cupcakes2000 - Nice. The trees absolutely give it the impression of being a bit haunted or spooky. I really like the tree at the top of the hill on the left and I like how the trees are ghosted a bit. I would like to have seen a bit more of the house. I don't think all of it is necessary for the shot to work but maybe a bit more of it over the hill so it's more ominous. Wonderful start to the contest.
jabot - Nicely done (and not with a DLSR!) The guy in the beach chair is nicely silhouetted against the sparks. It must have been a bit windy so great job getting the shot. My only complaint is the person standing on the right. I'd rather see the sparks unblocked so maybe I get more imagination focused on the guy in the chair.
usurer - This is wonderfully done and a very interesting way to accomplish the standerd light trail type pic. Must be a metro of some sort since I see the train lights on the other side of the track as well. The colors are great and I like the cast of the night scene. It makes it vivid and kind of comic bookish which is a good thing.
luminosity - Well done and great interpretation of the theme. An artistic photograph of art. Love the idea, love the wall and that it's in black and white as well. Looks like it was natural light? I can't decide if I want to see more of the dancers shadow or if this is enough.
flutegirl822 - The light on the smoke is very nice and I like the faint bit of color that's in the smoke. Honestly I don't really see anything but I have trouble with more abstract pieces of art. It's a well done shot but it doesn't necessarily give me the impression of anything other than smoke.
zyggiepyggie - Great color and I like the framing. Nice feel to the shot. I get the impression of being cool and relaxed. My only complaint is that I wish the right shoe was as in focus as the left. You had a very shallow DOF at 2.0.
sackboy - Beautiful old tree. While interesting this is more of an accurate rendering of what you saw. You might could do a lot in post processing to make this more of an "artistic" shot. The time of day might help as well like early in the morning or even a night shot.
deepdiver - Great job taking a subject that wouldn't ordinarily be that interesting and making it interesting. I like the spiral into a corner thing that's going on here. Though I like the treatment that you gave this shot and the texture it gives to the pic I'm not sold on it.* Since it's the entire pic it tends to be a little overwhelming when I stare at it.
jodelli - I like the curve and the converging lines a lot. From an artistic point of view (that sounds snooty) I think it would have been stronger maybe at night. There's a lot of noise in the darker parts of the pic as well. I like the framing a lot but I think it leans more towards the accurate representation side of things.
Juanbond - very cool and great idea. I like the treatment and the tiger real stands out. My critique would be that the branches really distract from a great pose by the tiger. Closer in would probably make it a bit more powerful as well (with a zoom of course…wouldn't recommend the foot zoom)
stradale33 - nice contemplative pose and a good point of view for the shot. One thing that might make it better is if we could see a bit of your friends face or expression. For the purpose of this challenge it's still more of a "realistic rendering"
Chappers - I think you hit the nail on the head with the challenge. Nicely done and I like the juxtaposition of the flower and the stump. The DOF looks spot on. I'm not completely sure about the framing. My eye doesn't want to settle in the middle with the flower. I want it to be higher for some reason. (or maybe shot from a lower angle) Nice light as well.
Tragedies - That's one of the smoothest hand written light paintings that I've seen. Very well done and nice handwriting. I really like the burst of light at the tail of the y. Love the Y side and I like that it's streaky. The k-e jumble in the middle is a bit distracting. I think taking it to the next level artistically would be somehow incorporating Mikey (the person) into the picture.
TheDrift - I can't decide on this one. I like the bokeh in the background a lot. Especially the twigs or branches. If I look for a minute with a stoic art gallery type face I can see spindly arms reaching for the flower and I can almost see a face in the flower. Maybe I stared at it too long. I do think there maybe too much blur in the flower. I would get rid of the bit of flower at the bottom right and maybe croup out some of the negative space on the right.
pcnot4me - Pretty cool. Is that ice hanging from the basket? Great job on the black and white. Nice silvery tone to it. I like the water a lot as well, very dreamy. Was it a really long exposure or was the water still and foggy? I like it a lot but I'm not sure about the basket as the subject. I find myself looking at the pillars and into the distance more.
MACUSER360 - Very neat idea. It's a nicely powerful shot that tells a story and makes you create a story in your head. It works well in black and white too. Multiple exposures or one long exposure? It's easy to have ideas looking at someone else's shot. Two I had were to try it on a small bed and to have the model look up.
jamswirl - That's cool. I can't for the life of me figure out what the reflected image could be. Great idea and I wonder how you set it up. My complaint is that only the section in the upper middle is in focus. Since it's a pattern I'd rather see the entire shot in focus if possible. The lower left is out of alignment compared to everything else and that distracted me. Great interpretation of the theme.
Waybo - A nicely provocative picture and quite the juxtaposition between the soldier and the beautiful scenery. I find it more on an accurate representation of what you saw than an artistic impression. Glad you got out of their with your gear and everything else!
AirborneAngle - Beautiful texture and tone. I like the gradation in the color of the sky and the very low red. I'm guessing this was sunrise and not sunset? There is a good bit of noise but I think it works for this pick. It has a cross processed (or balanced, I forget) feel to it that I like a lot. LIke the silhouette too instead of lighting the stalk.
Keleko - Wonderful shot and a great interpretation with the post processing. I won't babble on about how much I like this one…because I do. I love the texture that you have given the metal. I remember seeing these in another post and that you did the PP on your phone. If I have to say anything it's that I'd like to see the split in the windshield line up with the hood, the sign out of the window and the light hit more evenly in the center. That's really nitpicking though and does not take away from how much I enjoyed this shot.
OllyCH - Nice shot and wonderful framing. I love how the clouds seem to radiate from the glass pyramid. The clouds really add the touch to this shot that makes it more than just a night shot of the Louvre.
I really had a tough time choosing a winner. Everybody says that, and it's true but this one was tougher than others I have judged. In the end it's just my opinion as to the one I like the most but all of the shots were really great this round. Kudos to everyone.
So with out further ado:
Honorable Mentions: Luminosity, pcnot4me, and TheDrift-. I really liked all three of this shots. There was something in each I found fascinating.
3rd Place - MACUSER360 I loved the provocative nature of this shot.
2nd Place - Keleko Great use of post processing to generate a very powerful nostalgic shot
1st Place - AirborneAngel I kept coming back to it. I love the tone and feel. Very soothing. Great job at capturing a moment of natures best artistic work.
OK, that's it. Congratulations to
AirborneAngel. You've got 48 hours to get a new contest up (if not it will be on to Keleko). Kudos again to everyone. Very high quality stuff in this contest. I wish I had an art background so that I could have given the comments justice. Looking forward to the next one!
