Candlelight Katana
by cryingdragon

Comment:
Interesting contrasts in shapes and colors. I don't think I understand the significance or meaning behind the choices but it is different. I like the nice line the katana makes and the way the white candle really pops against the black background. Unfortuantely, all of the focus seems to be on the hilt circle thingie and since both the katana AND the candle are forefront, the focus should encompass both items better IMO. There is a bit of a flatness to the image as well, I'm not sure if alternate lighting would help by adding some sort of depth or not (with the black background adding shadows wouldn't really work) as it looks now it just looks like a sword and candle were put down and photographed, no real sense of as to why they were paired. But that could just be my weird way of looking at things. Regardless, I gave a 5.

Quietly blooming
by tinky2

Comment:
Very beautiful colors here. I like the vibrancy. I like the balance and the negative space. I wish the two petals at the bottom had been clipped off so it looked more like the flower was floating in unseen water (they may be reflections but if that's the case one looks missing. The lighting is pretty good, though I wonder if an adjustment would make the flower glow just a bit more against that black background. Also the focus is softer than I'd expect something with such crisp lines and clear contrasts to have. I gave a 6

all is calm
by owen

Comment:
Very nice capture. I think your handling of the natural light is good and the focus looks great to me. Colors look a little flat, not sure if a bump in saturation would help or lead to unnatural looking effects. I like the composition for the most part but I'd prefer to have it cropped just under the line of trees on the horizon and leave the pelican to look as if it is swiming/floating through clouds. A bit more serene/surreal and the illusion would add another dimension to the image IMO. I gave a 6.

The Lion Lies Down With The Lamb
by GeneralE

Comment:
I really like this image. The textures to be seen are fantastic. The color choices work very well together and the contrasts are many and bring much interest to the image. I personally don't feel much zen when I look at the image but I think its very well taken and your subject choices were well composed and chosen. I think the lighting is good and the focus looks good too (though a smidge soft on a bit of the foreground in the feather). I really like your choice of background. I think the reason I'm not making a zen connection is also one of the best parts of the image - all the different textures. I think its possible to have zen with a lot of things going on in an image but this one just didn't click with me. Still its a great rendering technically and compositionally, I gave a 6

Rocks and Bamboo
by admart01

Comment:
I am very much enjoying the contrast of organic materials and the structured/geometric placing of the items. I like the usage of the water, I'm curious how you got so little reflection and it to be so black - dark material above or underneath? The focus looks good and the lighting is nice. I like the simplicity of it and I think the image certainly meets the challenge description, however I don't get that inner feeling of 'zen' when I look at it. Its very well composed and the technical quality is very good. The connection with the viewer for me is the only thing lacking, and that's a rather subjective thing anyway. I gave a 6

dusk
by tate

Comment:
Lovely pale colors. The focus looks decent though I wish it was better on the bird. I like how the sky and sea seem to meld together but at the same time I wish there was more feeling of distance so the relationship between the small bird and the great unknown was even more emphasized. I also think I'd crop out the bottom few rocks so you just have a slim line of rocks beneath the bird and then the horizon expanding outward. I suggest this only because the surf is somewhat busy and that breaks up the feeling of tranquility in the scene for me. I gave a 5

Single Petal of Rose Blossom
by C-Fox

Comment:
Lighting looks good and I can't tell if the focus is purposefully soft or not but I like the effect. I think there is zen to be found in this image and how the subject works in relation to all the negative space. I'm not sure I like the stark white background though, it feels a little clinical to me, but I have no suggestions for a different color. I also think a slight shift in the lighting would give the petal a little more depth and that might help improve the image too - as it is now its starting to almost have a 2D feel too it, though there are hints of shadow and bumps on the petal. I gave a 5

Meditation
by L2

Comment:
Lovely. Very organic and though the smoke is in a bit of a tangle I think the shapes it is creating and the nature of the subject itself lends the image to feeling free and light instead of busy/noisy. The lighting looks great and I like the composition. I really like how the smoke kind of has a similarity to some asian writing characters. I think the focus is a bit soft, but working with smoke its probably hard to get tack-sharp focus. I definitely feel the zen and I like the simple display of this image. I gave a 7

... simplicity ...
by GuGi

Comment:
Excellent. I like the choice of the vertical negative space. Works well with this composition. I also like the time of day you chose since it allows the bike's shadow to add interest to the image. While I don't necessarily feel anything zen when I look at the image, I do think it meets some of the aspects mentioned in the challenge description. It is quiet, it is still and it is simple. I do wish the focus was just a tad sharper on the entire bike (the front portion looks great), though that could just be because of the bit of shadow on the back wheel. Anyway. I gave a 6

Zen Grove
by oneca

Comment:
This is a nice image of something zennish. The colors are good but with so much green the subject seems to blend in almost. I also find all the vegetation to be very busy in the background and that doesn't bring harmony or stillness to me as a viewer. I think if you were to have a shallower DOF that would blend the details of the bushes and trees into a nice smooth (though mottled) background that would then highlight the statue and the rock, there'd be a nice play between the softened background and the architecture of the statue as well as an interesting play between the very vertical statue and the small round rock. Those are just my impressions though. The use of natural light is good and I think the focus though improveable (seems more on the background trees than the foreground statuary) is still good. I gave a 5