coal mine
by charliebaker

Comment:
I didn't vote in this challenge, but I loved reading the comments afterwards. To me, however, this looks more like a cave than a coal mine. Maybe if you sized it at 640x, I might see what you were getting at.

The harshest environment of all
by Yo_Spiff

Comment:
This is seriously bad, but I couldn't give it below a 4, because it met the challenge and was still recognizable. Sorry ;-)

Moving Canvas
by owen

Comment:
Wow, Owen! Yes! Perfect shot.

Pepper
by JamesKW

Comment:
It's a good, technically solid, doggie portrait. I gave it a 6. Nice focus, lighting, detail in the fur. Good job getting detail in both the white and black, and good catchlights in the eyes. The only "technical" problem I see is with the cheesy background. I have no idea why anyone would give this less than a 5.

Now, as to what could make this really stand out...I think what's missing is the lack of connection with the viewer. If you look at the top 10 in this challenge, there is a wide variety of poses, looks,etc, but the one thing they have in common is that every animal is looking directly at the camera, bringing the viewer into the shot. Even the chicken.

The other thing that might bring it over the top (or make it tank) is some sort of hook to grab the viewer's attention. You don't have to dress the dog in a party hat (ahem), but the top shots all stand out for one reason or another, either because they're cute, unusual, emotional, or whatever. Pepper's shot doesn't have that kind of kick to it.

Obviously, this is my better side...
by shamer

Comment:
Congrats, Shawn! This was one of my 10's. A question for you...what are you using as a background? A backlit burlap sack? Whatever it is, it works really well.

Damon's Point
by getnoutside

Comment:
It's a good start, but I think this would work better framed differently. The main horizontal line running through the image divides the image into halves, and the water closest to the camera isn't doing much for you. I think it would work better to crop both the bottom and the left. Bring the horizon line down to about 1/3 of the way up, and get rid of everything to the left of the island. That would bring the island in closer and make the whole shot more interesting.

Mallard
by SteveJ

Comment:
The lighting and texture is good. With moving birds, it helps to frame the shot so that there's some extra space in front of the bird to give it some space to move into. Otherwise, it feels a bit cramped.

Nguyima-Yin
by dougi555

Comment:
The framing and leading line is good, but the red path is so colorful it draws the attention away from the rest of the shot.

Photography has gone to the dogs!
by Judi

Comment:
I'm sure she's a great photographer. Does she have her own DPC account?

Sweetness
by Blind_squirrel

Comment:
Well done. Great pose and expression, and the light is well done.