The Cross
by jonpink

Comment:
Fabulous light. Christ-figure looks a touch washed out (dodging?), and seems to have lost a touch of detail through that - just enough to stop him popping out of scene nicely. Murkiness and shading of the remainder of the screen is wonderfully done though. 7

quiet reflection
by ursula

Comment:
my first reaction, sitting back from the monitor and therefore seeing far too dark an image, was - whoa, someone's superimposed an audio waveform over a picture. obviously much clearer at proper viewing angle, but that impression remains, and is actually quite intriguing. Interaction of slopes and angles and progression of trees is interesting.

A Lover or a Fighter?
by adspigot

Comment:
Took me ages to notice that there's two of them ...

Excellent dissociation of subject from background - good regularity, and good light. your title implies a subject other than the flower, and to be honest the bugs are a touch too blended into the flower tonally to be a clear subject. Intriguing work though, and one of few that meets the challenge correctly (as opposed to being simply something plonked dead centre): this actually depends for its effect on this composition. 7

Fence to Nowhere
by dhare

Comment:
Nice approach to the challenge - and kind of works. Fence is a touch too insignificant in the image though: perhaps if you'd been able to make more of it's shadow ... Good perspective work, no lens distortion that registers with me, and that helps carry of the regularity of the composition very well. 6

Untitled
by oksamit

Comment:
Excellent smoothness and clarity to this macro work. Tooo much of a shoe-in to the theme for me however - sure, as a pair they're arguably centred, though equally validly, as individuals, they're nicely (almost) on the classic thirds lines. Composition could have been simplified to good effect i think - bin the coloured egg-cup, white-out the wood and there'd be a suitably scandinavian feel to this. 4

Free Souvenir
by rubyrednails

Comment:
Huh? Without being properly in focus its very diffficult to find anything constructive to say about this shot. 2

Technicolor
by Jesuispeure

Comment:
Don't like this I fear. Quite apart from the over-the-top colouring (obfiously, only my opinion), it seems slightly over-exposed (details blowing out in the more saturated areas), and the direct light isn't helping communicate the softness of the flower - which would make a real contrast with the bizarre tones. 4

fly away with me
by mamabear5612

Comment:
The blat of that flash is real pity -- murdering the detail in foreground. I guess it would have been near-impossible without it, but that doesn't stop it causing problems. Would it have been impossible to crop in tighter on the hand and the butterfly? Might have made for a much less snap-shot-like composition.

Cicada Emerging From His Shell
by insteps

Comment:
Excellent detail - man he loks like a plastic toy - and great light, especially the rich green of the background. suitably regular and symmetrical subject to carry the composition (unlike so many who've just plonked something dead centre without a thought). Hope it does well - has an oddness that I like. 7

Here's looking at you, kid!
by dsa157

Comment:
Nice high-key work, DOF effective, the light perhaps just a shade too even on the little critter to give much sense of texture and fine detail. Difficult subject though - especially if (s)he's alive. Think I'd have worked just a little more on taking the background tho white - still some blue noise visible in areas. Close though. 6