Children of the Corn
by oskarak

Comment by Gelert:
Is that corn? that looks like wheat or other kind of grass

Children of the Corn
by oskarak

Comment by Timosaby:
I really like this, i bet many will tell you the horizon is tilted but it doesn't bother me much in this image because its a clear tilt rather than one of those annoying slight ones :P 9 from me.

straws in the sun
by oskarak

Comment by Ecce_Signum:
Greetings from Andi via the Critique Club

First Impression: Whilst I understand the reason for the 'straws' in this image if I'm honest I think removing them would make this a better image. Ok, that might have been a bit harsh Óskar but the background and lens flair is what grabs my attention here not the main subject.

Composition: The plant is too central for me even though its not dead centre and the sun might have been better coming from the top right hand corner.

Subject: Yes, the union between the sun and growing plant works well but the plant isn't very interesting for me.

Technical: I'm guessing we should remove this section for this shot, there are times when the technical 'must do' 'rules' should be ignored, the overexposed sun and lens flare is what makes this shot interesting and the reason why I bumped this up to a 6. Even at F/6.3 you got some nice bokeh going on.

Final thoughts: An uninteresting subject brought to life by some nice flair. Óskar, have you ever looked at a lensbaby? We often have side challenges using it and I do think looking at your porfolio you'd enjoy ignoring the rules sometimes. This is July's Side Challenge.

straws in the sun
by oskarak

Comment by Sirashley:
Its rare that I see a shot and think, "Wow, the lense flare really works and adds to this photo." In this shot, it does. I think the lense flare really adds to the "Wow" factor of this shot. Very nicely done, 7

straws in the sun
by oskarak

Comment by hotpasta:
I do like the simplicity, but the crop doesn't work

straws in the sun
by oskarak

Comment by bspurgeon:
serene...my first impression. I like creative use of flair, I find it good but not good in this image, probably because of the central placement. An interesting aspect is the connection of sun and growth of the plant. With the flair, it looks like the sun is feeding the plant! Overall I very much like it, yet maybe some further consideration to composition with regards to how you positioned the sun in the frame.

windmills
by oskarak

Comment by oldbimmercoupe:
border detracts.

windmills
by oskarak

Comment by andrewt:
Excellent cloud formations. They really make the shot dramatic and interesting. Maybe a tad too much foreground. Prefer a little more of the dramatic sky. 7

straw
by oskarak

Comment by RulerZigzag:
Found this in the Critique Club section:

When I first saw this photo, I was a bit irked that it topped my entry for the challenge, but after a while, it grew on me a bit. This is a very good photo, and deserves the score it recieved since its so relaxing to look at. It fits the theme of the challenge perfectly, and the technicalities of this image are spot on.

The subject is not the most interesting thing to view, but it feels so alone, so left out. Focus is excellent, making the water surface seem like its holding it back, yet giving it life at the same time, the perfect balance, which is Zen.

Great job, well deserved score.

windmills
by oskarak

Comment by Sirashley:
I like the simplicity and contrast 7