Balloon
by MattOz

Comment by Neuferland:
Not sure how it meets the challenge, I'll go with dark/light? The spider web on the edge of the light does help create the illusion of a helium balloon and it almost works but the lack of contrast and the other treads from the web ruin the illusion. :( A 3

untitled
by MattOz

Comment by e301:
Like the suggestion of landscape in this weathered tree-stump (?) The rhythm of the circles shows well in black and white. Beyond that, lacks a fair bit of interest for me - noothing grabs and holds my eye, and doesn't have that real detail of focus and lighting that are needed to reveal the texture, though that could also be simply the light you've chosen.

untitled
by MattOz

Comment by soccerdad:
The shadow really separates this from the rest of the pure texture entries. I might have increased the depth of field to really bring home a top score, but this is above average.

surreal stairs
by MattOz

Comment by moodville:
I really like this. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it just has a great richness to it. The dof is great, the color tone is great, and it has wonderful textures. It's very three dimensional, very sharp. Really great!

surreal stairs
by MattOz

Comment by e301:
A few things have grought your score down a touch from me: I think such a simple composition needs to be horizontal in frame; the pipe on the right is pure distraction - without it those stairs would sit perfectly in the stronger area of the image - and that brings me nicely to my third point, which is that the 'stairs' (quite apart frm being the title of the picture) are the subject despite the focus being on the nearer angle of bricks. Put otherwise, I think your DOF and composition clash with the demands of the subject. 7

surreal stairs
by MattOz

Comment by drgsoell:
I like this blend of light and dark. The texture and color of the bricks is good. Having "Stairs" in the title leads me to expect them to be in focus, but I like the DOF anyway.

surreal stairs
by MattOz

Comment by animes2k:
really like the perspective and the texture of this shot. maybe a slight rotation to the left, as that top left horizontal is the most distinguishable right angle and move focus to the stairs, not the flat spot halfway there. good stuff.

My Portrait
by MattOz

Comment by Olyuzi:
Very unique portrait and one I like very much. I love the way you seperate the two different colors and your use of negative space. The colors are super and the overall effect is very effective. Great job!

My Portrait
by MattOz

Comment by juliaperson:
I think a greater DOF would have improved your portrait, but then again, I sort of like the softness of it all. I really like the colors and the lighting you used - its very dramatic, but not overly so. Good work.

My Portrait
by MattOz

Comment by kyrielle:
I like the contrast of colors, the green against the red, but they dominate the picture far more than you do. Your face is blurred and in shadow, and tinged by the adjacent colors in both directions. That may have been your intent, but I find it off-putting for the subject to be so - unsubject-like. The whole photo, really, seems to lack a focus, with the only thing not blurred in some degree being the brilliant but fairly undifferentiated green. My eyes "wow" on the green but they don't quite know where to stop and rest.