...is for him to have a great time!
by Paul

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Looks like he's waiting up.

Bishop's Cap Cactus in Red
by Paul

Comment by bvy:
Interesting idea, well executed.

Gothic Dawn
by Paul

Comment by kteach:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First impression: The sun is clearly the first thing that grabs your attention here, and with the position in the sky it seems to fit the challenge. The lack of color is surprising for this challenge, but something different is also refreshing. I like the different tones of the headstones, it helps to set them apart and give depth to the photo. I don't know if it's processing or just the way the photo was shot, but the background trees are jagged, and the foreground has an odd texture about it. The photo isn't something I would hang on my wall, but I applaud the uniqueness of it within the context of this challenge.

Further reflections: After reading your comments, I'm glad that you went in to this with the understanding that it may not score well, but you were willing to take a chance with it anyway as an out of the box type of shot. It may not have scored high (though it did get over your 5.0!), but it garnered a favorite, and some very favorable comments from voters who appreciated its uniqueness!

To improve: I realize you didn't have a lot of flexibility to set up this shot considering where it was taken, but I might have played with the shutter speed a bit, choosing something just a bit faster to keep the sun from being so bright, but while keeping the headstones still nicely exposed. As far as processing, maybe the funny texture I mentioned above came from the neat image?

I hope you found this critique helpful. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Bishop's Cap Cactus in Red
by Paul

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Cactus? I thought it was a throw pillow before i read the title! Very neat looking.

Bishop's Cap Cactus in Red
by Paul

Comment by Balko:
Learned something new here - thanks! 7

Fallen Vases, Breaking News!
by Paul

Comment by kingskingdom:
brilliant, simply brilliant

Fallen Vases, Breaking News!
by Paul

Comment by Stagolee:
back for comment and bumping up :) nice b/w and great take on the challenge just one small disappointment is the close crop at the top, it would have been better composition wise with a bit more space at the top.

Bishop's Cap Cactus in Red
by Paul

Comment by Blackbox:
Pretty cool. I Googled 'Bishop's Cap Cactus': too bad you didn't find one with it's flowers. That would have been awesome! As is, the edit is just slightly strange and not natural looking to me. I still like it: 8

Night Fog.jpg
by Paul

Comment by SaraR:
Captures the eerie mood of fog well.

Fallen Vases, Breaking News!
by Paul

Comment by Sirashley:
Dude, I'm scoring an 8 just for the O.J. reference in the background...LOL... Seriously though, very creative shot and idea...