small town rodeo
by bigskyeye

Comment:
Tagged fourty-two
I run from the catch
of galloping thunder, two by two.

Great action shot! I can feel and hear the thunder of the hooves; see the look in the calves eye as he is caught in a catch 22 situation.

Rue Du Chat Qui Peche
by JimiRose

Comment:
She was inclined to pay him no mind.
His kind offer cattily declined,
he instead gave shelter to the fishing feline.

Great street photography - love the juxtaposition of the real and unreal; reality and imagination. The colors and capture are perfect. I also love learning about and seeing new places - interesting street and history.

Sorceress
by LevT

Comment:
Written on her face
are the lines of a book
that narrates wisdom harvested with age.

Wonderful portrait full of life and details - excellent B&W tones. To me, her gaze speaks of things she has seen and a gaze that is a reflection that the journey is getting closer to the final destination.

Grandeur
by Silent-Shooter

Comment:
I stand at the peak
between heaven and earth.
I breathe in the land's splendor
bathed in sun's brilliance.

Stunning and breathtaking work!

Confundo
by HighNooner

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

Ah, a Harry Potter reference. The spell to cause a person to be confused or disoriented. I like how you portrayed it here in the composition with the zoom inward or is it zooming out? See you have already caused confusion and disorientation:-) The building could very well be Hogwarts or another magical place that teaches wizardry. The person I can see as being a student given the black clothing that is akin to the black robes. The only problem is that the pink head covering looks very out of place - A simple wave of the wand..er select tool and color change or color balance would have turned it to black or brown making us think it is simply the person's hair color.

the call
by tome

Comment:
Voted earlier, coming back to comment now.

I am failing to see what I feel you want your audience to see & experience. I see clearly the watch with the time, the table set with food, and the empty shoes off to the far left. But, I can't see what is in the middle center of the image - I feel that an element that is pertinent to the image is there that would give the composition further meaning. It's just too dark - I looked on my monitor on my PC and later on a laptop which is brighter...but I see nothing:-( It's just too dark in that area to make out any solid details. My guess is that some people gathered around the table to eat, received a call, and 'poof', vanished leaving shoes and whatever else I cannot see behind. Or maybe I am just missing the point entirely. On technicals - the conversion to B&W is good with very dynamic tones between light and shadow (with the exception of the problem area that needs more illumination)

"No Doubt About It, I Gotta Get Another Hat"
by GeneralE

Comment:
Voted earlier, coming back to leave comments.

'Hats' off you to for the humor (pun intended):-) I am not convinced that the desaturation of all elements except the banana really work. The image has potential but needs some work. First off I think it would have been better to have a black background for the white of the 'gloves' and the magician's sleeves to pop off the backdrop. The challenge would be to light the black hat so it does not blend into the backdrop. Easy enough with some small lights (flashlights or small desk spotlight) that can be hidden behind the hat. It's best to make sure that you have some distance between wall and hat (say 3 feet) and hat and light (7 to 14 inches). This will help illuminate the hat by 'outlining' the edges; separating it from the black backdrop. You will also have to have a light on the front of the hat and magician to keep lighting balanced. There is a lot of 'noise' or grain in the shot. Shooting with a faster ISO introduces that noise. The options are to shoot with a lower ISO 200 or less OR run the image through a Denoise program such as Topaz Denoise or Noise Ninja. Lastly, when composing your image make sure that you have all the necessary elements to complete the 'illusion'. The rubber gloves just don't speak of a magician. It ruins the imagery of a young, inexperienced magician being frustrated at not mastering the magic of the hat.

Roots
by Alex_Petrini

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

A very interesting take on the dryad/tree nympths mythos. I like how you have a house off in the distance for it is a subtle visual clue that this is "home". The color red is vibrant - symbolically it makes me think of 'life's blood' - and indeed the hair or roots are this creature's life blood. It is her connection to mother earth. There are two things that I think would make the composition more stronger. First the blending of the tree base to the ground doesn't look well integrated or seamlessly connected to the ground. I would try selecting that tree base from the original image and feathering the selection more ....100 pixels or so. Or using the clone tool with an opacity of 60 -90 (trial and error), choose the spot you want to clone, and with a curved downward motion 'brush' the corners into the scene. Lastly, I think her arms are in an awkward position. The palms of her hands are up towards the sky when I think it would be more effective if they were pointed down towards the earth. That is where her 'roots' are so to speak, so she should be reaching in that direction rather than the sky. Still, a well done composition and I think it should do well.

Home Sweet Home
by Tommy_Mac

Comment:
Voted earlier, coming back to comment now.

Would a real rabbit have been better? If going for a bit more 'realism', yes. BUT, the stuffed animal rabbit is perfect when playing into the concepts of childhood, innocence and magic. It makes me think of childhood and being captivated and enchanted by watching a magician pull the rabbit or dove out of the hat. Hmmm, or mayhap there is another enchanting idea you are trying to convey. Where do loved stuffed animals go when no longer wanted or needed? Perhaps they travel down the 'rabbit hole' in the magic hat to a land akin to Alice in Wonderland where they become 'real'. The lighing is well done in the composition. The magic smoke and sparkles arise out of the hat to cement the idea that this hat is a door to an enchanted realm/home. Nicely done!

goo
by jmritz

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

My first thought, "could this be the Sign Painter in the World of Goo game?" Then upon study it gives off a surreal, otherworldly feel/look. I makes me think of an Joseph Merrick a.k.a. Elephant Man type of individual or a faceless & nameless being that crosses our path as we walk down the street. The encounter is surreal leaving us disoriented and wondering what to say - perhaps 'Goo' is the what is needed to be said in this situation. Goo perhaps means hello.