Contemplation
by Jas

Comment:
Great composition. Alone on the barren rock surrounded by the vast and open sea sits a man curled up in contemplation. Yes, I get the sense that he is very alone with his thoughts because in the composition he is small to his surroundings. While that composition choice plays as a strength to creating the mood it also is a weakness. I think that you could have cropped another 20% of the image and captured the same mood. And, the advantage would be that it would have called greater attention to the figure sitting on the rocks - he is a little too lost in his surroundings. The colors are a tad too surreal - the purple & blue hues in the sky and the sea appear to vivid, too unnatural in that they almost take on a supernatural effect.

Appalachian Porch Flower
by susi

Comment:
This is a lovely portrait. Love the tones and colors on this from the rustic browns of the old wood to the soft pastel pink of the girl's dress that brings the punch of color into the scene. I like the dichotomy of the old and new you present in this composition. The old and rustic (and falling apart) surroundings of the chair, porch, window, and iron gate juxtapositioned next to the little girl holding flowers which symbologically represents life anew. She is Spring to the rustic house's Autumn. My only critique on this portrait is that the girl's expression. She is looking directly at the photographer/viewer and projects the feel that she is not quite happy with her picture being taken. A much more candid or relaxed shot when she is not looking directly at the camera would have been better.

Dreamer
by DefyTime

Comment:
I love the feel and mood that this composition projects. The colors and composition of the fish in the aquarium are wonderful. Viewed alongside the silent observer in the right hand corner it comes across as a scene in which he/she gazes upon the watery world and is lost in contemplation. My only critique is that the lighting illuminating the individual could be better. The upper half of the body and the head are too dark and the color tones tend to blend in to much with the color of the aquarium water. It would improve the composition if the shape of the person was much more distinct.

Storm Front: Serenity III
by hotpasta

Comment:
The square format really helps tighten the composition. Good choice in going with B&W because there is alot of elements in the photo that would get quite bogged down and overly busy if it had been in color. With the B&W the viewer gets to drink in the shapes and textures present in the photo. Love how the masts of the ships 'mirror' that of the city skyline. The sparkles on the water give a little magical feel to it. The boats in the shipyard offer a promise of escape from the hectic bustle of the city to open waters that are calm and enchanting. And how wonderful that that the mood of serene calm is best represented by the name of the boat that is perfectly illuminated: Serenity.

The magic feather
by TUBORG

Comment:
Excellent composition, lighting is good and the subjects are wonderful to look upon. As a gaze upon this photo I feel like I am observing a Greek goddess teaching her young son how to control the magic that flows through their viens. The levitating feather is just one lesson his mother seeks to teach him as he attains greater powers as he approachs apotheosis. The photo is wonderfully presented, creative, and very unique in this challenge. I do believe I will see this in the top 10. Wonderful work.

The Summoning
by robinssong

Comment:
A truly spooky and supernatural capture. You did an excellent job with bringing all the elements together to create an ominous and creepy mood. The ghostly smoke rising from the grimacing skull, the barren silhouettes of the trees in the background and the rising full moon all come together to present an image that is spine-chilling especially should one encounter this scene in a wooded area. I also have to say that this would be a perfect picture capturing the spirit (pardon the pun) of Halloween. Great job 9.

Bewitched
by elsapo

Comment:
The title and the eyes peeking out from the foliage are very definately bewitching. The lighting and contrast are excellent. The face is perfectly illuminated and it is the subject's eyes that hypnotizes the viewer. The woman can be seen in one or two ways. The first is that she is a magical being, a dryad or sprite, casting a powerful hold spell upon us as she peers out from her forested home. The second is that those eyes sometimes project a feeling to the viewer that we are the hunted - as if she is a wild animal (say a tiger) sizing up her prey. Composition of this photo is excellent. Well done.

The mysterious Mr. Pepper
by h2

Comment:
Ack!! My what an interesting eye you have - both the pepper and the photographer who imagined this concept:-) Definatly an unusual and interesting take on the mystery portion of the challenge - gotta give you points for creativity. Certainly mysterious and downright erie. One certainly does not expect to see an eye staring back at them from the stalk of a green pepper. A slightly above average shot - lighting and concept are great. There are some improvements that could be made to some of the compositional elements to make it more appealing. First the background color is too much of a screaming neon tone that IMHO takes focus and attention away from the main subject because most are shielding their eyes from the brightness of the hue. Next the condition of the green pepper looks like it has faired better days. A fresher, healther green pepper with a more robust green hue would add to improving the visual appeal of the composition.

Mary Poppins
by Shermy

Comment:
:spoken with a british chimney sweep accent: Oh, I know that silhouette anywhere - Mary Poppins!!!:-)This is a wonderful shot trying to capture the magic of Mary Poppins. I love the silhouette of the woman against a blueish grey sky. The vast negative space works for it keeps the eye's attention on the main focus/element of the composition. With the hat, the umbrella, and the overcoat she does take on the impression of Mary Poppins but there are two little things that could have strengthened the connection to the charming mysterious Mary Poppins even more (I know picky picky, but spit-spot lets have a look into it shall we?;-) ). The Mary Poppins we are all familiar with and love is that brought about by Julie Andrews performance. She always made it a point to stand with her toes sticking out and heels together because she wanted to remain true to the illustrations in P.L. Travers Mary Poppins books. Also, there is the flower that sticks up out of her hat and I see no adornment on this figure. Lastly the pose of the model seems a tad stiff. Her movements seem forced in this photo as that the arm with the bag is lifted much too high and the arm sporting the umbrella seems held too stiff - I would imagine that the arm holding the umbrella would be holding much more aloft in order to catch a breeze to take flight.

Never Too Old
by Rebecca

Comment:
Certainly a different take on Magic & Mystery. A tribute to those of us who still love mysteries - and who grew up on Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys:-) My first Nancy Drew that I read was #47 The Mysterious Stranger - then I read all of them...but I digress. The merits and critique on the photo. I was going to make the point that the model should have had her hair like Nancy's seen on the back cover when it then dawned on me that the title plays into the reason. She is wearing pigtails which is a connection to childhood - and even though us gals get old we always remember our girlhood reading and enjoying Nancy Drew. The expression of the model is good because it shows she is totally engrossed in the action that is happening in the pages of the book. My critiques lie in the elements of the composition. I think that if the pigtails stuck out more than an even stronger connection to childhood and you are never too old would be established. I also think that you could have better utilized the background space - here it is just negative space that has nothing in it. It could have been used to help make a stronger connection to the enjoyment of reading Nancy Drew. Some examples: the cover art for The Mysterious Mannequin shows a veiled woman pointing to a tapestry. You could have had that book in the shot and had a tapestry similiar to the cover art hanging in the background. Or the cover art for The Clue In The Old Album you could have had a picture of a moustached man playing a violin hanging in the background to match the book cover. Or The Scarlet Slipper Mystery in which you have a painting of a ballerina in the background to match the cover art of the book.....you see where I am going with the suggestion. If there is some negative space in the shot that can be used to strengthen an element in the shot without it becoming too busy then it might be worth exploring. Lastly, mayhap tis just me, but the green shirt just is too overpowering a tone for the photo. A more muted green......mayhap even clothes that alludes to an elementry school uniform or girl scouts uniform would have would have been better for the composition for it would help strengthen the connection to childhood and one "never being too old" to enjoy a revisit to an "old friend"