Shift worker
by IreneM

Comment:
Unfortunately (if that is the right word to use) this portrait is so good that it actually looks like a studio shot with a made up model rather than of a shift worker in their natural environment. I am sure this is an image that the voters will either love or take a tad of glee in telling you that it does not meet the challenge. From my own perspective I am just really inpressed by the the muted colours and the sharpness of the subject

Excellent portrait

Stunted
by killjoy181

Comment:
Oooooooooo man this is EXACTLY the sort of picture that sprung to mind when I read the challenge dtitle, however from reading threads on the challenge it appears that environmental portrait means something quite different. No doubt you are getting dinged all over the shop for this interpretation, but looking at it in the spirit that it was taken I would say that it is a nice 'message' shot, though perhaps could have been a touch sharper

Paul
by wildiris

Comment:
Very nice image for the challenge and anyone who not only works on harleys but also lets you take photos of them has got to be cool. Love the sharpness of the reflection in the chrome. Good strong colours as well

Worker at a garbage collecting point
by SSSS

Comment:
Very nice and unusual study, possibly could have done with either a slightly shallower dof or the contrast tweaking in pp to make it stand out more but nevertheless a good photo as is. The eyes of your subject are particularly impressive and tell a tale of years past

Nice job

A Song in the Air
by SandyP

Comment:
Sandy, what a cool shot, I love the way you have created the musical notes in the air through camera movement and the fact that they are dancing above the heads of the people just adds to the sense of wonderment and fairytale

The way you have still retained the colours of the umbrellas is cool and adds even more verve to the shot

Let me tell you that score isnt too bad at all (well not for us mere mortals anyway) but I do think its great that this is a photo that you love and that voters opinions do not matter a jot

Care Free
by Charlene

Comment:
I love the fact that even though you cant see the childs face when you look at the picture you just know she is laughing and smiling

I also like the fact that this has the feel of a natural blur rather than a trick of the camera
Great sense of motion and a gorgeous soft B&W conversion which really enhances the shot

I Am the Ocean
by colorcarnival

Comment:
Well I think you can feel hard done by with this shot, like you I love the melding of the feathers and the waves as well as the fact that is stands alone as an interesting image outside of the challenge

Interesting Bell curve on the votes you got, nice to see that there were a lot of people who totally got this inage

IT NEVER SLEEPS
by roz

Comment:
What is it with you and the ability to take great photos of pollutants and ugly things maybe not quite up to but still stunning

Great effect from the 8 second exposure and I love the way the orange smoke almost bleeds into the dark blue sky (complimentary colours at their strangest but best)

Diner at Night
by Alicia

Comment:
:-) Congratulations on the placing Alicia.

I can absolutely see why. This is a super use of blur to capture the sense of motion and rushing in a cafe

Great colours as well which gives the picture a real vivaciousness. I have to be honest and say i wondered how this challenge could be anything other than unpleasant to the eye....Thank you for showing me the answer

Great job

Long Winter
by Wallit

Comment:
Wow, what a stunning photograph that wonderfully epitomises the challenge. Love the sense of aged dereliction in terms of the hull of the ship and the feeling of entrapment by the ice (which looks incredibly powerful). perhaps just a fraction overdone on the red hue and sat (and then it is only the leading buoy that looks a bit odd as it works well on the red paintwork elsewhere) but still a wonderful 9.

Great image