"Ruggy"
by neenee1999

Comment:
I didn't get a chance to get to this one during the challenge but I will go ahead and comment now. I gave this a 7 and here is the reasoning. I love the dog. I love the expression and I even love the slightly off center. What bugs me though the most is the lighting. There is some nice bright light in the back (too bright for what you want) and while it could work for back lighting, it's too far back and ends up being distracting instead. I'm not a fan of dodging and burning but this is one situation where just a slight amount, burn the back just a bit and dodge the dog just a touch would really bring the balance of light back. Hope this helps!

Trouble reclines
by reification

Comment:
I didn't get to this one during the challenge. I gave this one a 7, I have a very soft spot for calicos so that earned you an extra point right there! :)

This is a lovely, relaxing shot and well composed. The only thing that bothered me was the dark edges. I'm not a big fan of burning the edges to darkly for a shot. If you just used a vinette filter then , well, still, not my personal taste. But still a lovely kitty, give Trouble some scritches for me, kay?

The Shredder of Couches
by dragonlady

Comment:
I didn't get to this shot during the challenge but wanted to come back and let you know I gave this one an 8. I really like the overall feel of the shot and the use of lighting is wonderful. Just one thing really bugged me about the overall shot, the lower right corner, the leg seems to come out of nowhere and then is gone, maybe just a little tighter crop on that side to really give the negative space on the other side the chance to really enhance the kitty.

Fido, the toothless watchdog
by lwkimages

Comment:

Originally posted by typologic: Technically you have a great shot here! The colours, lighting and sharpness are wonderful. But this isn't my idea of a domesticated pet :)

Then you never Matilda, my father's hen. Chickens and Roosters can actually make wonderful pets. Matilda would greet my father every morning when he went out to feed, sit on his arm as he gathered eggs and would actually nuzzle his ear! They are so much fun to watch!

Obelix
by Xilebo

Comment:
I wanted to make sure to get back to this shot since you had commented that you only got one comment! I didn't make it to your shot during the challenge because it was one of my 8's. I really like the shot, the house (I really like the house) but there were a few distracting elements that kept it from being a perfect score. First, the green leaf in the upper left corner, small detail but you probably got knocked for it by more than one voter. Two, while a great shot composition wise and I personally like the angle I'm betting several people knocked you down a point or two for the angle. I personally think that cats should always be above us, LOL! Just kidding but I do like that. Last but certainly not least was the lighting. Black animals can be so difficult to photograph, as the slave to two black cats myself and there are 4 black horses in the barn where I work I know the challenges faced with them. Getting details is extremely difficult if the lighting isn't just right. While I can see the eyes and end of nose very clearly the rest of the cat comes across as one big ball of black fur. Some detail in the fur would have really helped this shot overall. Hope these comment help! ;)

Zachary
by Catherine_B

Comment:
HI! I didn't get to this one before the challenge ended but I had given it a 7. The reason I didn't go higher and wouldn't have bumped it was, while a great shot as far as expression and composition (I really like the negative space in the lower right) the glare from the flash makes the shot a bit harsh light wise and the change to black and white causes Zachary to blend into the arm of the couch/chair he's sitting on. Also the texture of the arm on the chair/couch comes out rather noisy and the panel background is still noticable and a bit distracting. What can you do to fix this? Well, since this is an advance challenge, you can use layers to seperate the background and adjust the levels so it's very dark or black or burn it so it loses the pattern. The arm of the couch/chair could also be seperated in another layer and softened up a bit so the texture isn't competing with the texture of the fur on the cat. You could also use selective desaturation to tone down the colors of the background and couch, leaving the original colors of Zachary and his lovely eyes. Hope this helps. :)

Pink
by pawdrix

Comment:
He got an 8 from me. Would be higher but the blanket is too close to the color of the cat and they almost blend. Also the light on the right side seems a bit dulled out for some reason. Hope this helps

Stan
by dsa157

Comment:
STAN! You were robbed! Make your daddy make it up to you by giving you extra treats and love! :)

Bird Watching
by JPR

Comment:
How on earth did this shot end up where it did? It's perfection! Great job anyway! :)

Max
by whatdewuc

Comment:
You were so robbed on so many levels. Max deserves nothing less than top 10! But still, now he is number one on your profile page, a spot well earned! ;)