Brenda
by lynnesite

Comment:
wow. Love this. Great fashion with the bike and really cool with that dress. Very 1930's with a modern twist.

The model's pose is very flattering as well.

Global Climate Change!
by korpen

Comment:
I find this extremely unpleasant as an image. The editing looks very unskilled. I don't mind a heavy handed image, but this one looks poorly done. The strong difference in processing style from the lower portion of the image compared with the sky doesn't work well, making the pic look unfinished and I don't find any aspect of the composition compelling whatsoever.

The thumb shown in the photographer's comments on the other hand is much, much better and is a whole different story. It's quite decent.

Reflections
by jdixonsd

Comment:
This actually had a lot of potential, but was poorly realized.

You might enjoy experimenting with really low ISO (like 100) and a really narrow aperture (like around f/16 or f/22) with a really slow shutter speed.

That will really enhance the smoothness and reflectiveness of the water as well as give a tiny bit of softness to the overall image.

A strong hand with the contrast and a 'glow' type filter would then create something quite pleasant.

Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
by Gordon

Comment:
I came back to check on this.

Funny thing: I first saw this as an abstract study on shape and light. I started thinking an 8, then went with 7 as a 'benefit of the doubt' since I was wavering between 6 and 7.

Then I kept looking and I didn't find anything else compelling about it, so voted it down as an entry of that style.

I came back to this a final time during voting and looked closer. The depth that is shown on what appears to be a bench made me wonder if this was actually a kitchen table setting masquerading as a picture of something spiritual.

I decided that I was overanalyzing (because it wouldn't matter if it was a kitchen table or even a couple of pieces of paper and a light bulb) and took a step back and viewed it again as an abstract study on shape and light and I decided that I had given it a score simply because it "looked like something artistically presented as more than it is".

I decided that I was looking for an emotional impact to bring meaning to the effort of going through the exercise of making an abstract like this. Since I could not find anything, I voted this a 1.

I very seldom vote 1 and even more seldom on an image of this complexity. I chose the vote to indicate the picture's impact on me as an individual rather than a picture in a field of 1133 other pictures vying for first place, so I hope you understand that just as the pic itself is not trying to compete, my vote was not intended to indicate its value within a competition.

I can see quite a few areas of skill in the pic, but for this type of pic (for me), the content outweighs that.

:)

Watchful eyes
by carofo

Comment:
gave this an 8. I did not know that this type of border was illegal and I am honestly quite surprised at this. I haven't been very active in the last year though, so that might not be unexpected.

The continuity of color is particularly effective in this one: leaf - grass - eyes.

Wing It
by cynthiann

Comment:
A great example of a pic that well transcends any camera-related technical issues.

Morgan
by jhomrighaus

Comment:
I have no idea what is wrong with people's brains. But I am a bit grumpy today.

Yes there's a color cast on it.

It is called UNITY or THEME.

I wonder if people who have an issue with this picture vote exclusively 1 on challenges such as 'black and white in color', 'duotone' and 'soft focus'...

I was one of your 8 10's.

I appreciated the fact that because of the unity of color, distracting elements are greatly reduced and the gentle warm color of the dog is highlighted by the fact that we would probably expect the background to contain many other colors subconsciously, but the absence of these works to build a theme and even contributes to the mood.

Some of the comments here make me want to slap some people upside the head.

The scores however should sit as they do. They represent a 1-week snapshot of peoples reactions to the pic. Don't confuse score with value of the pic. The two are wholly unrelated. DPC is a _public_ contest with a short voting period and this particular one had no theme to give context to the wide variety of styles of image in the challenge.

Night Falls on the Everglades
by yakatme

Comment:
I looked at the eye for a long time and I felt that the tiniest bump in brightness in that area (subtle, not strong) would benefit the pic. But the longer I looked, the more it grew on me.

I think in the end, it could be brought up just a hair so it is slightly higher than the highlights reflected on the nose.

However, I have no doubt in my mind that it is this way by clear intention by you, and I really can't bring myself to actually call it a 'flaw'.

Bumping from 9 to 10.

Waiting for a Train
by klkitchens

Comment:
very like the tones everywhere in this pic, especially in the BG areas.

I actually don't like that border for this image. I think it's the white pinstripe that throws it off. Ditch that and it'd get a 10.

I just had to come back.
You know what, screw that border. Here's your 10!

the beauty of innuendoes
by dahkota

Comment:
breathtakingly 10vely.