A City United: Public Transportation Success Story
by magnetic9999

Comment:
Congrats on a great shot Mag!! Good luck on the blue challenge - Bob

New York 2012 Olympic Games
by tomzinho

Comment:
This looks like it was shot out of the window of a moving cab. It is really not very clear. The big NYC sign should really be the center of attention here. This has the potential to be a decent photojournalism shot, but in this condition I don't see it making the paper. - Inspzil

DPC Takes a Field Trip
by albright1

Comment:
Paparazzi!! - inspzil

Christmas Time - Town Square Gets Festive
by crabappl3

Comment:
Composition - My first impression of this pic was that the building was looking a little rough. I didn't like the contrast that provided between it and the bulbs in the tree. The top of the building looks singed. The second thing I noticed was that the bulbs are a little underexposed. Nothing major though there. The third thing I noticed was that this is a great great camera angle to take this picture. It includes a nice balance of tree on one side and building on the other. The building does offer some nice contrasts itself in the forms of circles and straight lines. Christmas bulbs look odd to me without any snow.

Background - Very nice rich color in the sky. Its a little too blue though to the point of looking fake. I personally don't mind that at all. There really isn't much else to consider for background, so lets move on.

Camera work - The strongest thing here is the angle the picture was shot. The DOF is really good for the composition of this shot. The bulbs being a little dark might be tough to fix and maybe just as tough to process within the limits of the rules. Strong camera work! (I've been considering buying the model of camera you have)

Post processing - I can't see anything too out of the ordinary, so that's a good sign.

Overall - I generally like the shot. I think it would be found in a newspaper somewhere, although maybe not the front page. I would've liked to see a newer building but this older one will work. - Bob (Inspzil)

Christmas Time - Town Square Gets Festive
by crabappl3

Comment:
Wonderful color in the sky. The bulbs are too dark and hidden. They should really stand out for this shot. This building isn't the greatest subject either. It looks a little run down to be a cheery xmas shot. - Inspzil

Smiling to victory
by arnit

Comment:
Composition - The first thing I think of looking at this shot is the framing which is exemplary. The focal point of this picture is in the perfect spot. The capture of the face openly visible is excellent. The focus on the face is great. At the shutter speed used, it is amazing. Even without the smile it is a great capture. The lane boundary and swim cap colors are brilliant. This image is definitely meeting the challenge.

Background - The background isn't distracting from the image at all and is not wasted space with a "splash" of yellow on the wall. The background is well out of focus as is expected in this type of shot.

Camera Technique - The shortcomings of this shot, if any, are in the camera techniques, most of which are out of the photographer's control. This shot desperately needs a very powerful flash that could reach 40M and blind half the crowd to make the shot any better. The 1600 ISO has added a lot of graininess to the picture. The slow shutter speed makes the water around the swimmer very blurry. I'm very sure that the photographer did everything possible to use the available light to make the shot as good as it is. I wish I took it :)

Processing - I don't know if much was done to this shot. I don't see anything that looks obviously processed into the pic aside from boosting sats a bit to make the colors stand out more. From what I can see here, I'm assuming it didn't need much done to it.

Overall - The photographer really made the most of this opportunity for a great shot. The graininess of the shot and the lack of focus, although understandable, do take something away from the shot. In my mind it is still one of the best captures from this challenge, whether the voters said it was or not. Congrats on a fantastic shot Arnit - Inspzil

Rising Waters
by Kathyc

Comment:
Well framed and taken. The sky isn't washed out on this one, looks more like the ground is (har, har, har). The only thing this needs is some sort of focal point. Even without it, it's something that one might see in the newspaper or magazine. Good shot. - Inspzil

Protest!
by hardwaybets

Comment:
This photo has some very strange effects on it, planned or not. It is not terribly well focused, and looks way overprocessed. It is a better photo op than anything I had but I don't think this op was taken advantage of as well as it could be. I do like the framing. The rest of it though needs some help IMO - Inspzil

Firemen on Picket Line
by Dazzermas

Comment:
Nice picture. I like the framing on this shot. The focus is a little soft but I don't think it hurts the shot much, if any. It's a very nice candid shot of these brave fellows who deserve a little face time. - Inspzil

The Face of American Resolve
by Turbotech

Comment:
Looks more like advertising that photojournalism. Really dark too which is not helping. It's hard to tell he's in camo even. - Inspzil