Fresh start (selfportrait)
by garlic

Comment:
gave this a nine. it's not perfect; the skin looks a bit red, it might be a bit over exposed, hands and some of face isn't quite sharp enough (compared to the tap), the crop feels a tad tight and the background kind of draws attention away from the action. however, as far as self-portraits go, this is incredibly original and creative, the water looks fantastic (especially love the sense of motion in the basin), the chrome fittings don't show the camera. it's also very, well, not self deprecating exactly, but not an ego trip either, which some SPs have a tendancy to be. it's an openly honest SP, which is weird given you're hiding your face. i like the concept of this a lot and i hope it does well.

Desolation
by angela_packard

Comment:
gave this one a 10. though the effect of the filter initially turned me off, i warmed quite quickly to how it actually really suits the shot. i love the wild west big epic cinematic scale of this picture, the location and size of the building somehow enhancing the remoteness of the shot. the colours are rich and bold, and the feel of the water colour type style gives it a really authentic old look. lovely.

Danielle Peck
by militarygirl10

Comment:
voted this a 6. it's a pretty image of a pretty lady, but it doesn't feel very personal or very intense. i can see it fitting very nicely into a bridal magazine; the soft glow and brighty whites give it a dreamlike and happy, radiant feel. but i just don't connect with it. maybe i'm too grumpy.

abandoned
by librodo

Comment:
i gave this a 9. frankly, it's a tremendously beautiful image. the colours, post processing, the mix of light and shade, and lets be honest, the girl, are all stunningly gorgeous. the reason why it doesn't 10 for me is that it just feels too staged. the splodges of dirt / oil have almost been applied with more care and precision than the latest cover of Vogue. and sorry, but the crown of barbed wire is a bit too much and bordering on the cliche. but it's still a visually gorgeous image. though, the only thing that doesn't work for me quite is the area of black in the corner ; a crop lower down might lose some of the dead space... anyway, still a 9 in my book.

Creep
by Nitesead

Comment:
i gave this a 9. i'm principally impressed at your bravery and the middle finger directed resolutely in the face of conformity. sadly, i suspect this might not ribbon. BUT, it is a great abstract image. the use of negative space and having such a barely illuminated subject works artistically for me. and the title actually adds an extra dimension, and suits it very well. it's simple, yet almost haunting. i find it quite inspiring.

Happy, Confident and Content
by Shy Clicker

Comment:
i do love this photo - the guy seems so nice and warm and basically a good decent fellow, and your capture of him conveys this in such a big way. this is the sort of portrait that really appeals to me; not only have you got their physical characteristics, but you've nailed something deeper here as well. i'm not entirely sure about the black smudge either side; it's weird in that it could be either a bit of dodgy post processing, or it's real like through a viewer through a door or something... it's impossible to tell. that aside though i think this is wonderful, and has a very big sense of REAL about. voted this a 9.

Multi-functional Water Tower/ Fire Station
by steffyld

Comment:
architecturally i find this interesting for it's certainly a bonkers building. i do like how the light is reflecting against the structure, showing it's ribbed nature of the cladding. i also like how the fire engines are parked / coming out; it's demonstrating the building working doing its thing and adds character. in terms of composition it's not really stirring, the tree is obviously encroaching, the parked cars just making it messy. ironically, if you included more of the environment in within the frame, getting the building in its surroundings, the tree and cars might be less of an issue. i'd love to see an aerial shot of this building too... anyway, it is an attention grabber, and i like it - 7.

Maori Tane
by lahulfman

Comment:
there is much i do like about this portrait; principally it's the intensity, the unflinching stare at the camera. and the artwork on the face is fantastically intricate and detailed; why don't kids get this sort of thing done instead of tigers, hmm? much more interesting. so dark (in spirit) too. things i'm not particularly keen on is the choice of green (he looks a bit queasy), the lack of any discernable body to give context and placing of the head, and also how the sharpness gets lost around the chin. also; i'm in two minds about the narrow crop - i imagine it does intensify both attention to and the appearance of the face, but it draws attention to the fiddly border, and make me feel claustrophibic. i just realised that the guy sacrificed his eye brows for this shot! i had given you a 7, but due to this realisation, lifting to an 8! wow!

The Fortress Of Light
by jimness

Comment:
Ooh, very Underworld. it certainly has a very instant visual appeal. the sky is gorgeously dramatic, the dusky ambience very fitting, i love the colour and lighting on the grass in the foreground, and initially, i thought the illumination of the buildings seems really effective. but it becomes obvious that there's been some post photo assistance, and possibly too much dodging; and a mix of dark edged and halo'd surrounds the mound and buildings which is distracting. teething problems aside, this is a superbly dramatic landscape and i like it, 8.

Reflections of Heritage
by karmat

Comment:
this clearly ticks some of the "nice photo" boxes; the reflection is crystal clear with little movement in the water, everything is nice and sharp, the building is quaintily cute and rustic. technically, it feels a little over exposed (the sky is a bit white, and near elevation is bright) and it's a pity that a small portion on the right of the building is outside the frame. i would possibly not have had the line of symmetry so close to the centre of the picture; the rule of thirds works for this sort of thing too, and by cropping everything below, say, the top of the reflected bushes, might lead to a more fluid and natural-looking composition. it also just occured to me how it might look rotated 180° and you cropped the non-reflection above the bushes - i only say this because the reflection is prettier and better exposed than the top half...

the only other thing i find mildly disappointing is that, for a working building, it appears dead; there's no sense it's doing very much and you can't actually hear it in your head... it's not conveying much water millness - like a portrait, you expect to see characteristics or traits of a person, you feel the same is due for a building. anyway, nice, but not pants on fire nice. 6.