A Childish Fear of the Dark
by MelGrahm

Comment:
The hands are PERFECT. The doll seems out of place -- too happy-go-lucky for the sentiment. But this is just my opinion. The title certainly describes your intent; FWIW, I think you succeeded without the title. 7, just-married

Girls Only !
by Shiiizzzam

Comment:
Ownership. What a great aspect of childhood to highlight. I just love how "boys" is scratched out and the girls took over. The detail in the door is great. The yellow aging adds interest. The angle is great, slightly upward the way a child might see it and tilted enough to add interest. Good job. 8, just-married

30 min after my Niece came to visit...
by waltoml

Comment:
I think the composition was the thing that worked least for me in this photo. If you were trying to emphasize "toys" I think organizing them differently or selecting just a few would create a more interesting photo. If you are trying to emphasize "messy", I think a bigger mess and a more zoomed out approach would have been more successful. The corner lines distract me, and the glare from the flash adds to the snapshot quality. 2, just-married

fear of the Supernatural
by sanandan

Comment:
I think the challenge is extremely weak, sorry. As far as the photo goes, I just don't see much interest in it. It's a picture of a statue - there needs to be something special to make it more than that. 3, just-married

A Fish Tale ...
by sgtpepper6344

Comment:
UPDATE: Darn it! I have changed this back and forth between a nine and a ten 3 times this week. Ultimately I have decided that since I always have taken off at least one point for not meeting the challenge it would be hypocritical of me not to do so here. So, a nine it is and I refuse to let myself touch this comment area again. I LOVE the picture though. 9, just-married

ORIGINAL:
Damn I love this shot. Why couldn't the challenge have been sea life or such?! So, I'm making a stretch and pretending that you meant this to be a mermaid so that I can justify in my mind not taking off points for missing the challenge. Every little girl fantasizes about mermaids after all. GORGEOUS color. nice texture, detail, lighting. I can't believe I'm giving you a 10 for something that doesn't meet the challenge, but there it is. (I promise to be mad at you for this later. LOL) 10, just-married

swinging high
by TerryGee

Comment:
I thought for a real long time on this one. I really like the photo. The framing is perfect. The socus is terrific - just a bit of blur on the swings which is terrific. It was the colors that gave me cause for pause. They are brilliant. And that was my problem for a little while. I think the saturation must have been VERY boosted (I could be wrong, but that's my suspicion). I don't have a problem with that, but in this case I pondered for a long time whether it was to such a degree that it detracted from the realism of the photo. Ultimately, I decided that as a child you see the world differently - a world of colors brighter than they really are and life better than it really is, so I decided to let it work for me. I mention it only because if the challenge had been something else, my decision may have been different -- and that might be helpful knowledge to you as a photographer. Then again, it might not. Take what you can use, throw the rest away. :-) 9, just-married

Castles and Shells
by Mieka

Comment:
I like the contrast on the rocks in this shot, and the bucket is a nice touch.
The angle is intentional, a choice you made, and maybe you love it. I can't decide. The banding in the upper left corner is unfortunate. I wonder if not compressing so much would have fixed this. Your file size would have been allowed at up to 1/3 larger. Still, the photo appeals to me overall. 6, just-married

My First Love
by Alecia

Comment:
Nice lines. I like the choice of black and white. It doesn't always add to a photo, but I think it probably does here. I also like the repetition of form. 7 (would have been an 8-9, but it doesn't say childhood to me without the title, and even with, I feel it's a stretch), just-married

Tatooine
by jenarom

Comment:
You know, Swashbucker's comment about adding r2d2's trails is an INCREDIBLE insight. That would have made this photo 1-2 points better. Anyway, good job! Dawn

Tatooine
by jenarom

Comment:
LMAO. Right on. This sums up my childhood aptly. And the title is great. Photographically, I wish the lighting were slightly less harsh. +1 for creativity. 6, just-married