Bill...A Remarkable Guy
by dtallakson

Comment:
This image looks tone mapped/topazed, which definitely helps balance the spots of bright sunlight with the shadows, but I think this brought out too much detail in his skin, making him look much older and dirtier. I'm not sure that is terribly nice to make someone look like that. The sign and any other elements in the image should be able to convey his situation without the added "dirt" of post-processing.

Stranger in the Park Eating a Fish
by Fromac

Comment:
This is a great image, but I'm guessing it's getting hammered. You should have entered this in the free study instead. Don't be afraid to photograph people! They don't bite!
(Not voting.)

July 4th in the Park
by tfarrell23

Comment:
This is a cute photo, but the light isn't so great. It's direct sunlight coming from above, which makes harsh shadows in her eyes. The eyes are usually the focus in a portrait, so you don't want them to be so dark. Shooting early in the morning or later in the afternoon would have better light.

I also don't think the black and white helps this. She's young, smiling, playful, carrying a balloon, and wearing a bathing suit. Color and vibrancy would have better fit the mood of the image.

The Birder
by JuliBoc

Comment:
I think the crop is a little too tight. I don't mind missing the side of his face, but cutting him off at the neck kinda looks like he's been beheaded! Putting a white or reflective card just out of the frame would have added a nice catchlight in his eyes, which would make this photo pop.

The Veteran
by EBJones

Comment:
It looks like you might have done topaz or something to bring out the detail in his face, since his face was in shade. I think you balanced the bright parts of the image and the shade on his face very well, but all the detail in his skin makes him look much older than he probably is. That could be interpreted as negative, which I'm guessing you probably didn't intent (based on the title). There is also something bouncing light on his face from below (maybe even the ground?). Lighting from below is called "monster lighting" (no, I didn't make up that name), which also adds to that unintended (or so I assume) negativity in this image. He has a wonderful face, but I think these two elements that create a negative atmosphere are hurting the image...unless, of course, you intended to do that, in which case it works very well. I apologize for my bluntness and I hope I didn't offend you.

Khalil
by mattmac

Comment:
I generally like the partially desaturated look, but I wish there was the tiniest bit more color in his face so he wouldn't look so pale. The angle of his head works well, but I can't decide if I like the wink or not.

Cherry Picker
by rhommel

Comment:
This image has potential to look pretty cool, but I think you need to work with the light here a little more. If the model had turned to her right a little more, the sunlight wouldn't have fallen on her forehead and chest; it would have just created a hair light and rim light. You could have bounced a little more light on her front so the rim light wouldn't be so blown out (but a bounce card would have shown up in her glasses--you'd have to deiced if you are ok with that or if she should remove the glasses). If you had also shot from a little higher, you could have cropped out the sky, which is one of the brightest spots in the image, so it pulls too much attention.

I know this comment is really long, but that doesn't mean you image is bad. I thing you did a lot of things right too. I like that the pinkish-purple of her shirt contrasts well with the green background. The depth of field is spot-on too; just deep enough for her to be completely in focus, but shallow enough to blur the background out too.

Servi-Car
by SHALIGA

Comment:
I like having the car window and the man both in focus, but I wish the rest of the background had been blurred. Using auto focus, the camera will focus on the man, putting about a third of the rest of the "critical sharpness" in front of him and the other two thirds behind him. For a shot like this, you'd have to manually focus so you can set the focus on just the window and the man. Sharpening this image in post-processing would also help bring out his face, which should be the focus of the image in a portrait.

Confederate on the Street
by agrimace

Comment:
His costume is very well done, but being able to see the cars in the background take away the "suspension of disbelief." There is also a little too much blue/cyan in his skin. You can correct that by changing the white balance or by using the separate channels of the curves function.

I Would Like to Introduce You to Jenny and Jimmy
by Quigley

Comment:
If you turned them towards their right, the sun wouldn't fall on their faces. It would fall on their hair, which would create a nice hair light, leaving beautiful, soft shade on their faces.