My Way?
by ltaylor

Comment:
Another child/parent 'letting go' image. The symbolism does speak of a decision (at least to a parent it does), however the concept's execution falls short due to technical distractions.

Most if not all of the image is out of focus. Perhaps to create a dreamlike sense, but it does not feel that way to this viewer. There is harsh lighting in the foreground that washes out the arm and areas of the child's shirt. This can be remedied by spot-metering on the brightest areas and then setting exposure for that, ignoring the darkened areas of the woods and path, which would then become shadowy and mysterious achieving a more desireable symbolism to his approach of the path. The arm itself is unneeded in the telling of the story and in fact becomes a distracting element that cheapens the shot. Either the second person should be more fully apparent in the shot (with body language or expression) or eliminated completely. Inclusion of the child's lower half would also up the 'going away' into the woods feeling. Compared to other entries, this image comes in at a 3, due to distracting elements and some serious technical challenges.

to be or not to be...
by christie3

Comment:
How easily we think of suicide as an obvious metaphor for a decision and yet would we see the smae obvious connection to choosing life? This image invokes the suicide nature, but only due to the title. Otherwise, I may have mistaken the wrappings with no blood stain for a cast or splint of some kind. Alone the hand and wrist wrapped in bandages against a black blackground leaves little to draw me back to consider the image again. It is a well taken photo with just enough light to accent the important details, but it fails for me as it does not have enough supporting the hand in additional story material. Given the extra negative space at the top, weak, but not completely missing challenge link and a lack of additional subject matter that would better communication the decision behind the action, I must compare it's relevance to the other entries and find this to be a 3.

One Decisive Poppy
by butterflies28

Comment:
This image seems to suffer from oversaturated reds and greyed greens. Completely centered (a circle) inside the square crop, detracts from the interest level of the image and leaves it feeling flat. The interior of the flower is a beautiful capture in focus and outstanding in detail and color, that portion alone would make a great macro if it could be expanded to fill the whole image.

Alone however this image does not tell me a story of decision or decision making. Perhaps someone choosing to pick or not to pick the flower would have been a more obvious communication of the challenge concept to this viewer. Someone reaching from the side, the flower's profile. I can only offer a 2 compared to other entries in this challenge.

CN-tower-2.jpg
by p3wiz

Comment:
WOOT! Like the perspective correction you did here. Sometimes it is tough to find the right balance on the 'stretch'. This one seems to have not gone overboard and yet the remaining distortion is very acceptable considering the original. Way to grab the crop tool by the horns! ;-)

Remember that sometimes that distortion works to your advantage. In the orginal the tilt does well to lead the eye directly to the spire, in this, you have confirmed you can do it, but something may have been lost by how much tilt has been removed. Also note the white bar a tthe top. By stretching the top section so close to the border, it has introduced that 'background' color to the edge. That's a hard one to control if you don't have a lot of room to play with.

Message edited by author 2005-06-01 21:31:26.

Choosing Pathways
by gotrond

Comment:
I am choosing here to ignore the title. This image, although not a top challenger due to finesse, busy elements (an overabundance of those white fluffies and lighting that is not very dramatic) has something that most other images lack completely. A level of symbolism that has told this viewer a story beyond the title and the intended communication.

I do not see paths to choose. Instead I see a child, walking away from the parent, approaching a wide open field with dandilions all about to blow away with the wind. There is a bridge in the distance, slightly out of focus which will lead the child further from the parent's protection and given enough time, he will reach the deep shadows of the unknown at the edge of the forest. This image is not about the paths he must choose. It is about the decision of the parent to let go. To allow the child to discover the world without the constant protection of the parent. Given a bit less distraction in the field and more dramatic lighting this image would make an excellent poster or motivational image on the symbolizm alone. Bumping up to a 6.

do i want to keep listening?
by benlenz

Comment:
This image suffers greatly from a reddish and yellow cast that some white balancing might correct. That said I see a row of young adults, with a distracting bar in front of them and all are out of focus so as to make them seem unimportant. Nowhere except the title do I see a link to a story that speaks of decision or decision making although I do see a story about boredom and another of distraction. The background action appears to be a food court of some kind which adds to the confusion in the whole. This concept (do I keep listening) would have been better illustrated to this viewer from the view of a one-on-one adult chastising and indignant adolescent. I can only offer a 2 to this image based on confusing elements, technical blur and an extremely weak challenge link.

Wich cable was I supposed to cut ?
by DanSig

Comment:
A picture of a mast and cables. Without the title there would be no story at all that led me to think of decision or decision making. As it stands, the mast is well placed in the crop to add some interest when combined with clouds and blue sky but even that story seems to be lacking the rest of the boat or at least a sail with which to move it along. I can only offer a 3 compared to others in this challenge.

A Very Hard Decision
by FullyFocused

Comment:
With or without the title this image stands out as one of the archetypal decision making poses. It is well lit, cropped and post processed although a bit too smooth on the skin, cheeks which lends to a plasticy feel to this viewer. A strong contender on challenge link and technicals, I offer a 9.

The Last Decision
by Shaman

Comment:
Not just a will, but a will that has yet to be filled in. There are decisions to be made. The placement of the glasses and pen emphasize the active nature of this process and lend well to telling the story of the decision in action or pending. Placement of the paper on an angle shows off the artist's ability to lead the viewer through the photo. Great job with concept and execution. A 9.

.
by saloonstudios

Comment:
A very high scoring image with me. This invokes the sense of impending doom should the subject not come up with the right information or decision. The lighting adds an ominous tone to the whole and the model's expression is perfect for the concept. This is an image that requires pop-culture knowledge, but does not scream suicide like others, instead it forces the subject into an active thought process which is something that most submissions in this challenge neglected to fully communicate. Even with the harsh light on the cuff and grainy feel, this is a 9 in my book.