cognitive dissonance
by jmritz

Comment:
If this is not Bits & Pieces, what is? Fits well with the Challenge. Nice abstract. You gotta know that DPC voters don't seem to give a lot of blue ribbons to abstracts, though. Review the archives and you'll find very few or none that are cool abstracts, like this, that have topped out in the voting. I like this. Definitely evocative, dark and brooding.

The Old Wood Pile
by ThingFish

Comment:
I'm with h2 on the sharpening, but the composition definitely draws you in. This loses something due to the DPC 800 pixel limit. It would really be cool on a wall sized at around four feet or so. Kinda cries out for life sized presentation. Speaking of which, a photographer I took a workshop from in '08 at Zion National Park, Alain Briot, said the way he'll spin some objectivity into judging his own photos is to hang one up on his wall and see how long he can live with it. If he can go a month having it staring back at him without taking it down, he figures it's acceptable. That seemed like a good suggestion. Anyway, it stuck with me. It may have some bearing on your "couldn't see the woods for the trees" (pun intended??) note regarding editing your "Winter Wonderland". That's a beautiful image, Fred. A well deserved 1st place.

inner perspective
by 2mccs

Comment:
I think I gave this one of the highest scores during voting, but you didn't do so great with votes. Go figure. My take on this is that the shot is very compelling. It is invocative, imo, of the first picture ever taken (in 1827) by Nicephore Niepce titled View from the Study Window. Also it is reminiscent of work by Man Ray, Lisette Model's Running Legs, and Gordon Parks' The Bridge. But I notice that DPC voting doesn't always tend toward the truly aesthetic and, instead, targets the "Wow Factor". The two aren't always in sync.

Your portfolio has some great shots, too. The Moon and the Mountain, Dunes in Black and White, and Summer Storm Passing Over Mt. Whitney, all obviously influenced by Ansel are also quite good. Recognition from the group came with those though. Nice.

I also love Mud Patterns. Your work is tres cool.

Elsewhere, what's up with the comments referencing "another ribbon", "a gallery and a ribbon", and "on a roll". These guys are friends, right? Being new here, I'm trying to get a handle on the scene.

Excitment Contained
by Luci11e

Comment:
I like the title. The shot surely meets the Challenge Theme. On the minus side, the colors are just a tad too saturated for me, especially the red jacket which is blown out. You may have pulled it back a little with PS Selective Color, but it looks like data was lost. Certainly using Selective Color would have helped, though. The edge burn seems a too much, too. Not being an "expert", these are just observations that are, hopefully, helpful.

Bejeweled
by Jon_H

Comment:
The bokeh is great. Very nice. Sharpness is also great. However the light from below does not seem to flatter the subject. Nice catch with the light in her eye. The background color does not feel quite right, though. It just seems too purple on my monitor which is somehow distracting or conflicting with the bokeh colors and the girl's hair. Not being an "expert", these are just observations that are, hopefully, helpful.

Stoned and frozen - Carolus Magnus (Frankfurt/M)
by hermannb

Comment:
Looks like a grab shot in the sense that it doesn't seem to be planned. It definitely reflects the Challenge theme, so that's cool. A couple of other comments are that shooting with a wide angle and, presumably, on camera flash, you got a shadow over the subject's back which is distracting. Also, the lighting on the crowd is too dark to catch any detail. The lights on the Christmas tree are really eye catching, as are the glow around the other lights. Nice. On the minus side, there is a small spot over the subject's head level with the second floor of the building that should have, imho, been cloned out. Not being an "expert", these are just observations that are, hopefully, helpful.

He Gets Another Christmas
by aircooledguy

Comment:
Title is nice (hopeful), composition good, moving the eye toward the subject, however the softness of focus detracts from what would be a higher vote score. Was your shutter speed high enough to grab this more clearly and, thus, more sharply? Also, you might have goosed the colors up a bit with PS Selective Color. You might have made the camo more punchy. Not being an "expert", these are just observations that are, hopefully, helpful.

Outside Looking In Looking Out
by banmorn

Comment:
Great shot. Nice processing.

Into the Bosque
by Cory

Comment:
Overall this has a nice feel to it. Especially the softness across the center. It looks just a little oversharpened though. Still very nice.

Buring a CD
by jbirkman

Comment:
Look dangerous! :-)