Early Spring Cardinals
by Drake

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
Challenge: How can you go wrong in meeting a challenge when it's all about you? :) I love that your subject is a beautiful female cardinal. They don't get enough attention compared to their flamboyant other halves.

Composition, Focus, Etc.: Love the pastel colors with the natural background that really makes them pop. Focus on the face/eye and closest foot is great. The far away look/reflection in the eye adds depth and a bit of wonder. (i.e., What is she looking at anyway?) Nice feather details and framing. From what I think is a little water droplet below the beak it seems to be raining ... the lines sporadically in the background reinforce this. I'm trying to decide if they help or hurt. Maybe if there were a few more it would be any easier call. But then again we go back to depth and what makes *you* happy.

Spring Migration
by giantmike

Comment:
I love this scene. The beautiful pastels on the horizon and a nice balance of the dried grass and water. Definitely a tribute to new beginnings (i.e. spring). My favorite in this challenge.

Observing Wildlife
by Phocal

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
I'm not sure laying in cold water for hours is something that would make me happy but catching this image certainly would. It's so much fun to watch birds as they hunt, so I can see how this makes you happy and meets the challenge. :) I love how the coolness of the water comes through and balances with the warmth of the yellows and browns in the background and on the heron. Great focus on the heron to capture the feather details. The clarity of the bird with a soft-focused fore and background definitely works. The perspective is also great. Laying in that water paid off! I wish I had some constructive advice to offer here but I'm stumped ... I mean, shoot ... you can see the eyes on the fish! How can I argue with that?!

Sir Jon Sunfire battling the great dragon Wartywings
by snaffles

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
I love your sense of humor and whimsy. The winter landscape really works well with the ghost like characters. I'm going with the dragon as the good guy ... there isn't enough magic in our practical world. That being said, the dragon's eye could be bigger and his teeth sharper. Of course, if he's been saving a damsel in distress a few too many times ... well that would explain the worn teeth. Ha! Nice work with the textures and colors to make it feel realistic and balanced.

pups in purple
by tanguera

Comment:
Yes, I am a sucker for purple but I just love how happy the pup looks. Details and focus in this are off the charts (IMO). I'm expecting a high score on this one. My favorite in this challenge.

family vacations
by PennyStreet

Comment:
I'm not normally a fan of portrait/people pics but this one is really cool. I love the windblown hair, her expression, and that reflection in the glasses is so insightful and clear. Beautiful.

Coastal Dreams
by Judi

Comment:
Love the way the tendrils reach for the water. Nice framing and a wonderful balance of color. Now I want to go walk the beach.

Icescapes
by CodeShark

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
I second Cyrilda's comment ... this definitely makes me feel the cold. Brr! I love the wonderful muted colors in the sky and the terrific exposure that allows me to see the detail of the ice. In some ways the flow of the ice almost looks like the bodies of many dolphins as they swim along. My struggle with the ice though is that the lines don't lead me to a focal point. While definitely beautiful, there's a lot going on in the details. Of course, that can be the fun of a picture too! :)

Live It Up!
by coovt2001

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!
The challenge entered was a free study so anything goes... challenge met! :) You've brought a sense of drama to the portrait with the black & white approach. The details give the viewer much to look at. I love the smoke tendrils and the way he's only kind of looking toward the camera. (It's almost like there's a message in the smoke.) Eyes are certainly a window and this gentleman indeed looks thoughtful yet relaxed. I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in the way of constructive feedback ... the composition and focus look great. If I had to pick on something ... I think there's a little dust or something in the bottom left corner but that's so minor I hesitate to even type it.

Keep up the great work!

Prowling Predators
by hahn23

Comment:
Awh. They're not ugly at all.