Yesterday's Jazz Today
by Charlene

Comment:
Initial thoughts
An intriguing location that no doubt has an interesting history.

Composition/ Content
This image is reminiscent of the glamour days of Hollywood movies when sensational men and women lived life to the full! Wouldn̢۪t it be interesting to spend an evening here?

Compositionally, I like the corner viewpoint placing the neon sign and the strong vertical pillar on a third. But the horizontal line of that sign/ frontage seems to split the image in half rather strangely.

I find myself drawn more to the details above the sign than below but they are too shrouded in darkness to make out well.

Any negatives?
I usually quite like high contrast images but I the shadows in this image are slightly too extensive and hide much detail that might be of interest.

My Opinion On The Photo
An interesting subject matter and reasonably strong composition and good choice of duotone colour too. Overall though, it̢۪s not one of those images I feel I want to return to again and again as the subject matter is just not interesting enough.

doll
by briantammy

Comment:
Initial thoughts
Intimate and relaxed portrait.

Composition/ Content
I find the composition of this portrait especially pleasing. I really like the way you’ve got up close and personal – that tight crop really contributes to the intimacy of the image. I also like the framing provided by the hat and the way the pale background behind continues that. The curve of hair on her face also works well. Additionally, the simple colour palette of pink skin, red lips and top, white hat and background and brown hair, with just a touch of blue creates a certain simplicity that helps bring the focus to her expression. I am definitely drawn to her eyes and smile.

Camera Work - Technical
The image doesn̢۪t feel as sharp is it could, though perhaps that̢۪s a deliberate choice. Personally, I̢۪d prefer a little more sharpness in eyes, nose and mouth areas.

Any negatives?
Other than additional sharpness I̢۪d prefer if the hat didn̢۪t slightly obscure one of her eyes as it means I̢۪m drawn more to the other eye rather than looking at her face evenly. Being fussy, I̢۪d say that the tangle of hair in the lower right area could do with being tidied/ excluded. But I imagine that this was a candid in which case those elements were probably not as easy to control.

My Opinion On The Photo
A charming portrait of a beautiful girl.

Another Rainy Day
by figaro

Comment:
Initial thoughts
An emotional hitter of a situational portrait that kicks off a lot of thoughts.

Composition/ Content
Content-wise, the image isn̢۪t about aesthetics so much as a comment on life. For that reason, the contents of the bedroom, that one might normally want to exclude from a portrait, are essential to the image itself.

The image feels balanced in terms of layout with the man positioned on/close to a vertical third. I like the way that the light from the window falls on the man and therefore focuses attention on him and his expression.

The muted colours of the bedding, walls and furniture contribute to the feeling of boredom/ loneliness that eminate from the man.

Any negatives?
Whilst I appreciate the reason for the vignette-style edges I find them a little too strongly applied for my tastes. That said, I do like the way the floor and further reaches of the room are in shadow.

My Opinion On The Photo
This image makes me feel sad for the man; this is, I̢۪m sure, the intention. It also makes me wonder where he is and whether he is ill, lonely, bored or all three. On a wider level it makes me think about what I want and don̢۪t want for my own life (and the lives of my loved ones). As such, I find the image emotionally striking and thought-provoking.

One Man and his Dog
by AlexSaberi

Comment:
I meant to comment on this when I favourited it, but didn't get to it. I just wanted to thank you for sharing such a truly beautiful image. There is nothing, not one teeny thing, about this image that I don't think is just right. The DOF and horizontal layers. The texture of the web-laden grass. The perfect backlighting of the silhouettes (and the breath coming out of the man's mouth). And of course, the subjects themselves, man and dog, focused on each other in a timeless relationship. Just perfect.

Ride The Wave
by SherwinJames

Comment:
Beautiful! Is that the gills of a mushroom? What an amazing close-up macro - you've transformed the gills into an alien landscape! The DOF and rising edges of the mushroom make for a good composition too.

Christmas Sparkles
by Dandude

Comment:
I can FEEL the texture of the glitter almost to the touch!

A Brittle Bauble
by jaxter

Comment:
Oooh, so beautiful! Lovely warm colours. Strong light = strong shadows which gives lots of interesting shapes. Fabulous warm tones. And that background, the broad brushstrokes painted by the shallow DOF, just lovely.

Photography Runs in My Jeans
by ssan

Comment:
Like the use of the fold and DOF to separate the plane of focus from the rest. The various horizontal lines so created work well to provide composition in such a plain and simple subject.

Mind the texture
by mitalapo

Comment:
I kind of like the simple presentation of the vegetable, contrasting backdrop and plain surface. Rustic, but works.

Tracks
by breadfan35

Comment:
Well observed! So much (of interest) to see in something we seldom notice!