In the Green
by lyta

Comment:
Delicious, lush, rich, textural piece of art. Yummy 10 from me.

New Growth
by Bob T

Comment:
Nice subject. I'd like to have seen this much closer - almost as an abstract. Contrast is a tad shallow.

Birch.
by muri

Comment:
This image suffers from a lack of focal point. We're too distant from your subject. Getting much closer and picking out a detail would give the viewer something to find rather than scanning your whole scene for a fragment of interest. You have some good lighting here so it's a shame not to make use of it.

You could try:
> shooting into the sun through a leaf
> creating negative space from leaf and branch shapes
> finding intense light/shadow in texture on leaves
> shooting at an extreme angle either from base of trunk/branch or looking down from above
> try creating exaggerated bokeh by using your zoom and focusing on a small aspect of subject

Sadly, you will get hammered in the voting but put it down to experience and move on. I have given this a 3 because of the above points and the overexposure in the sky.

flare for the gunners
by arsenal

Comment:
I can only respond to this title by offering youa sneak peek at the Gunners' End-of-Season dinner menu:

ARSENAL F.C.
END OF SEASON DINNER DANCE MENU
Starter
Egg on Face
Seasoned Hash
Frogs legs (past their best)
Spanish Surprise (well beaten)

Main course
Humble Pie
Chump Chops
French (has) Beans
Manager's Beef (not rare)
Catch of the Day - big lemon Sol (gutted)
NB: everything is imported, nothing is home grown.

Dessert
Sour Grapes (may be hard to swallow)
Fruitless Tarts
Raspberry Fools
Hard Cheese

Drinks
Bitter
Little Spirit
French Whine
Cabernet Empty 2006
Champagne - sorry none ordered
STRICTLY NO DOUBLES OR TREBLES
NB: drinks should be consumed from glasses as there will be no cups this year.

Guest speaker:
Sir Alex Ferguson - "What it's like to win the European Cup"
Please note that the club’s European Tour for the season 2006-07 is not guaranteed.

: )

Wazzitation
by thegrandwazoo

Comment:
I'd very much like to know how you have managed to discover, then transform, dark matter into a controllable, anti-gravity product with which to utterly waste its potential by producing a daft photographic competition entry.

That's science.
: )

In Dreamsville
by oOWonderBreadOo

Comment:
A striking image. Memorable colours and a good pose, if a little contrived [isn't everythiing to some extent though?]. Love the hair which is nicely offset by the cross-processed vibe.

No place to hide!
by Falc

Comment:
This sould be a hands-down winner if it were fully crisp and focused. That truly is a big shame, because with a macro it's essential. This is a fantastic choice of subject though and it's well composed so far that you deserve credit.

Alone in a Crowd
by Pedro

Comment:
Great concept - and a fun one. Well executed too with not an insignificant amount of effort I suspect. You'll doubtless be up there with this.

marked for life
by goc

Comment:
Like a scene fromas movie - excellent sense of your character comes through here. Like your treatment too - deserves to do well.

in flagrante de ducko
by Pug-H

Comment:
You clearly have a rapport with your models - who seem to positively adore you. This insight into your private life is brave and revealing - although you seem to be slightly indignant that you've intruded on your own special moment with this self-portrait.

Good use of space to highlight your desolate - no, tragic - social condition.

; )