Standing By
by kleski

Comment:
Would be awesome if only he was in focus.

Aliens in Roswell
by dstrohl

Comment:
Interesting character, you are really bang-on for this challenge! Couple of things I can critique are a) I would have removed that thing of earrings or whatever they are, from in front of the subject, b) have the guy step forward a bit if possible, so he is more prominent and not quite so overtaken by all the clutter, and c) decrease the contrast, as it is a little too strong for my taste. Again though, great subject AND environment, this is one of my faves.

Preteen
by levyj413

Comment:
Very nicely done portrait, and the girl has a great expression to show the anguish of that age. The only thing that defeats the challenge is the out of focus background. The environment is an important feature for this challenge, as long as it illustrates the personality of the subject.

Shift worker
by IreneM

Comment:
Great portrait, but I wish we could see some of his environment.

Kentucky Angel. "Gracie in the spring."
by parrothead

Comment:
Very nice portrait, but we can't see any of her environment, which is crucial to this challenge.

Emu Handler
by boyd2000

Comment:
Cute! I like the composition, but a) there seems to be a bit of a motion blur, and b) I would have manipulated the DOF to include the emu (unless the blurriness is just more motion blur?), as he is as important to the portrait as the woman is. Since the bushes behind are more in focus than the emu, you probably would have been safe to focus on the emu, then both of them would have been within the DOF. Also, a slightly softer expression on her face would have made the portrait easier to stay looking at.

Proud little gardener
by joynim

Comment:
Very well done! There are just 2 things I would change: first, exposure-wise, it appears slightly underexposed, so a 1/3 stop brighter would have been nice from the get-go, but since it is already done, a levels adjustment to give it a true white point helps out. Second, it would been sooo nice if there were some nice and healthy, pretty flowers on the ground behind her head, rather than those sickly-looking bushy things. That would have really made this portrait stand out IMHO.

The Pitchman (Joseph Ades, Union Square Market)
by pawdrix

Comment:
I like this one a lot. The only thing I would change, if possible, would be to wait till those other people were out of the frame, as they are rather distracting from the person we are supposed to be looking at.

The Simple Life
by dponlyme

Comment:
Very nicely composed, but it looks like you have decreased the contrast too much, and the shadows look grey and muddy. IMO it needs a levels adjustment to give it a true black point, and then desaturate the reds a little to get rid of that colour cast on the skin. Cute baby!

The Instructor's Next Business Card
by yakatme

Comment:
Nice capture! I really like everything about this except that it is slightly over-saturated, and unfortunately it makes the guy look like he's wearing makeup!