Not Real Ivory
by jimness

Comment:
Setting a custom white balance on your camera would have kept the keys white in your image. The warm hues are coming from indoor lighting most likely. A legal adjustment could have also been done in post-processing by adjusting the color temperature.

The piano
by rapid

Comment:
Big window next to the piano? Getting a heavy blue cast from what looks like natural light. I've taken a few piano shots and had the same problem. What worked was to cover the window (curtain, shade, blanket, etc...) and then set up some other lighting. Optionally, you can set your camera's white balance by metering off the white keys and it would have adjusted for the hue some automatically. A shot of contrast would help clear up the hazy look. Excessive grain can be controlled by shooting at lower ISO speeds (ISO 100) with a tripod and use your camera's timer. Another way grain is introduced is by taking an image and cropping it down too much. Try to get the image framed as close as possible to your end result - eliminate excessive cropping.

Take some rest
by pbhoomi09

Comment:
Looks like a cozy place to sit. ;^) As for the photo, it looks a little snapshotish - stand, take picture. You may want to experiment with various approaches/angles (i.e. ground level shooting up, etc...) As for meeting the challenge - this one is going to take a beating I'm afraid. Yes, the description did say 'Grayscale' was acceptable, but the majority of voters are going to be looking for primarily B/W subjects with little color.

Rosie
by saiphfire

Comment:
Funny how DOF works sometimes. ;^) The rose looks nice and I like the bg used - one minor thing, since this was advanced editing why didn't you apply a little blur to the bottom right corner and zap those lines in the bg out?

Green as Grass
by indridistefans

Comment:
Simple, and creative - plus well done. Good luck.

Spiky Green
by Mochrie99

Comment:
Simple, yet very nice! Sometimes I think we all look too hard and miss the simple beauty right in front of us. ;^)

I like the bokeh you have on this. Only nitpick I have is I think you cropped (or composed) too tight on the right. I know you were going for off-centered or a ROT comp, but it feels like a mistake to lose that last 1/4 inch of spikes.

Vicious Beauty
by taterbug

Comment:
Simple, yet stunning! Sometimes I think we all look too hard and miss the simple beauty right in front of us. ;^)

Lovely image for the challenge, and right on the money for meeting the theme. Good composition and nice choice for DOF - sharp as a tack too!

Golden Cliche
by jaxed

Comment:
This looks like something that could work for a greeting card. I imagine you're probably getting hit a bit because of the parallel 'Gold' challenge going on - people thinking this is an "outtake" perhaps? Good luck in the challenge.

Camouflage
by Caltrop

Comment:
Nice catch here, but it's a bit soft and grainy. Nice job of composing it.

Here's "Peep"ing at You!
by Buckeye_Fan

Comment:
Cute! ;^) I think it's the subject itself being soft and fuzzy, but it gives your image the impression of being a little too soft overall. If it was sharp around the "eyes/face" it would help.