Alone for the Moment
by lmhr

Comment:
this is a very nice portrait. i can't really find much to say about it. good use of light and tones, well framed, good depth of field. the lighter texture of the background on the right sets apart the subject nicely and creates a nice sillhouette. there's something i can't put my finger on that keeps me from really loving this, but it's definitely very well done. 9.

Locked
by nathaliedoo

Comment:
good lighting and textures. the subject doesn't speak a lot to me, and is almost kind of crowding the image a little too much. although i'm normally a big fan of a shallower depth of field, the slight blur at the top left corner of the object is actually detracting a bit here. maybe instead of framing the entire subject in the center, you could have gotten a bit closer and chosen an abstract detail of the locking mechanism itself. overall, a well composed shot that's just a bit lacking in subject matter. 5.

Black Feather
by Annida

Comment:
this image doesn't have a lot to offer. it's mostly very dark, and while i understand that the challenge topic may have steered you in that direction, i think it really needs more contrast to make the textures pop. brighter light from the side would have helped lighten up some of the feather and show more of its contours and textures. 4.

Fountains Abbey
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
this is really nice. i love the shapes and tones here, especially the path of white coming from the window. this must be a really awesome place to be in. good job controlling the light and tones. my only (very) minor gripe is the little cyan blue line in the window. i would have edited that out. it draws my eye while i'm looking at that portion of the image. 9.

Loving eyes
by kiwiness

Comment:
this is a pretty nice shot. you did a good job getting it to be nice and symmetrical, though the eyes are a bit crooked. the lighting is good and works okay with the spirit of the challenge. i'd like to see a little more contrast (brighter highlights, especially in the eyes). it also looks like it may have been a tad over sharpened in post-processing. i like the crop, also. the only thing really lacking is that it doesn't particularly convey much feeling or emotion in me. it's kind of empty. still a good effort. 6.

Avenue
by mci

Comment:
thanks for the kind words, guys. i appreciate it.

moondoggie - i wasn't getting pissy, it was just an off-handed comment referencing ptlparsons' worthless comment that my photo lacked "validity".

okay, maybe i was getting pissy. heh.

Avenue
by mci

Comment:
hey, thanks to everyone who liked this. it was my first attempt at a challenge in several months and it scored way below my expectations. i guess i forgot how frustrating this community is as a whole.

apparently this photo has no validity, so i guess i can't complain.

Yule
by Kimbly

Comment:
completely ripped off. this is just a great, great shot. great concept, colors, cropping, composition, and other c words.

A Melancholy Song
by indigo997

Comment:
my favorite this week. a very moody and elegant shot. nicely done. easily better than anything that came in above it, in my opinion.

Yule
by Kimbly

Comment:
fantastic.