Solitude
by Zoomdak

Comment:
I really like the blue tones here, and the texture of the low tide beach gives a great contrast in the lower area to the cloud layer above. The silhouette of the rock helps anchor the horizon. A great landscape, which are generally pretty tough to pull off. (I know I can't do them very well). Great shot. 8

The Hornet
by rhipster

Comment:
Gah.. Shots like this always freak me out completely. Phobia of the things doesn't help. I hate it when they look right AT me.
This looks a little oversharpened. DOF is good, and the composition has a nice aspect to it. Perhaps a little too much negative space in the upper left corner, but nothing too distracting. Most of all, it just makes me shiver.. and that's a good thing. 8

Parrot Portraiture
by buzzrock

Comment:
This is probably one of the better bird-head shots I've seen. The colors are magnificent, and really shine out. Composition is great, but lacking in any real dynamic. In the end, it's just another Blue and Gold Macaw. 8

Wish I Knew What You Were Thinking
by flip89

Comment:
A great expression on the gorilla.. almost sad, but inquistive and sort of .. complacent.. as well. I had originally given this a 7, but after looking at it further, I believe it deserves an 8. I'm just not sure about the B&W here though, as it seems to have dulled the eyes.

Megalomania
by Remie

Comment:
I really like the feeling of smallness you give your subjects here, and the implication that they are "flying a kite" is great too. There's just some factor missing in it that I can't put a finger on. Perhaps it's the sky.. the overcast is just too static for me, although the shading from your silhouetted to the gray, to the lighter gray and white in the corner helps. Still, it's a 7 from me, as it just doesn't "pop" for me.

Red Dragon
by Jacko

Comment:
Love the DOF on this, really helps the eye focus on the dragonfly, and gives a great three-dimensional feel. It looks to me like you have some cloning artifacts underneath the flower though, and the focus of the insect isn't as clear as I've seen in similar shots.

Naughty .... but nice
by agwright

Comment:
To me, this is missing that certain "wow" factor (to borrow from a DPC "standard"), that gives me incentive to score higher. the narrow DOF is a little distracting in this case, especially because of the hard lighting on the right hand side. The off centered composition also doesn't work to me, since the way you've posed the pastry already suggests a lack of symmetry, which, if used in a centered comp, would have worked quite nice. Also, somehow, the color just seems a little flat. the whipped cream in which the strawberry rests just doesn't stand out the way it could to make the statement I feel that I want it to make.
Still, it's a great attempt, and now I'm craving yummy pastries!

All the Good Things
by mbardeen

Comment:
I want to like this photograph.. it's got a really nice compositional feel. However, the sunset just isn't exciting enough to really sell the reflection and silhouette to me, and the overall feel is just too dark. Perhaps it was intentional, I don't know, but I know that it doesn't work for my tastes. Just trying to be honest.

First Light
by autool

Comment:
I find, because of the harsh lighting in the upper right, that you've got some visible stepping in the color in the sky. Also, there's a bit of a halo between the background hill and trees and the sky which shows a slight oversharpening. Foreground is a touch too dark, and the footsteps that should have been visible are *just* barely. Metering against the water, or closer to the ground, may have helped this out, or you were going for a "higher power" aspect with the bright light, but it unfortunately weakens the rest of hte photograph.

Keep playing around with your shutter speeds and aperatures (if you have manual control on them), and keep trying. I hope you get enough helpful comments. Good luck.

Bear River Marshes
by dsidwell

Comment:
I think this shot suffered from a lack of a decent focal point. The image seems a little washed out, the lighting isn't extremely strong, and there's just no real interest. Perhaps if you'd waited for some wildlife (birds, et al), or maybe tried to find an interesting combination of marsh islands to give the photograph some centering, it would have worked better. Also, high horizon lines tend not to be as strong as they are when lower, in my experience. Anyway, keep working on things, I hope you get a lot of helpful comments, and good luck in the future :)