Electric Sky
by postoakinversion

Comment:
Thanks so much for the comments and votes!! It's very exciting to get a blue ribbon after trying for 13 years!

sticking together through thick and thin
by primabarbara

Comment:
Congratulations on the 4th place finish! So glad you decided to submit it, and glad the voters appreciated what's truly important in photography, which this photo has in abundance.

When you gotta go you gotta go!
by Cyrilda

Comment:
The focus is good, but the background is very distracting. A larger aperture with more background blur would've helped a lot here. It also might've been better from a different angle.

Together
by Mona

Comment:
Good idea. Nice colors. Main problem is that it's overexposed. It's difficult to get the exposure right with white subjects. In this case, it would've worked better to adjust the exposure compensation toward the negative side, then lighten up the water in post-processing. Shooting in RAW format also would help preserve some of the details on the extreme white/black ends.

Brothers, colleagues, friends
by Ammie

Comment:
Nice colors and composition. The main subjects seem a bit underexposed. Because you have a relatively bright background, a fill flash would've helped a lot. Also, the coloring on the left side of the background looks strange. Otherwise it's a nice shot.

stories and laughter
by flaherma

Comment:
Great photo. I love the colors. Good focus and lighting, appropriate DOF. I think it meets the challenge well enough, although some might disagree.

sticking together through thick and thin
by primabarbara

Comment:
I don't like that his buckles are in focus and everything else isn't. Would've been so much better if his eyes were in focus instead. But everything else about this photo is good.

For Life
by eniko

Comment:
Great photo, but I think it would've been better without the saturated bandannas. They jump out so much that they distract from the best parts of this image, which are the dog's expression, the good composition, and the excellent natural framing.

happenings
by PennyStreet

Comment:
This could've been an awesome photo if it was only the two children in the foreground and the grass, without the other people or the distracting and unattractive building/house behind them. Your use of black & white and grain helped save it a little (I'm sure this version looks much better than the original), but I just can't get over the harsh background. The lighting is a bit harsh too (looks like it was shot during the middle of the day), which could be improved by shooting closer to sunset or on cloudy days.

Dinner
by bjoern

Comment:
Good colors, focus, sharpness, and composition. Also good timing with the wave. I only see one problem with this photo, and unfortunately it's a big one: the lighting. The subjects are very dark, but not dark enough to be silhouettes. The relatively bright water draws the eye away from them. This could've been a wonderful photo if you had another source of light shining toward them, such as a remote flash.