Cloud Cover
by soccerdad

Comment by Dr.Confuser:
Nice setting. Wish I was there! I kie the colors, especially the water and reddish rocks. The slanted horizon bothers me a bit, so the picture would be better if you straightened the horizon in my opinion.

Cloud Cover
by soccerdad

Comment by PirateJabez:
Beautiful!

Cloud Cover
by soccerdad

Comment by Brooklynsbridge:
I hope to see a cloud as such.. that is the neatest thing!

Back to Back
by soccerdad

Comment by Count:
Nice framing and lighting. Great use of DOF, looks great.

Coin Toss: Heads or Tails
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
I also think this should have scored better. The concept and execution are very good. The DOF seems off one way or the other- either shallower DOF to simulate motion blur on the top coins or deeper DOF to get them in focus. You might crop a bit off the bottom, too. With those minor changes, I'd have given this an 8.

Sharing Wisdom
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
A clever idea with mundane objects. Good focus and color. A shallower DOF would really help rivet your attention on the central figure. I'd like to see the figures facing each other more (maybe from the left side) to play up the 'sharing' aspect.

Stems
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
The concept is excellent, but the blurry vase likely killed your score... it's a major distraction. I'm surprised your shutter speed was so long- was this shot in the evening? I'll bet if you had placed the camera on the ground and shot with a smaller aperture using the self-timer, you would have scored around 6.

Leader of the Band
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
Very nice portrait. I never saw an instrument like that before (looks like a giant, aboriginal pool cue). The use of multiple light sources is clearly evident, though not a primary aspect of the image (to me, at least). Once again, you obviously know your stuff when it comes to exposure and color. The highlights and shoulder don't bother me at all, and I like the radiant streaks in the background. I would have scored this about a 7 (technically outstanding, but the subject doesn't excite me personally).

On My Honor...
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
The disconnect between the hand and "floating" medal is strange to me, and the only real problem I see with this shot. In retrospect, you probably DO need the medal, if only to keep the "breeze-through voters" from thinking that you are just showing a literal three with the fingers. Perhaps if you showed a scout uniform in the background or simply held the medal with your thumb, the two elements would tie together better. I still think exposure and color were perfect, and agree with scrum8 that the BSA might find a good use for this photo. ;-)

Waiting time is relative.
by soccerdad

Comment by scalvert:
Good idea, but not blunt enough for about 26 voters. It does meet the challenge, but not in the traditional, "finger-drumming wait" sort of way. You did a good job of keeping the flash from blowing out the highlights and the color is rich. Although it's probably a result of motion and the rear sync flash noted in your comments, the fact that there's a blur on both sides of the ball and glove suggests camera shake. I probably would have given this about a 6 (mostly from the overall blur), but I do think this should have scored higher than it did.