Delayed Departure
by homens

Comment:
The range of differences between being truly effective and being just a marginal entry can balance on such simple things as balance, color control and technical issues. While an effective image as a candid capture, the image appears to be overly flat from a color saturation standpoint - it's right on the edge because of the uneven lighting. From an artistic standpoint, it's a very candid moment and nicely captured. A worthy entry into the challenge.

A Meaty Joke
by deemun

Comment:
Butchers are always good for a joke or advice and this image certainly conveys that aspect of the subject's job. Unfortunately, it's under exposed and over saturated to be truly effective - not quite a success from a technical or artistic standpoint, it is, none the less, effective in conveying a candid moment in a butcher shop. A solid entry into the challenge.

alfresco with hound
by tnun

Comment:
Truly good monotone conversions are difficult and this is a good example of how it can positively impact an image. In this instance a technical success isn't quite the artistic success it should be. While a good candid look at an everyday moment, the subject is short of having some sort of pop or wow factor that provides the image with some impact - it's just a candid moment. While photographers can't always be in the right place at the right time with the right camera and the right lens, a little more inventive crop at the bottom would have increased the image's presentation and helped give t a sense of wow. A good solid entry into the challenge.

Nintendo nightcap
by nivlek

Comment:
Truly good conversions to black and white are difficult and this is a good example of the zone system and how it impacts an image. In this instance a technical success isn't quite the artistic success it should be. While a good candid look at an introspective moment, the subject is short of having some sort of pop or wow factor that provides the image with some impact - it's just a candid moment. While photographers can't always be in the right place at the right time with the right camera and the right lens, this might have been improved by taking a longer look and include some more detail of the background and providing context of the subject playing the game. A good solid entry into the challenge.

Daily News
by cjavier

Comment:
Truly good conversions to black and white are difficult and this is a good exmaple of the zone system and how it impacts an image. In this instance a technical success isn't quite the artistic success it should be. While a good candid look at an introspective moment, the subject is short of having some sort of pop or wow factor that provides the image with some impact - it's just a candid moment. While photographers can't always be in the right place at the right time with the right camera and the right lens, this might have been improved by a crop of the top to make the image longer and giving the image a sense of dimension - while detailed the background is overly detailed and detracts from the image's impact. The author should experiment wtih varying top crops to get the best effect. A good solid entry into the challenge.

Mood
by dmadden

Comment:
Sometimes images fail to impress on first view for any number of reasons - maybe it's the color, the subject or that the reviewer needs more caffines to stay awake. The simple elegance of this subject, rich in detail and properly framed is an excellant example of a candid moment. From a technical standpoint, it's nearly perfect with a vaguely detailed background complimenting the rich detail of the subject. From an artistic standpoint, the facial expession is directly opposed to the overall joyfull feel of the scene which is somewhat off putting but an honest view. Originally rated an 8, this is rerated to a 9. It should place well in the challenge and possibly a top ten.

Spotlighted
by Melethia

Comment:
While making the initial ratings pass through the images for this challenge, this was rated an 8 because it failed to positively impact this reviewer. Upon comment review, this reviewer was clearly mistaken - this is a complete artistic success and while the subject focus is a little softer than the foreground would suggest, technically it is competant and well composed - a nice moment in time seen and captured in good fasion. Originally rated an eight, it has been rerated a nine - it should place high in the challenge and potentially a ribbon winner.

Visiting Grandma
by MAK

Comment:
With proper focus on the entire face, this would have been a sure top ten image and one that would have been talked about - it very well could be an outstanding character candid and a perfect representation of what Grandmothers should be. Unfortunately, the DOF issue detracts from it's artistic perfection and impression. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, a little more time and a DOF preview before capture would have elevated this to ribbon contention easily. Having said that, it's still a worthy entry into the challenge and should place within the top twenty five.

Grandmaster
by mwwback

Comment:
Sometimes the little things are overlooked that make a major impact on an image that should be a winner. While the darks are highly detailed and well controlled, the whites are just slightly out of control on the left which is distracting when the image is viewed as a whole. When the individual pieces of the image are taken into account, the subject is extremely well lit and captured rich in detail and properly presented. The background, while properly vague, is too vague and could use some more definition to give the impression of depth and dimension as it appears to be flat which detracts from the foreground detail. There are quite a few technical issues with this image (like the washed out chess pieces) in the reviewers opinon. However, once again, the incredible subject with the rich detail and sense of purpose overcome the technical problems and make this a worthy entry into the challenge - perhaps even a top fifteen entry.

Homeless
by Soul

Comment:
A solid piece of photo journalism, this image is effective at presenting the subject with sensitivity. Rich detail and the intense visage compliment the vaguely detailed background. While this is a unqualified technical success, from an artistic standpoint, the color detracts from the subject's emotional impact and it might have been more effective as a black and white or grayscale - the color just seems too bright and positive by comparision to the title. Having said that, it is effective and should rate high in the competition. Well done.