Standing Tall
by AllenP

Comment:
Lovely commitment! I'm sure you got this idea the moment you saw the challenge and flew all the way to Paris just to get this shot - you deserve the Blue! Well done!
Lovely B&W treatment and although the Tower isn̢۪t perfectly aligned and shot from the centre it is still a magnificent photo!

Mood
by Brin

Comment:
A lovely moody image and certainly deserves the high placing. I agree with tanguera that the grass in the FG could have been burned a bit too keep the focus on the house a bit more. Excellent use of a long exposure together with the PP. I find it interesting that some of the grass in front of you didnt move that much in the 25 sec exposure - judging by the angle some of the grass is bending over at, I wonder if it wasnt your body forming a bit of a wind break?

Nothings perfect...Not even in Lego land
by RianBotes

Comment:
Looks like you went back to the store fir a shoot... And it paid off! Nice finish and 0,0012 from finishing on your front page it was very close in the end. It is another landscape scene after all... :-)

Well done!

from the shadows
by timfythetoo

Comment:
I havent been through all the entries yet but this one caught my eye straight away. Yes it could be argued that this isnt Film Noir-ish enough but:
Composition - Couldnt ask for better. I dont mind that he (you I guess) is looking out of the frame rather than into it. All major elements are on a thirds line or close enough.
Technique - you certainly know how to use and control lighting. There is just enough light to accentuate the key areas and give shape to objects. The hair / shoulder light at the back is a nice touch as is the focused light on the cigar / bottom lip. (Is that a skull in the reflection of the glasses? :-) Protagonist's death?! - see it does fit the challenge well!)
PP - I love this look and you have controlled it very well. My only nit would be to use an off white line in the letter box border - the white is a bit too bright compared to the rest of the image... perhaps the same tone as the tip of his nose? Just a thought.
Overall - maybe not what the viewers consider a film noiresque shot but a fine shot none the less!

Train Noir, 2011
by HawkinsT

Comment:
Composition wise - Its pretty good but may have benefitted more by having the vanishing point on a thirds line and not in the middle of the picture but that is a minor point. The far left side seems pretty empty compared to the busy right hand side and feels slightly unbalanced.
Technique - good use of slow shutter speed. Some items are sharp and clear and others are blury drawing the eye in down the length of the train and under the bridge.
PP - The vignette in the 3 corners adds interest and I am wondering if a vignette in the top left could have added to the picture? The slightly sepia tone is nice for this image but I wonder if the voters wanted a pure B&W shot to fit the challenge theme?
Overall - I didnt take the challenge description too literally but I suspect that there isnt enough of a "human" factor (protagonist dies, etc as per challenge description) in this image to make it film noir enough for the average voter. I like this shot and would probably have given it a 6 (I'm not voting). Hope that helps!

CIRCA on jellicoe
by Psquared

Comment:
Congrats. Nice to see South Africa being well represented on the front page recently! This is a great shot regardless of the challenge. Well done

Blue Mood
by Paul

Comment:
I'm shocked to see this shot end up this low. I can only assume that it wasn't blue enough for most of the voters. I guess to some it also looks like centred composition due to where the floor is positioned but it fits thirds for me because of where the focus is - the face. This is a super image taken by someone that knows what he is doing!

In the Midnight Hour: an Homage to Street Artists
by jamesgoss

Comment:
Well James you got higher than the 5.5 you were expecting and rightly so. The detail on the can is really good and the B&W was certainly better than the colour version.
Your lighting was pretty good and I'm being ultra critical here but the shot might have needed a bit more light right on the top of the nozzle so that the eye could be drawn up and down the shot - currently I feel the eye just wants to look at the metal can only.
Keep it up.

Lollipop Roadhouse - Pretoria, Gauteng
by RianBotes

Comment:
Mooi Mnr! Another top 10! Keep it up

Over the Bay
by jamesgoss

Comment:
Congrats on the good finish James. You should be proud of your shot as it captures more than just the fireworks!