The Face of Wisdom & Experience...
by NikonJeb

Comment:
Compelling portrait and composition. I really like his slanted shoulders and gentle downward cast gaze (as if a moment of reflection), though I think lack of eye contact can also be seen as a negative. I may have flipped it horizontally so he's looking in the opposite direction. I also like the busy background, though blurred enough for subject/bg separation it almost creates an environmental portrait, and an element of mystique as it makes me wonder his role/relationship. A technical issue I see is the obvious processing to burn in the overexposed highlights in his hair.

Tired Of Life
by bnilesh

Comment:
Beautiful portrait with excellent textures and tones, perfect DOF (all facial features and headdress in focus), good BG/subject separation, so technically excellent. With all of the hackneyed Topaz processing I've seen so far in this challenge, here it's done very well and to good effect. The most salient aspects to this portrait for me are his eyes and the way the creases in his turbine mirror the wrinkles of his skin. Excellent job!

Sea Worn
by JulietNN

Comment:
Over processed to my eyes.

Abandoned
by JohannesFrank

Comment:
So simple yet so effective in conveying an ominous foreboding event. I get the chills looking at it. Seems straight out of a horror flick. The bird adds the perfect touch.

Whoopi look-a-like
by MacDonald

Comment:
Endearing smile and expression. And she does look like Whoopi. Was my first thoguht.

Homeless
by love

Comment:
Wonderful! This is so good. Love your processing and the slightly off center crop and the lines of the background brickwork. He really radiates happiness, or is it because your just paid him a lot of money to take his picture? :)

Brief encounter in an underpass
by Lutchenko

Comment:
Excellent portrait with a mystique to it. Love her expression and your point of view. Though I like the bokeh, I think your DOF is a bit too narrow and would have liked to have seen both eyes in focus. Lighting is a bit hot on her forehead and nose and your crop of her ear is not tight enough imo (to eliminate it).

Mountie On Duty: One of Canada's Finest
by J-Me

Comment:
This is a really fine portrait that I like a lot, but your post processing lets it down a bit. Foremost, you've applied way too aggressive a compression resulting in artifacts throughout your subject. Advanced Editing rules allow for about 6 times the size of this photo. I'm not sure if that's also the reason for the porcelainish skin tones and lack of texture in her uniform, or because of too high an amount of noise reduction applied. Another couple of nit picks is her left elbow and brim of her hat are cut off, and the borders. One side has a big red stripe and the other has a thing brown stripe. I imagine that's just carelessness. All easy to go back and correct and you'll have something to be proud about.

Meet John Carlisle — Musician & USCG Licensed Master
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Well executed portrait. I especially like your POV and the bokeh is great. Patch of sky is a bit distracting, I find.

Sympathy for the Devil
by gyaban

Comment:
Like her smile and gaze, but the light is too harsh.