Alone in Desolation
by banmorn

Comment:
Had to view this and then review it to finally understand the concept. I think a slightly higher-toned name for this could be Entropy if the blossom to the far right were removed or more downcast. The light on the vase is a little hot for the shot but good composition and almost perfect lighting. I'm going with 8

My Uncle Miguel
by azzemoto

Comment:
Great shot. You captured a look on his face that I find barely emotive as though he was so worn down he was almost apathetic. He eyes and the tilt of his head against the angles of his shirt and shoulders allows me to believe he is desolate. - 9

Twenty Years After the Flood
by dr rick

Comment:
The lines parallel to the ground seem to be tilted, thus causing me to think that maybe the camera was turned. I think this could have been addressed by rotating the image about .5-1 degree clockwise. Other than that, good subject and I like this in B&W. Did you try it in sepia or duo-tones? - 7

Empty...
by tolyanchik

Comment:
Gorgeous photo. The only critique I'd have of it is a personal rather than a technical one. Viewing this picture I would love to visit this locale. While that is a subjective connotative view of "Desolation" its how I feel. Overall I'm going with - 8

Where no one can live
by russi

Comment:
Good subject although the steam (?) cuts into the image IMO. I also don't like the line border around the image. - 6

Old prison
by victor01

Comment:
Good subject but the angle of attack (the lines) don't contribute to my appreciation of the photo. In some photos, tilting the angle enhances the composition but since you didn't shoot this straight on, the picture already has an odd feeling to the lines that appear to be running parallel to the ground. - 5

Shadow and Lines
by cimarron98

Comment:
This strikes me as a great abstract shot. Not sure what it is but it is surly desolate (lonely)

Inside Herself
by sagestudio

Comment:
Downcast eyes or at least no eye contact would have reinforced the concept of this image.

Beware the Crocodile's smile.
by JC_Homola

Comment:
Creative idea but IMO the lighting is too weak on the bird and the focus is on the teeth rather than on the bird outside the mouth. I think you'd get more impact if the teeth were out of the depth of field.

peeking through the pipe
by shutterfly

Comment:
Composition
This image benefits from the slightly off-center feel that is generated both by child's face not being centered over the ridge inside the pipe, the angle of the ridge running through the pipe and the lighter shade on the right side of the picture. A tighter crop and cleaning some of the debris out of the pipe would have given this photo a different, albeit not necessarily better, look and feel. This is a good example of leading the viewer into a photograph without having to use leading lines (aside from the ridge). This could have been enhanced with a tighter crop. I like the use of a "cute" subject without overwhelming the viewer with the childish "cuteness". You captured the life with the eyes and the involvement with the start of a smile.

Color
The lack of vibrant color around the edges of this picture compared with the bright blue of the child's eyes and the solid red in the lips helps focus the viewer on the child. The bright pink in the child's top and the slight color around the far mouth of the pipe distract nominally from the child face and the picture would probably benefit from having those dodged.

Lighting
The subject could have benefitted from some reflected light to fill in the space around the eyes as they are such a large portion of what gives this image its life. The light you choose to shoot in, however, was good for this. Much more light and some of the colorful features of the child would probably have been washed out.

Focus
Fairly good focus but the depth of field seems to begin at the end of the pipe (notice the apparent focus within the end of the pipe) and not completely extend to the child (notice the fuzzy focus on the teeth). I'm guessing the DOF was set by the camera but this image would have benefitted from a DOF that was set farther from the camera to blur the end of the pipe and still keep the child's face in focus.

Overall
This is a good example of "Inside Looking Out". It lacks a certain vibrancy and immediacy that commend it to the ultimate level of photographic art for me but it is a solid performance and an ingenious use of an otherwise "cute" subject. For these reasons, I give it an 8.