One of Earth's Seed
by kim100878

Comment:
I find the DOF to be too narrow and the bg color to be unattractive. I also don't find anything to distinguish your picture of this very commonplace subject.

Rearranging earth.......
by tolovemoon

Comment:
The high noise levels spoiled this image for me although I have to say that I like the concept and composition and find this to be a fresh angle on the challenge theme.

Tame Fire
by C-Fox

Comment:
It appears that the light on the table is a bare bulb, which is unfortunate because the rest of the image is so pretty and the light is glaring and so hard to look at. If the light were something more intimate, like a candle, and in keeping with the rest of the image it would have scored higher with me. I have to tell you that I do love the setting and muted colors of the rest of this scene.

Flow
by ellamay

Comment:
How can I compete against this??? Wonderful composition with beautiful tones and contrast and technically so well done. I love the natural muted colors. You've really met the challenge well. Very well done.

Hard Lives & Stories Untold.
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Excellent portrait contrasted well against the bright background. Good contrast, detail and textures. Very life-like...almost too life-like...but I guess that's the harsh realities referred to in your title, which I like very much as well. Meets the challenge well. Great effort.

A necessary couple
by Alexys

Comment:
Excellent leading lines and composition here. I wish you had used another colored toothbrush (the bristles) or toothpaste as I would have liiked to have seen some color contrast between the two. In addition, the lighting is too harsh and you've lost detail in parts of the image.

Lock and Key -- Unlocking the Mystery
by karmat

Comment:
Wonderful compostion and color that has a few minor flaws, such as that I can barely see your background and it appears the image has a lot of lint. Also, the key looks like it's been over-sharpened.

Toothbrush & Toothpaste
by EddyG

Comment:
Great color and lighting, just a bit too centered for my tastes.

Nadel und Faden
by FranziskaLang

Comment:
I like the contrast here, but wish there was a bit more midtones to break up the extreme coloring. Also, the image appears to have been over-sharpened.

Engagement and Wedding
by cbeller

Comment:
I Like the romantic and soft feel to this image but find the lighting to be objectionable...I think you've lost too much detail in the skin tones. Also, the composition could be improved by not such a tight crop where you're cutting off fingers.