Freshly Tapped
by Telehubbie

Comment:
Clever set-up and very good execution. Love the backlighting that gives the main objects a soft glow. Lighting is spot on illuminating all subjects very well so that we can 'drink' in the details of this image - no distracting reflections or glare on the glass even!

The Imposter!
by toddhead

Comment:
Composition and set-up are great. The only critique I have on this one is lighting. The small shadows under the fruits & vegetables are not a problem. What is a distraction and takes visual impact away are the reflections of the fruits & veggie's. Using another white surface that is not reflective would have eliminated this problem. Next the (my guess is cherry tomatoes) lighting on the veggie's wonderfully illuminates the reds of the whole body of the subject. The same cannot be said of the strawberry. The bottom half of strawberry is darker in tone because of shadows. The top half of the strawberry is illuminated in roughly the same fashion and has a similar color tone as the veggie's. Either use of a diffused penlight shown directly on the bottom half OR selective editing on the bottom half using brightness/contrast levels should get you the same color tone & lighting as the top half of the strawberry.

Comparison
by navyasw02

Comment:
That's great! Love the idea you present in this composition - comparing apples to oranges! Very creative and original! Composition is good but it needs improvement in the lighting and attention to details category to push this out of the slightly above average and into the exceptional category. First off, lighting. On the orange and the mirror they are perfectly illuminated. On the apple, however, it is not. The right half of the apple fades off and disappears into the black background (at least on my monitor it does and I have pretty much calibrated it to see each square on the DPC light to darkness bar at the bottom of this comment box). I think that if the viewer could see the full shape and hard outlines of the apple it would improve the visual impact of the photo. Either another light positioned at a 45 degree angle to illuminate the right half of the apple could have been used or upping the gamma slightly could work (but you may loose some of the tone of that true black background). Next, the devil is in the details - we see the stem of the apple but we don't see that mirrored in the orange relfection. Seeing the green stem stump on the top of the orange would be the complimentary reflection of the apple with it's stem showing- something you would expect to be in a true reflection of the main object. But we don't see that here.

Garden Fresh
by dmadden

Comment:
Love the red and yellow tones of the two apples in the forefront. The green leaf laying across the apple in the foreground is a nice touch. The greens of nature really are a wonderful backdrop for this apple still life. The Lighting and focus is spot on fabulous. I see so many lovely details from the stem of the apple to the drops of water adorning the apples. It is the colors and the beads of moisture on the the apples that make this a very appealing image to taste - literally, it does make one's mouth water just looking at this lovely presented apple.

Avo Couture
by escapetooz

Comment:
I LOVE the creativity in this one!! This one really stands out from the pack. Adorned in nothing but vegetables and sprouting 'yellow/orange' horns on her head she appears as a nature spirit - either a female version of Pan or a Nature nymph whose realm lies in the planting and harvesting of vegetables. Lighting is spot on with hightlights & shadows perfect. The light green background a very subtle nod to the greens of nature - had it been a white or black background it would not have complimented the photo composition so well. The warm glow surrounding your nature nymph is also a perfect compliment because not only does it illuminate her in a soft glow but the glow helps invoke the idea the she is a magical creature. Wonderful job bumping you up to a 9.

The Magic Of Following A Healthy Diet
by Coley

Comment:
A very creative and good composition! But it is the expression on the model that has me wondering: "Should the magician be surprised at the magic he/she casts from their own hands or should they have a cool & composed mysterious look about them as they cast their magic?" I don't know but it is one thing that makes me pause as I look upon this photo. Heh, you know what I just realized? You almost followed an artist's color wheel pattern! Had you positioned the yellows together to fade into the oranges then fade into the reds you would have a perfect fruit & vege color wheel! O.K. tones are very good with the small exception that the sleeve & hand of the foreground arm blends in a tad too well with the outstretched arm. Not sure how to correct it to make them a little more distinct in tones - a tiny bit of dodging mayhap??? The colors of the fruits and vegetables really pop off the page. The striped wallpaper as the backdrop is a tad distracting to the main composition as a whole. But in an odd way it can help add to the illusion of that of a magician standing on a 'curtained' stage performing his/her magic tricks.

The West Wind Departure of Murray Poppins
by Coley

Comment:
I Love the play on the title!!! Very creative and warped sense of humor:-)"Murray's" pose is perfect with the very small exception that his feet are not all the way turned out like in many of the Mary Poppins illustrations;-) Nonetheless, even without the title, the image STILL strongly invokes the idea of the childhood classic Mary Poppins. Love the expression on Murray's face as he catches the west wind to take flight. I can hear his voice stating in a crisp and proper tone (like Julie Andrews Poppins) "Tis quite a good day for flying. Close your mouth you are not a cod fish. Now carry on with your business. Spit Spot!" Again the sepia tone was a good choice for it adds to an old time nostaligic feel to the photo.

Quite Perplexing
by Coley

Comment:
Very surreal and Dali-esque in presentation of unrelated items occuping the same space. I love how the gentleman in the black suit and top hat is poised in a perplexed stance like he just did a double take and has now stopped to look. His poise just speaks to me of, "Huh. Well, will you look at that". Wonderfully creative and the sepia tone is perfect for it gives it an aged old time feel.

Solitude's Dawn
by DrAchoo

Comment:
This is just one of those take your breath away moments on the beauty of nature. One is lucky to see this moment of beauty and you where there to capture it for all too see. Beautiful! The deer running on the beach is so beautiful and dainty in comparision to it's majestic and scenic surroundings. This shot belongs up in a winning gallery showcase somewhere - that is a subtle hint that you should look around and see if there are any juried shows in your area. Again, gorgious shot - I wish I could have been there to have seen it live but at least we have this frozen moment in time to forever appreciate the beauty of that moment.

DSC_5177v1.jpg
by yakatme

Comment:
Out of the series of outtakes, I like this one the best. The lighting and level of details are absolutely wonderful. But the thing that makes this photo stand out from the rest is that this is a full body shot, the poise of the bird on the branch seems ready to take flight at any second, and the lovely blue sky with the white billowy clouds backdrop gives this a dreamy & relaxed feel.