Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by aggiedanelover:
That is a very interesting mortar and pestel! I love the detail that comes out in the light!

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by jmsetzler:
I think your subject choice here is strong. The composition feels a bit strange for me.. it looks like your subject is floating in space with the darnkess... I think a little light on the surface could be a nice enhancement :)

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by timmi:
Very very beautiful. The texture of the mortar comes really alive. I am not big fan of thick white borders around black images, it realy distracts from the beauty of this photo. The image is very good on it's own, no need for a thick frame.

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by russi:
good companation of colors and light, nice detail - 9

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by lizbeth010:
this is a really nice photo..i like the composition and the shadows very much..good luck in the challenge!

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by nephrotic:
There are some beautiful pictures in this challenge and this is another one of them. Personally I would like to have seen it cropped a little tighter. There would still be enough black to leave the pestle and mortar "leaping out of the page"
I will copy a note though that I have copied to some other people in this challenge.
---
My only concern is, as you may have guessed from the amount of discussion on the forum re "painting with light" is whether it is painting with light.
Having been lucky enough to judge what is now a few hundred competitions in the last 30 years I feel I should say the first thing that happens is that they are sorted and any that do not immediatly seem to fit the category are dumped (hard but a fact). This is why so many competitions also run an "open category". Your picture, as impressive as it is, would, I feel have been rejected at this stage. "Painting with Light" has a fairly tight definition in photography but still allows a lot of lattitude for creativity.
I suspect that your scores may not reflect what the picture is worth which is a great shame.
I believe if I was judging in another category I would have gone for an 8 possibly a 9 because you have managed to getget the light to work the textures so well.
I do hope you understand my reasons for marking it down
David

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by blindjustice:
Great mortar and pestle. Fantastic worm wood; Nice phallic feel to this, and superb lighting.

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by cshep:
Really love this. Like the lighting, colors and composition as well as the simplicity. Very nice job.

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by scrum8:
Well done. Nice detail and fade to black.

Mortar and Pestel
by orussell

Comment by justine:
Good use of light. I only dislike the perspective...or maybe it's the crop? One of them seems a bit imbalanced. It could be all the dead space at the bottom, making this look as if it's floating..? Not sure. It's a good shot, very good. Nice focus and as I said good lighting. All the best in the challenge.