Jump
by tjbel05

Comment:
This is pretty nice, not sure if you were on continuous shoot mode, but a shot of her completely airborne might have been a bit more dramatic.

shining under the spotlight
by AllenP

Comment:
Well done, this is an advertisement quality shot, the only thing missing is the company logo.

Santa Serenade
by PGerst

Comment:
Ha, I knew that beluga looked familiar. Visited him at Mystic last year. He loves the camera.

Newborn
by gyaban

Comment:
Love how the landscape seems to bend around the ball here.

Tiger Lady
by bobnospum

Comment:
Love how the tiger looks to be emerging from the iris here.

Mysterious Ascensions
by AllenP

Comment:
Very cool!

47 Dog Steps
by Ammie

Comment:
This is an excellent photo, and here is why I think so.

First and foremost, it tells a story that we can all relate to: Looking into the unknown, for example, looking into the future. That is key, because every element of the photo works toward telling that story:

-It uses the dog as a foreground focal point for a landscape. The fact the dog is facing away from the camera and looking into the mist is critical to the telling of the story.

-It has three layers, exactly what you want in a photo: foreground (the dog and green shrubs), mid ground (the yellow grassy area, slightly misted) , background (the mysterious landscape in the dense fog). All of these elements work toward the story, the idea that the present is knowable, the near-future is relatively predictable, and the distant future is unknowable.

-The two elements that DON'T work toward telling the story are the ones I'd change. Here, I'd have stuck to the rule of thirds to place the dog off-center, which would enhance the effect of the dog looking into the landscape, and I'd remove the border, which gives a sense of order, which contradicts the idea that the future is unknowable.

I didn't vote in this challenge, but I'd have give nthis photo a 9. It'd get a 10 from me if without the border and if the dog were off-center.

Brangus
by Ammie

Comment:
When someone looks at a photo, especially in a challenge/voting situation, one thing they look for a story behind the photo, so one of the main issues with this is that it doesn't have one. People look at this photo and say 'okay, it's a cow'. I think you want to get more adventurous, think about what story you can tell with the cow through photography.

There are also some other points to consider:
- The cow's head is centered in the photo. The center is usually the least interesting area for the viewer to look at.
- There appears to be a cow in the background behind the cow, one that is exactly the same color, so we lose some of the animals shape.
- Just as in with humans, the eyes are usually the most important feature. The angle at which this is taken does not show the cow's eyes very well.
- I think you sort of hit a 'dead-zone' in terms of the framing and distance of this photo. If you'd zoomed in and taken a slightly different angle and made the photo asymmetrical, you could've made the cow's eyes the subject. Alternatively, you could've made the cow a foreground focal point to a nice landscape, or used it in silhouette for a sunrise/sunset show.

Excalibur!
by Imagineer

Comment:
Oh damn, now I need to think of a new idea for the Rock, Papers, Scissors II entry. Nicely done. :)

Portrait of a Jellyfish
by photobuddy

Comment:
great colors! Try it 'upside down' and see how you like it. I took some snaps of jellyfish like this and liked them more when the head was at the top.