Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by mksnowhite:
Gosh I really wish I could see a touch more more of the pews, some warmth of the wood.

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by just-married:
Very nice. The way the light creates the suggestion of the benches makes this shot for me.

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by buzzmom:
this was one of the first things i thought of when the challenge was presented...you did a great job

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by tsheets:
nicely done. Maybe a touch more detail in the pews and a border for this...but I really like the exposure on the window.

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by muggle_girl:
stunning!

Temptation
by shabbychic

Comment by shabbychic:
Very distressful to your nerves, these challenges are! I believe the update button was worn by the end.

Thank you to everyone for all your comments! They were, indeed, very helpful. I did agree myself at the very beginning that the apple was too dark, but given that it was a last minute picture, the solid fact that I am terrible at lighting, and that dodging was not allowed in the basic editting rules... I decided to live with it. Plus, it did not help that I took the picture less than 24 hours before all the snakes were to be fed and was, thus, dealing with a very wiggly subject! But none the less, to those who promotted me for bravery- there was none involved! Like any animal, it's the way they've been handled that reflects their additude, and these have all been handled very well from birth and are as gentle as puppies.

Again, thank you for your comments and suggestions, I went back to re-edit with all in mind and I, as well as friends and family, thought it looked much better. I thought this first challenge went very well and I hope to learn equally as much in more to come!

Temptation
by shabbychic

Comment by redpanda:
It's a bit too centered to me, but excelent idea and exectution otherwise. 8

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by jmoore:
I would have liked to see more detail in the dark area. Otherwise you just have a floating window

Sanctuary
by shabbychic

Comment by RonBeam:
Nice reflections on the pews. Cropping the bottom up to exclude the two vertical stripes in the foreground would have enhanced this shot. 7.

Temptation
by shabbychic

Comment by dragonlady:
I like the way this snake is resting on top of the apple. The black background is good and his color contrasts well with the apple plus he is visually interesting in that position...8