Commerce Beacon
by jenarom

Comment:
Strongly graphic, I wish the trees were not there. The whisp of cloud, the blue sky and the red pillar would have been great, alone. The trees bring it back to reality and restore the sense of scale, which I don't know that this needs, though normally it is a good (albeit a bit cliched) way to fill in some boring sky.

Deep Within
by Gracious

Comment:
prize for the best use of a cheese grater here. Weird and effective, although the one white/ hotspot lets this down - and it is bang in a focal point, at the chin of the mask - where all the lines lead to. high marks for originality

Twilight of Idols
by magnetic9999

Comment:
love the tone - wish you could have spot edited the damage up the left column. The rear column seems blocked somehow - would have liked to see this slightly round to the left to break the three columns up- the two triangles at the top don't quite seem to be balanced with the other shapes and lines in the composition

A Bugs Life
by Fibre Optix

Comment:
lens flare saves this from being dull - I realise it would be hard, but more of a lean/ angle would have filled the frame better and left the head less centered

Where Valor Proudly Sleeps
by Mieka

Comment:
wow - a huge opportunity. Personally I'd love to see this with nothing other than the green grass and grave stones - it would really be an arresting pattern/ texture shot them. I feel that the trees/ sky/ monument are really distracitions from the main message and main impact of this wonderful scene. The fact that it represents so many deaths also has a huge impact. If you can, I'd love to see this with the patterns really worked on

vood's hairy back
by johnny_justjohnny

Comment:
interesting take on the challenge, lighting could do with improvement though , overall yellowish cast and dim lighitng detract from a potentially strong image. The background clutter doesn't add much either, other than disatractions

Please give me my Toy Cat
by PTLParsons

Comment:
Becky, It is good to see you entering more pictures. A few comments: The colour palette of this is quite muted - all creamy browns and tans, which means the background elements are a bit jarring. The light is good and even, so no harsh shadows and your subjects are interesting and interracting - certainly above the average single pet that looks like they want to escape.

I do think though that (instead of suggesting cropping out the background) that this could be better simply by getting closer in. very roughly only 1/3rd of this picture is the subject that I think you wanted to show - the cat and dog playing with each other. a lower angle/ closer camera position would have dealt with the disturbing background and removed some of the less interesting foreground. It gives it a sense of the place, but closer would have really pushed the focus onto your pets.

These kind of pictures also can be enhanced a lot by getting down there with them more - you might feel silly on the floor but your pictures could make you a lot happier.
This is sort of what I mean - though I would suggest doing the cropping with your feeet and camera position, rather than editing:



Message edited by author 2003-02-10 12:01:49.

Hunted Hunter II
by lcamargo

Comment:
Excellent - extremely graphic and striking. I like this a great deal. (10)

Two Classics
by Jacko

Comment:
Excellent - congrats on the win. I love the refracted pattern at the top of the drop - lifts it above the other's I've seen.

Self Portrait
by jjbeguin

Comment:
Excellent shot. Suprised nobody mentioned the similarity to this self-portrait by Robert Mapplethorpe. Well done on second place.