Proud Member of the Class of 2004
by AmiYuy

Comment:
I like shallow dof myself at the right time and place. However, when the main subject is in focus on one end and blurred to oblivion on the other, it does not look right, in my opinion.

Home on the Range
by lumbardh

Comment:
In general, I don't have anything against borders but in this particular case it ruins the picture in my opinion. Other than that, this picture is, although very simple, actually quite appealing.

Hands
by kinks

Comment:
Except for the nipple (or whatever it is) sticking out from behind the arm, I like the picture. Additionally, if I may nitpick, there are only one hand and quite a large part of the whole body in sight whereas the title is "Hands".

No strings attached
by arngrimur

Comment:
Simply beautiful

Lighthouse
by garlic

Comment:
But for the title I couldn't have figured out that this was a lighthouse, and would have had a hard time seeing how a nice picture of a nondescript tower represented hope. Maybe a less steep angle, less light/glare on the left side of the tower and a light beam from the top of the tower cutting through the air, and this picture would have been stunning.

TRUCE
by s4nd3r99

Comment:
I believe that this picture is technically decent, although I'm not a big fan of using writing/printed material in visual arts, unless the writing makes a really valuable contribution. What bothers me more is that the message here is somewhat ambiguous. The composition in general -rifle pointing downward, flower covering the barrel- suggests an anti-war statement. Yet, the "red rose" with the "weapon" immediately reminded me of The War of the Roses, The Falange, Red Brigades, Khmer Rouge etc. Not so peaceful! Moreover, as far as I know, the word "truce" does not necessarily mean "peace", it's more like "to stop fighting for a while (possibly to resume later)". Thus, the picture also has a pro-war feel. Whatever the message is, I wish it were clearer. For instance, for an anti-war statement, any other flower that is not blood-red would have been a better choice in my opinion.

To Hope and Pray...
by redmondson01

Comment:
Despite my dislike for insects, I like this picture a lot. Especially, that "So what?" expression on the creature's face cracks me up.

Tolerance
by insteps

Comment:
Terrific picture, although "hope" is more implied than represented here. Additionally, I wish the book were in a different angle or better focused, because I had a little hard time seeing the Arabic letters and figuring out that it was Koran (Of course, it might also be that it's about time I cleaned my contact lenses).

Never Give Up
by FranziskaLang

Comment:
Apart from the fact that I personally do not find most insects aesthetically appealing, this fella appears more to be singing an aria at the top of its lungs under a spotlight than to be struggling/hoping to be free. But still, creative thinking and set-up.

hope against hope
by shoes

Comment:
Allusion to "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade"? Kinda cute actually. But then, it's somewhat difficult for me to see that the person in the picture is taking a huge risk hoping to achieve something important. Different angle, composition and lighting might have given me a sense of "no risk, no glory" and "hope for the best" more effectively. Good effort nevertheless.