Always Weighing on My Mind
by mrsmaxsmart

Comment:
An image that sadly approaches the ugly. The elements are well placed for success, but the choices to combine them seems much like creating a salad with old cheese, brown lettuce and a tomato or two. The dirty towel browned blue), scratched scale (white) and foot (with powder blue pjs) coming out of the bottom edge mesh into an image that does not appeal. All are well photographed, but they do not play well together.

In reviewing the technicals however, I cannot fault anything there, it is the ingedients of the image that have gone wrong. Worse is that the image does not invoke decision to me. Without the context of the challenge, scale, towel, foot, tile all come to mind, but the decision would have been better realized with a person's head stuck in a refrigerator, sorting through food choices that are good or bad for the weight subject that you have selected to make a statement on.

Solid technicals, weak concept execution that was harmed by subject choices that repelled the viewer and very weak realtionship to the challenge for this viewer leave me offering a 3.

"What Gear?--- Everyday from 1st to 5th..."
by andrayus

Comment:
A stock image that in some ways transcends into art. Good exposure on a tough subject and the finishing touches of the border also add to the image.

This said, approaching from a stock perspective, black, leather, shift, knob, gears, metal all come to mind, but without the catchy title this image would not lead me to a keyword use of decision. I cannot place this in the ranks of those that have told me that story. I can only offer a 4 for fine technicals, interest and art, but nothing for challenge.

Decision To Bear Hug
by missmelindasue

Comment:
Bear, polar, white, blue, ball, zoo, water, snow, reflection, humorous. These are the keywords that this image invokes when not tied to the title. It is a strong image even with the center-placed bear, but a thinner crop top to bottom may have brought a bit more interest to the whole and off-set the bear a bit more artistically. I love the detail in the sand/wall area, however the amount of space dedicated to this area directly vies for my attention which should be on the bear and its toy.

Some good marks for the technicals but such a stretch to the keyword of decision that I cannot place this image on the level of some other entries. I offer a 4.

Needing a Hug
by thefly

Comment:
Without the title this image would never convey to me the keyword of decision. It is a good capture of very colorful birds and has a humor or emotion interest that comes from the odd placement of the wing. Could one be comforting the other? Is it a pass?, unfortunately the angle reveals too much of the head tucked under the wing, he is looking for fleas.

Technically this image suffers from some fatal flaws that hurt it beyond the challenge. The right side is almost completely lost to the blown highlight of sky and the fence appears to have been shaken during the shot, causing a crop-wide distraction. In some ways this is a cool thing as it reaches into the abstract, but the main subject is too clear to force me into that arena. It appears that there may have been no choice between shutter speed and open aperture. Both needed to be set to get the exposure, in this case, the fence was out of your control, and a solid tripod would have helped considerably.

In comparison to the images that stood on their own telling me the story of a decision, and considering the technical challenges here, I can only offer a 3.

Message edited by author 2005-06-08 00:31:49.

Ground Zero-South End (Project Rebirth Delayed)
by bucket

Comment:
A building covered with plastic. A light pole hovers below it. Without the title, the image would not conjure the word decision for me, however I am certain that journalistically, the image could be used to better tell the story of a council decision. In this case, I cannot simply dismiss the title, but alone it cannot stand up to those images that visualized the decision instead of verbalized the rationale.

There is a journalistically valid reason for the two to link up and be as one. There is a journalistically solid link to the challenge, but I cannot award the caption, the image does not tell me the story of the decision, it shows me the object related to the decision that was made.

The image suffers from darkness followed by a random object of brightness that is slightly distracting. I cannot say that the image alone invokes a sense of decision, but cannot dismiss it in the context presented. I offer a 4 in comparison with other images and the stregnth of the presentation that will not let me completely dismiss this title as something I would read and see in a newspaper. Congratulations on being one of the few to force me into having to give points for a title.

Crossing the Line
by sacredspirit

Comment:
The choice to use a negative? blued image here eludes me. The expected powdery substance looks more granular or even blobish, the straw? is a blue form, but not well defined, however the razor is perfect and the sharpness of its blade accented greatly by the finishing technique. The other forms/patterns in teh image distract me, I want to know what they are, so I guess it has raised my interest level on an abstract level, it has not however made me consider the use of a keyword like decision. It invokes a sense of the fogged mind that a drug-user is confined by (or set free to roam in as you may choose), but I find no apparent link to a decision.

Perhaps here an image of offering someone the opportunity to be involved with this or the challenge to leave it behind would have better served to tell me of the decision, however to achieve the level of abstract art shown above, would have been much harder with that kind of a scene.

High marks for an abstract that leaves me wanting to return and ponder more, low score compared to other challenge entries that more overtly told me a story about decision. I can only offer a 4.

Do I Take Him Out? ... Or Not
by CLarson557

Comment:
Perhaps the title alludes to the stance of the subjects and how it could be interpreted as an argument about to go very wrong and violent. It confuses me. I know the form of a baseball player, I see a coach giving guidance. In a way, I feel the nervousness of the batter as they try to become better, but decision is not a keyword or thought without the title and even then the archetypes in the image strip that from my mind.

This is a finessed image, the subjects are clear, focused, sharpened well, lit evenly and it is perfectly exposed It simply fails on the challenge request for this viewer. I can only offer a 4 purely on technicals as I see no image-born link in the realm of decision.

SHOULD I GO UP
by mainestream

Comment:
A ground view looking up into the trees. The image suffers from an overexposed sky as a background and not enough detail in the subject mater to raise interest levels beyond that of a snapshot that was taken just to see what would result. The choice to crop with the trunk at the lower right was a good one as it shows an awareness of creating interest, but without the title, I would not attach the keyword of decision to this image. It alone tells me no story of decision which others in the challenge have done quite well without the titles.

Technically a poor image that holds little interest and does not have even a weak link to the challenge details. I must offer a 2.

Should I Go Around the River Bend?
by AChelton

Comment:
An image of the water flowing into nature. A nicely composed and cropped concept with good shadows and lighting that is interesting, but without it's title, I would not have thought to add a keyword of decision to this image. The link is there only from the caption and this is not enough. I cannot critique the image as it stands out with finesse and would even interest some to have as a wall hanging, but I cannot place this high against the entries that better told me a story or invoked the sense of decision. I offer a 4 on technical alone.

Finding One's Path
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
An interesting image. It is well finessed, sharp in the right places and not overly blurred so as to lose the girl completely. The positioning of the graffiti soda is somewhat funny as it looks like she is about to drink it. I would not however see this image in another place and drop a keywood of decision on it.

She appears distressed in a way, perhaps there *is* a decision on her mind, The body language also lends to that notion but there is not an overt link. I see other things that were most likely unintended as the title does not reflect that thought, but I am inclined on this one as I ponder it to strengthen the lead of the stories that are prompted by that which is mentioned and see a more possible link to the decision. Perhaps she is pondering whether to take a sip of the soda? I know she is not but it crosses my mind. I see inklings of decision and find I have to bump this image as it has finesse and a stronger link than where I had originally placed it. I offer a 5 on this one, perhaps as I ponder more, I will return.