Feathers of a Bird
by alanfreed

Comment:
It's off-center, but i think it could be a bit more interestingly shot. The lighting is dramatic, feather well-detailed, but I think the light at the bottom (glare?) is a bit too bright.

Praying Mantis
by LarsPaysen

Comment:
Very good DoF, color definition/lighting, and level of detail in his face. I've never seen a praying mantis that close before, and hope to keep it that way - this photograph shows good enough detail to vaildate that.... nice work.

Windmill at Night
by BobsterLobster

Comment:
Dramatic lighting certainly amplifies this pic.

Rarified Air
by Toddh

Comment:
It's good that little wisp of a cloud is out there... it helps move the viewer's eye down to the bottom for voting. The partial head at the bottom seems a bit out of place, but otherwise not bad.

Soft
by rll07

Comment:
Very nice... good DoF, very defined detail in the rose. Lighting may be a hair (like one notch on the brighten effect, but very good nonetheless.

Liquid Gold
by Tarbini

Comment:
*Critique Club*

FIRST IMPRESSION: Maple syrup... but seeing as it's Karo Syrup, I wasn't too far off. The specks on the spoon are a bit too pronounced, I think.

CHALLENGE: "Liquid, not water" was the challenge - as you've used karo syrup, the challenge is met.

COMPOSITION: There's something about that spoon that I'm not crazy about, maybe its darkness, or those glare spots. I like the liquidity of this shot, with the immersion effect of the poured syrup into the pool.

TECHNICAL: A bit of glare, and a little bit in the way of too much contrast between the spoon and the shadows. Since the bowl is not really an integral part of the shot, its defocused edges work well to bring the eyes back to the syrup in the bowl.

CONCLUSION: Meets the challenge well, and holds my interest as a viewer. The glare specks in the spoon, and the color/flatness of the spoon itself are a slight problem, but overall it's a good piece of work.

Thanks for sharing and good luck in future challenges!

Gloop
by hawkida

Comment:
*Critique Club*

FIRST IMPRESSION: Looks like a frog. I like the contrast with the solid black background, and the light reflections on the gloop.

CHALLENGE: It's liquid, and it's not water, so the challenge is met.

COMPOSITION: The framing, with the leading edge of the liquid not touching the side, gives a feeling of movement. Again, the lighting here is very well done, with good reflections and no real hot spots.

TECHNICAL: I'm assuming macro was used here, and that's most likely a good part of why it came out with the level of gloop detail. However, the edges are a bit fuzzier than I'd like to see them, especially visible in the front of the gloop.

CONCLUSION: A good interpretation of the challenge, well shot and executed. The depth of field/focus issue may be difficult to address in macro photography, if that's the mode used for this shot, but the detail and lighting make this a very nice shot.

Thanks for sharing and good luck in future challenges!

Clip Art
by hawkida

Comment:
Definitely meets the challenge, and in very nice fashion. The title, however, is quite pun-ishing. The lighting is a bit weird to me - i can't quite put my finger on it, but it may be that I'm used to silver paper clips, and either the lighting or clips themselves are bronze/copper colored. I see also that you took the time to connect all of these clips.

Coffee with Milk
by STEINR

Comment:
The cloth below the cup is too grainy - maybe something in the lighting?

"My HoMe"
by KIKI

Comment:
A bit yellow - a white balance adjustment would have helped here.