Dreamer
by goc

Comment:
really like this one. the bluey greys in the background really sets it off nicely. the white shirt, though an obviously blown highlight, also works well and doesn't distract too greatly. the focus seems to be a mix of softness and noise reduction, which is a little odd, i think. but i like it in that you get a sense of motion, or the feeling that there is about to be motion, like the girls attention is very precisely focused on somthing she's about to grab. very nice. 8.

Bogartesque
by BooZon

Comment:
not sure why, but i immediately thought it was more Bowie-esque. still, here is a good example of when a soft focus should be used and actually enhances the image. i'm sure a sharp version would be just as effective, but here the softness artificially ages the shot to another era and style. so power to you for inteptreting the challenge so successfully. i like how it's a nod to the actors of that era, and to an era where smoking looked cool! only slight criticism is that i thought the crop is a bit too close to your subject, but other than that, it's very well done. 9.

Candyfloss Lake
by marbo

Comment:
gorgeous. another (typically) brilliant example on the joys of IR when you have someone who knows what they're doing behind the lens! however, the decision to keep the pink on the trees is genius; gives it a great effect and does differentiate from what you would expect. it's really beautiful, and the mirror like flat water only enhances that. only minor criticism is that for the challenge focus doesn't feel soft enough. it has that glow, certainly, but i don't know, it just doesn't say it's any softer than any IR photo. so, err, 9!

poise
by rami

Comment:
already voted on this; gave it a 6. but here's the thing - i love this photo hugely. the only problem i have with it is that, to me, it just doesn't fit the challenge appropriately; it's massively out of focus and not really "soft". it's basically a guilt thing - i want to give it a 10, but then i feel bad for everyone else who i feel met the challenge.

this picture is fantastic for a large number of reasons; firstly is the feeling of summer, than there's the real sense of joyous freedom and love that comes from her pose and posture. the monochrome, principally bright shades of grey and whites works tremendously well given the beach setting. composition is perfect for the pose. the level of noise and grain is sublty lovely. i'll bump to an 8. really great stuff.

London Next >>
by names_amit

Comment:
this is a novel and interesting use of a shop front! i actually prefer the lower half to the top half; i feel that portion is a little redundant and unbalances the composition a bit, plus the top right corner detracts a bit. I also don't feel that the focus is particularly soft; looks quite sharp and hard, even (especially the next sign, which is the most prominent thing in the frame). i like the sepia, and i like the position and angle of the NEXT. 5.

A Delicate Balance
by dolphnz8

Comment:
there is a fine line i think between soft focus and out of focus, and to me, i'm sorry to say, the butterfly seems to be in the latter camp. the flowers, on the other hand, fit in the former lot! very weird mix - i guess this might have been aluded to in your title! i've said this on a couple of other entries, but i personally do not feel the image is enhanced by the soft focus; if it were sharp (especially the butterfly) i think it would frankly rock - which makes the soft treatment mildly disappointing. the colours and composition are both extremely visually pleasing; and the background complimentary to the whole shot and style. really good, but for me, not great. 6.

Rainy Day
by Megaweapon

Comment:
probably going to give this a 4. it's interestingly diverse, but generally I just can't connect with it. i would note that other than the title, there is no indication that it is a rainy day (in fact, it looks positively pleasant out). i'm probably wrong, but it looks you might have used something like a diffused filter which obviuosly gave you the softness, but also resulted in the halo effect round the guy. coupled with his arms-out posture it suggests that your model might have a bit of a jesus complex. a jesus that smokes, evidently. also those railings; a major eye-sore and distraction.

Soft Blue Rose
by cryan

Comment:
ever such a pretty image, and the combinations of lines, dark and light all works very nicely together. the colours feel nice. personally, i'm not sure that a soft (or slightly out of) focus does the rose justice here; i just suspect that it isn't really enhanced with this techinique, and as a consequence, one wonders if it truly meets the challenge. just thinking out loud really. it's not that i don't like it though, i really do; the centred composition is spot on, and the frame nicely restrained and simple, but does enhance the blues against the DPC grey background. 7.

"From the Heart"
by Thai

Comment:
you're reflection in the water adds some humour to this, actually. i like the way it looks you take pictures; it seems you arms are stretched out and you're zapping the flower. the water does have the negative impact of uglifying the rose a little bit though, i'm afraid. it also feels unbalanced composition-wise; i wonder how it might look with a bot cropped off the bottom? giving this a 5.

Romance
by talj

Comment:
it fits the challenge very nicely, though i think the image itself fits uncomfortably with the oppressively black, thick and heavy border. normally, i like a big black chunky border, but here it detracts from the delicacy of the rose. maybe if the reds were bolder or the contrast higher, frame and subject might complement each other more... 6.