the last concert of his tenure
by klkitchens

Comment:
A very nice conversion, everything well controlled and presented. Crisp and sharp - a technical success even down to the scuffs on the conductor's heels. A better choice might have been to shoot this from the side to capture some of the conductor's expressions and personality, but it works as it is.

Math Homework
by GeneralE

Comment:
The last image viewed and one that required three different views, the decision is to offer a well done for a competantly exposed and captured image from a technical standpoint. Nothing seems out place and there are no technical issues that can be readily discerned. From an artistic sense, it fails to really provide an interesting subject to view and relate to. In cases like this, it's usually the fault of the reviewer to properly place the image into context - the result of being underwhelmed by it's artistic properties which is a highly personal opinion which might not be shared by others. Given that it's technically competant and that it matches the challenge criteria exactly, it's more than worthy of a high rating.

Between Sets
by dswann

Comment:
Another image that required at least four views before an opinion could be offered. There are elements of this image that are significantly impressive - the colored light reflecting off the silvered brass, the positioning of the subjects and camera position are excellant. The flaws are just as obvious - a longer look eliminating the vague and indistinct areas would have been a plus. Additionally, the highlights are just over the edge of being truly effective given the close in look - the most noticable example of this is the horn of the trumpet which has highlights which distract from the entire image by attracting the eye away from the properly captured center image. A good comparison would be the highlights on the red wine glass which are perfectly exposed and very effective. A little longer look at the subjects along with a little less exposure would have improved this image tremendously. Still a very good image that has good point and not so good points.

Sweet Sightings
by teranb

Comment:
This is the fourth time this image has been viewed and it still offers a rather vague and ambigous impression. After thinking about it for a few minutes and closely examining the features and technique used, the answer appeared. The problem lies with the sugar in the clear jar. Ball jars have been considered as objects 'd art for many, many years and this image does not do them justice. While technicaly acceptable, the artistic impression is flat and totally uninteresting. One suggestion might have been to do a color image and use lighting gels (actually any clear colored plastic with a portable light source) to enhance and create some reflection and inject some color into the jar to make it stand out against the white of the sugar. This would also have helped the adjacent jar stand out beause it has the same problem only different because it's empty. The composition and positioning of the jars is fine and effective - it just needs some help to increase interest and artistic impact.

at the end of the day
by Stagolee

Comment:
Simple and elegant - a minimalist capture with all the technicals compatently composed and captured. Pleasing tones, shapes and colors enhance the artistic effect. That being said, there is something lacking in this image that this reviewer just can't accurately describe - there is a vague sense of something missing that would enhance and improve this image, but it just won't come immediately to mind. Given that the detail at the bottom of the glass really impress and given that the immediate reaction was very positive, a hearty well done is offered as an apology for being less than specific with the missing details.

Paris Bakery
by antje

Comment:
The rich details of the foreground is at direct odds with the background - probably due to uneven lighting and/or the lighting angle. A little more time and thought in composing and capturing this image by accurately assessing the lighting and focal length being used. Not a complete failure as it has elements of being successful artistically - the nicely detailed table, pleasing angle which is not extreme and a not totally uninteresting background place this as a image which, with a little more thought, could have placed high.

Cappuccino Time!!
by AmeedEl-Ghoul

Comment:
Laugh out loud funny and one of the best humor images seen in a while in these challenges. Nothing technical to worry about and as stated, it is laugh out loud funny and humor is always appreciated providing a break in the process of rating and commenting. Very effective from an artistic standpoint with a clever use of everyday objects and inventive lighting. Very well done - by rights this should place extremely high in the challenge just for being different and out of the box.

The burger that was a cake
by rmezzo

Comment:
A very clever use of the fish eye effect and one that this reviewer appreciates. The reaction off the subject is perfectly natural and unforced - a very candid moment in time expertly captured. There are no major issues from either a technical or artistic standpoint - an extremely competant image that is very effective. Well done.

Pensive
by brockincstar

Comment:
The immediate reaction is that this image is a little too tall - a crop of about 1/8th or even to a 1/4 of the image would have improved it's immediate impact. From a technical standpoint, it is an excellant capture which demonstrates good control of the zone system and the emotional effects of grayscale images. A little minor technical issue in that the pin point highlights are a bit of a distraction, it might have been a good idea to either reduce those by changing exposure or even bending the rules just a little and cloning them out - they are akin to hot pixels and could be viewed as such and still be within the rules. From an artistic standpoint, and this is an immediate reaction that this reviewer is stuck with and can't shake, the eyes are the mirror of the soul and there is a very slight hint of a smile in those eyes that is at odds with the mood the author very competantly set. This may not be a universal view though and is probably unigue to this reviewer. In any case, it is a brilliant image, competant and very effective in conveying both mood and emotion. Well done.

One Eyed Jack
by tfarrell23

Comment:
An interesting concept involving the highlight in the title - inventive use of what normally would be considered a flaw. While the author's intent is clear, it falls just a little short because of the other highlights which are distracting - if this image hadn't been titled as such, the right on the edge whites would be considered a negative. That being said, the larger of the jacks, the title subject, has a rather large bloom that detracts from the impact of the title subject. Still, a worthy entry, inventive title and a good sound effort. One suggestion to think about would be masking the highlights prior to the shoot to reduce their negative effect - that might have been difficult, but there's nothing wrong with using matte nail polish to reduce the glare and possibly even eliminate the white blooms leaving the single bloom as the focal point. Well done.