Give Up Smoking or Give Up Life
by De Sousa

Comment:
Very graphic; I'll be surprised if this one doesn't ribbon. Great exposure on the cigarette ash.

Opening an umbrella inside … filed under "BAD LUCK"
by tate

Comment:
Crfeative idea, well executed. 8

Finnegan
by Citadel

Comment:
Since you asked for comments ... I gave you a 4. Here's why. Finnegan's facial expression is good, but its hard to see the eyes, and that's what really grabs you in a great pet shot. We get a little of the left eye (and what we see is good), but nothing on the right. The light is also a bit harsh on the left, and you've lost the detail in the area above his eye. The background is distracting, even though blurred, because of the lines of color and form that distract from the subject. A more monotone background would have worked better. The image also could have been cropped much closer to his head, to minimize the distraction of the background. Finally, the leash going out of the frame on the lower right is distracting. Some of these are little nits, but they add up, and its the details that really matter.

Mermaids Jewels
by Judi

Comment:
Nice dreamy image. Colors are a little pale, but overall the image works very well, and great use of shallow DOF to meet the challenge. 8

Man in the moon through the trees
by jblaylockrayner

Comment:
Great shot. My guess is this one will get a fair number of DNMCs because your subject is focused at infinity, but I think the framing of the out of focus branches in the nearground are a very creative use of a shallow out of focus field. Great exposure on the moon, and perfect placement of your subject in almost the only part of the image where it would not be obscured by an out of focus branch. Great job. 9

Graveyard Gooseberries
by labuds

Comment:
I really like this image. I don't think the DOF is super shallow (more of a bokeh use of shallow DOF), but the contrast between the berries and the toadstools is great. 8

Ball - Field
by tfarrell23

Comment:
Great framing and composition, sharp focus, good texture on the ball, time for spring training to begin.

Frost
by TallisMan

Comment:
My favorite in the challenge. Excellent use of shallow DOF to focus on your subject. Nice colors, soft feel. Very well done.

Cool and Refreshing
by Cutter

Comment:
I like the selective desat here. Would have liked the crop to be a tad higher, to avoid cutting him off in the middle of the eyes, but my guess is that was not even in the view, so it was either that or losing the bottom of the glass, in which case you made the right choice. 8

baby picture
by chele

Comment:
Nice idea, but lighting is kind of harsh and the reflected lights in the bowl are distracting. Seems to be oversharpened and a bit unnatural looking. 6