to the tree and cross. Your placement of the cross is okay but the composition is a little loose... a move to the right slightly would have given more visual pleasure, IMO. Also, and this is just a little personal preference thing, I would like to have seen your cross with a bit more dramatic lighting... maybe with a black card behind it to only light it from the front... Crosses, by nature, create emotion. I think the emotion here would have been better played up by a little creative light :) Good luck!

bortukan
by shay455

Comment:
Your lighting in this is really pretty. The bokeh does not lend itself to this photo. It is so dark that it almost disappears completely. Your model is not looking at the camera and because this is such a tight shot, it loses interest as we have no idea why you chose to capture her at this particular moment. If you had shot a little wider, perhaps we would see whatever she may be looking at as well.

Organic fireworks
by glennc

Comment:
While there are a lot of OOF areas in this image, I just find them to be a little bit too busy. I find myself hunting for other shapes and trying to make out what could be back there rather than enjoying the viewing pleasure of your subject. You might have considered taking out that purple flowery thing in front too... a good subject is usually alone in it's splendor. Your colour scheme is very very eye pleasing though. This idea has a lot of potential. My suggestion is to re-shoot it with some of the above suggestions in mind so you can see what kind of difference it makes. Good luck! :)

Of Course, its Gorse!
by didless

Comment:
Your light is really very nice. Your focus is either a bit soft or the lens you used is not very good because it has made your focus seem a bit soft. Placement of the main subject, the flower, could be improved, IMO. Perhaps a tad more left. Your colours here are a nice blend... yellow and blue make green... very complimentary.