Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
by RiderGal

Comment:
There are some interesting shapes and textures in here, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at! What are these things? Maybe it's a cultural barrier, because the theme of this Free Study challenge has turned out to be northern hemisphere wintery photos, and I'm sitting here in my southern hemisphere summer clothes :).

The composition is a little bit awkward, I'm not sure what is supposed to hold my attention. I keep going back to the older object, because I like the weathered paint on it, but the photo isn't interesting to me overall.

Face-to-Face In the Snow
by magnetic9999

Comment:
Wow, cute!!! It looks like you have a low res camera or you cropped this a lot, but that doesn't worry me. What an adorable, pink little nose :). The composition couldn't be any better, the DOF works well to blur the tree trunk and draw your eyes to the squirrel. The snow in the background has just enough texture and colour variation to avoid being stark, but isn't a distraction. Very good work :). I'm giving it 10 for pushing all the right buttons so well.

Marina in December
by Morgan

Comment:
Wow... something I'll never see in real life unless I travel more :). I like this photo a lot. The composition is strong and the colours are very beautiful. I love all those blue and white tones. The DOF is a little bit distracting, but that's only a minor point for me. It's a really interesting scene.

Christmas Apple
by DougPaz

Comment:
Interesting idea and a technically strong study. The only thing that doesn't work for me is the amount of shine at the base of the apple. It has an odd effect that draws my eye away from the holly on the top. The photo doesn't grab me, but is objectively very good.

Angel's flight
by catpixel

Comment:
I love the silhouettes here, of the angel statue against the delicate, beautiful bare trees and the bird. The positioning of the sun behind the statue is great. But something about the composition spoils it a little. I think all it needs is a slightly tighter crop, and it would be wonderful.

The dark tones also seem slightly grey to me. Some levels adjustment would give it just that extra bit of depth and contrast to increase the impact of the silhouettes. Nice work otherwise.

The Unknown
by arnit

Comment:
I like this, but I think it would have worked a bit better with more space above her head. It's the kind of subject that lends itself well to negative space, to create mystery and tension.

Otherwise, this is technically good and an intriguing photo. I think perhaps the centred composition and symmetry makes it seem a bit too formal and static for this theme. Strong emotions are better represented in a spontaneous, less staged way, in my opinion. So, I guess my suggestion would be to take her off-centre, take a different camera angle, and leave more dark space in the area of the photo that her eyes lead you to look at. But leave everything else just the way it is (lighting, etc.) because it's really good :).

Christmas Time Is Here
by jenarom

Comment:
This definitely has that "wow" factor everyone talks about :). The red ball against the pure white background is perfect. I love the yellow hot spot on it. I'm sure a lot of people will say the needles of the pine tree should all be in focus, but I love the DOF you've used! The overall effect has a subtle resemblance to a watercolour painting. It would be great on a Christmas card (I'm sure a lot of other people are saying that too!)

Roadside Repairs (Portrait of a friend)
by Azrifel

Comment:
The light in this photo is nice and soft, and it's well framed, exposed, etc. It just doesn't grab me thematically.

Happy Holidays!
by timj351

Comment:
Wow, tacky! It's a good photo, even if those decorations are way over the top :). The composition could be a bit tighter.

Vaelen Confronts Darkness
by HBunch

Comment:
Hmmm... nice lighting, and interesting composition. Fantasy genre stuff isn't my thing, but I appreciate that you have achieved something interesting here.