Garret
by graphicfunk

Comment:
This is a great shot for the composition, lighting, and mood it creates. The set-up of the composition gives us the feel and impression of a painter who is very poor - the artists who suffers for their art. The candles, the open can of salmon, the winter clothing he has all play into that. Even thought on closer inspection I find some things that could have made the imagery stronger I will give this a higher than average score. Now the things that could have been included in the composition to strengthen the imagery of the starving artists. The candles could have given us a sense of time and a lot of usage if they had loads of burned candle wax running down the sides and dripped onto their holders. As they appear here they are neat and clean. Second, the jeans are dirty which helps with the idea of 'starving artist' but a hole in the knee would have strengthened the imagery better. The tubes of paint look barely used - another element that goes to show they have not been utilized very much with weakens the the thought of this artist's supporting himself solely on his art. If they gave the appearance that they had been heavily employed for the painting being painted here they would be half rolled up, some of the caps would be off, some paint would be visible on the wooden box. The choice of canned food could have played more strongly into the stereotype of the starving artist too. Beans and/or rice are the stereotypical choice portrayed by those having very little money to afford anything else.

the painting
by dragonlady

Comment:
Love the mood captured here. I get the feeling of a nighttime tour of an art gallery as we take a stroll with our guide who holds an old time candleholder. My only two critiques on this piece is that the glare off the painting on the right hand side is too distracting. Second is that details are lost on the handleholder which is too dark(which if it were much more visible would give a greater amount of viewers an impression of being in the 1800-early 1900's time period) as well as the candle with flame which is too overexposed.

The Candle's in the Bag (Luminaria)
by Ristyz

Comment:
This winding magical pathway is illuminated with the soft glow of the candles that adorn the path. It really creates an invitation to the viewer to come follow the path around the bend as our eyes follow the trail of lights that curve off into the distance around the bend. Wonderful capture.

La Mariposas Iluminadas
by oOWonderBreadOo

Comment:
The Mariposas/butterflies in the photo are brilliantly colored and they do capture our attention right of the bat. However, the strength of your main focus is weakened because of the milkweed that obscures us from fully viewing the main butterfly in the forground. The butterfly in the background is a distraction for it is out of focus since you focused on the butterfly in the foreground. Since focus in on the one on the left you could easily crop the photo to show just that one. However retain the viewer's attention and enjoyment of this nature scene you had to have changed your angle so that the milkweed plant would not hide the butterfly from view.

Long Flight Home
by PhantomEWO

Comment:
Wonderful timeing on this capture of a bi-plane in flight. The angle shows us the wonderful details of the paint job on the wings - the blue circle with the white star and red center. The sepia tone of the background/sky is a nice touch for it adds a feel of nostaligia by giving us the feeling that we are looking at a time that has long passed.

"Let it Snow Let it Snow..."
by charmayne

Comment:
The scene is too busy in this shot - there are too many 'subjects' to look on that our attention gets lost on the scene. Sometimes whittling down an "scene" to focus on a key main subject will get you a better presentation. This looks too much like a snapshot. Looking at this winter skating scene there is one individual present that I think should have been the main focus of your shot. It is the man in red with his arms up in truimph. He is definately hamming it up for the camera - and it is he, who should be the main focus because his exuberance is what we want to see.

" Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus"
by autool

Comment:
Great composition - you really filled the frame with your main subject who is all jolly holiday red and white! The gold-rimmed glasses gently rest below the squinting eyes which I get the impression are from laughing so hard one is close to tears (the reason I get this impression is from the smile/laugh I see on his mouth.

Ol' Blue Eye
by samtrundle

Comment:
A portrait of a man whom we can see the effects of time and experience that shows us a 'roadmap' of a life lived. What makes this gentleman stand out of a normal crowd is the fact he has just one eye. It is a little unsettling to observe at first but then one gets to wondering how this man's life experiences lead to his appearance - there is a story there waiting to be told. My critique on this photo is that I think you could fill more of the frame with the man and get rid of the negative space on the left. A closer crop on just a head shot would improve the photo and keep the eye's attention directly focused on the main subject.

Red in focus
by korpen

Comment:
I really like the combination of movement and static in this capture and the bold & brilliant red backdrop just adds to capture our eye. In the foreground you have the one bird that sits still long enough for us to make out all the details and brilliantly colored tips of wing and tail. What adds interest to an otherwise static scene is the addition of movement. Two other birds are present in the picture in blurred motion.

The Dark Carnival
by VisualOddity

Comment:
Hmmm, I was going to say that the image is too oversaturated on the yellows and reds but I think that is wholly intentionally to the concept and mood you want to convey. Given the title this scene is supposed to appear dark, sinster, and threatening. The yellows and reds invoke imagery of the flames of hell. The grainyness seen in the clouds also adds to the atmosphere in that it brings a gritty feel to this sinister looking image.