Flying Paper Planes From Grandpa's Roof
by amonteforte

Comment:
This is a beautiful image. Exquisite sunset and great silhouettes. Nice composition. The finishing touch of course is the paper plane that has the same image of sunset as what I'm looking at right now :) Had it been just a white paper plane it would have detracted from the gorgeous sunset scene depicted here. The fact that it is pretty much the same image makes me chuckle and gives it a nice surrealist touch to the image. Great job. 10 Journey

Balloon
by BAMartin

Comment:
Nice image. Simple, stark, strong shapes, strong colors. Appeals to me. Preliminary score: 7 Journey

Cage
by johnmk

Comment:
I am at a loss what exactly it is I'm looking at. It reminds me of entrances to apartments in Europe (I grew up there myself). Perhaps it is the entrance to a school, but that is even less clear to me. If that is correct then I find that to the cage idea a bit of a stretch. Being indoors is not necessarily caged, not even to a child. If I'm making the wrong assumptions here, feel free to PM me with further explanations if you wish. Journey
Thanks for the PM with explanations. Some suggestions: the cage effect would be much stronger if you blur the apartments further or perhaps better yet crop out the image right above the top of the "cage". It emphasizes the "cage" aspect and also gives more important to the toddler's "gate". It would still read as an entrance but all the focus then is how you visualized that entrance into a cage. Would also crop out the stairs to the right. It distracts from the strong lines of the cages. Nice sharp image, I love the design of the cage. 6 Journey

Daddy!
by razwan

Comment:
Very emotional picture and I appreciate that you portrayed it in stark silhouette rather than sentimentalizing or turning it into a cloy picture. I also congratulate you on the courage to show this picture. For many children this IS childhood and they cannot escape from it. So, I appreciate this image so much more than all those bloody snapshots with toys and cutesy things. Showing it as a silhouette enhances the power of the image and it shows so sharply how kid in such a situation feels by being overmastered by this dark, fearful "authority figure". Interesting, too, how you managed to convey the object being a belt by that one belt hole! Thank you (I suspect this image is way above the heads of the bright color, easy picture loving dpc crowd. 8 Journey

Toys Change but the Child Remains
by Holtw

Comment:
Beautifully done with the blurring to convey two different phases in life. Wonder how you did that. Will revisit this lateron this week. Prelim: 7 Journey

Puddle Stompers
by bdshort

Comment:
This is a very nice image. I love the mood it invokes. I have just started voting but I suspect that this image will represent one of the highest, most sensitive representations of childhood. Love the yellow against all the grey. Love the composition with the yellow subject being surrounded by a lot of grey, room to breathe. I do sense so strongly the child of those boots and his/her delighting in the mud. It makes me think back of my own childhood. Thank you. Just started voting. My prelim. vote is 8 but will definitely revisit this image. Journey
Update: My only nitpick with this image is that the top of the boots are very soft. Since there are so few elements here (boots, mud, and muddy water) every one carries a lot of weight. And when I look at the top part of the image I notice the softness of the boots most of all. Final score: 9 Journey

NORTH COUNTRY CHILDHOOD
by camelotnorth

Comment:
Beautiful, serene image. Love the yellow tone of it. Image seems a little soft. Prelim: 7 Journey

My first horse
by GinaRothfels

Comment:
Very nice, clean, fun image. Good clarity, nice colors (the red horse against the green grass). Nice lively detail on the wood and steel. Nice overall quality. Prelim: 7 Journey

Painted Horses
by jmsetzler

Comment:
The stopped motion is grand and I love the reflections on the horse. The "gesture" of the horse itself is very emotional and it is emphasised by the blurred background. The blurred background helps to convey the sense that childhood is an stage of wonderment and mystery. Beautiful image. 9 Journey

Pure Country
by autool

Comment:
This is a pleasant, subdued image yet it does not speak to me of childhood. Other than the knife, the objects I see displayed speak more to me of an older person. However, I may be dead wrong and besides I don't take points off for not meeting the bloody challenge. I said the image is subdued and yet I would have liked to see some more contrast, perhaps in the shape and color of the sticks (or whatever they are), and the color of the background and most of the objects. It lacks that Ooompf element. My comment very much reflects my own taste. 6 Journey