Nurture
by Kavey

Comment by rmtm333:
National Geographic should be calling soon...great capture. Border takes away from this image, but not from my score...good job.

Nurture
by Kavey

Comment by Discraft:
What a moment. Very beautiful. i Like the contrast of the colored pinguin and the young one. Very nice.

Nurture
by Kavey

Comment by livingfiction:
Great Capture! Love the framing, and the focus is perfect!

Safely Across (DSWF)
by Kavey

Comment by alanfreed:
Elefantastic! :)

October
by Kavey

Comment by Halim:
very creative...very good work...love it

October
by Kavey

Comment by TLL061:
great job , thought you would have scored higher with this

October
by Kavey

Comment by banmorn:
This was one of my favorites for many of the same reasons that Glen mentioned. Particularly the simplicity. I like the great colors and the set up and feel the colors really pop on the white background. Great work.

October
by Kavey

Comment by Artyste:
Hello from the Critique Club! Maybe you'll get mine to critique, lol.
Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I've "borrowed" your critique pattern that you posted in the forum :)

Initial Thoughts

Nice, simple photo that is pretty effective.

Composition / Content

I really like the composition here. Nicely centered, circular, and simple. (I'll be using that word a lot.) I think only Halloween (for many people) says more about October than colored leaves, so your content is also very nice.

Background

I don't know about anyone else, but I think the white background works very nicely for this piece. It sets the subject apart and helps focus your attention on it. To me, the open area in the middle of the leaves helps ground them as well.

Camera Work - Technical

Focus seems a *little* soft to me, but it could just be an effect of the bright background. Your exposure is wonderful for what must have been a difficult metering.

Digital Processing

I'm not too big on the burned edges of the leaves myself, especially on the red leaf against the yellow. Your levels work is very good, giving the leaves quite colorful presence.

Fits the Challenge

Well, I honestly think it's a little bit of a stretch. You fit the *month* perfectly, but as a calender it takes a little bit of imagination for me. Still, I *can* picture a calender that has various formations of leaves or other flora to a monthly theme. You may have lost some points in that area from other voters though.

My Opinion of the Photo

I love the simplicity of this. It's effective, has a good monthly tie-in, and was shot beautifully. A refreshing change from many of the usual Fall landscapes in the challenge, so good work. Love the creativity, and keep it up :)

October
by Kavey

Comment by Zoomdak:
Beautiful! I love dead leaves, and this is just great =). I'm not quite sure I could see it in a calendar, but I guess I could.

October
by Kavey

Comment by Natator:
Clever and very effective indeed.