Looks better, thanks!

Horizon could be straightened a bit on this one but otherwise great capture!

Doesn't look very "toy like" to me...maybe you could boost the contrast and saturation a bit to make it seem more "plastic" looking? All the best!

Even though it is devoid of color I still get the sense that this is a model due to your low angle and use of contrast. Great work!

Not very toy-esque in my opinion. Maybe bump up the contrast a bit? Right now the colors are pretty drab and earthtone-esque; I'd saturate the crap out of this to give it more of a "toy" feel. Finally, I'd also straighten the horizon up a bit. All the best!

The raft/box/whatever is "inside" the lake...how clever. :P Good Luck!

Great HDR on this one; gives it a very artistic feel.

Love the subject matter but I'd try recropping the image to make the basket more centered. Normally I'd advocate against that sort of thing but with so little negative space on the right side of the basket it just looks...off. Also, I'd try darkening the exposure a bit and bringing up your lights in order to really make the basket "pop" off of the background. Hope this helps! All the best!

BWAHAHAHAHA! Nice work, author.

Flower color is bordering on pink but there looking at the high res I can clearly see it is purple. Great framing and I love the little bee you captured. All the best!

Body by Jets, baby! :P Great chop, author!

Love the idea, but the picture frame appears to be off centered and slightly tilted to one side. I'd re-crop the image and straighten it a bit. All the best!

I love it! And surprisingly good penmanship. :P I'd pull the crop out at the right though; it seems a little too close to the copy. All the best!

ROFLMAO! Well played, good sir.

I disagree. I love the grayscale and color look. It gives the image a very dreamlike quality, as if the bride's presence is colorizing everything around her (think of the opening to the Gerard Butler version of "Phantom of the Opera". Only critique I see is that the top of the stained glass window doesn't quite match up with the source image. A little skewing/angling should fix it up easily, though. Great work, author!

Loving the picture but I'd crop out that little black spot in the upper right corner. All the best!

Loving the subject but it seems a bit dark (which makes the curtain grey and gives the cake a yellow tint). I'd up the lights on it a tad and that should bring some more impressive looking whites into it. All the best!

This is a lovely shot, author, but I'm not getting much of a vacation vibe. Care to explain so we can all understand a bit better? Thanks!

I second that. Amazing photograph, author! Not a thing wrong with it.

Absolutely gorgeous photograph. I can't find a thing wrong with it. Great work.

Great shot and I love the positioning of the dolls. I'd correct the slight green tint you have going on (caused by the light reflecting off of the wall) and either straighten the image or crop out that bedpost on the left hand side.
Also, that is the scariest looking Santa I've ever seen! :P All the best!

Great shot but the towers look a bit crooked. I'd straighten it a bit and repost. All the best!

Loving the angle but I'd rotate it just a tad to the right (looks slanted as it is). Great work!

Does this gate actually lead inside the home, then? Or just inside the property? Nice shot either way.

According to this site http://www.fernlea.com/vines/spiderplant.html the spider plant is classified as a vine. So I'd say this is on topic.

It is a nice photo. Aside from the blown highlights (which doesn't really bug me in this shot anyway) it gives a nice take on the vine subject while remaining subtle and quaint. Good work!

I agree with RayTedwell; that will really punch this up a notch. BAM!

Loving the burst effects on the lights. I'd rename the photo though, as the cat(s) are not the main focus of the photograph. All the best!

Ha! I love a good pun. I love a bad pun even more. :P
Great shot, author!

I agree; while this is a nice looking photo it doesn't really say "struggle" to me (although I know how hard it can be to blow into one of those things). Maybe you should look through your captures and see if you have a picture of one of the kids trying really hard to blow into their instrument. All the best!

Struggling with fear may not count (per the contest guidelines it has to be a PHYSICAL struggle) but the child also seems to be struggling to keep his balance. Good shot, author.

And remember, all of us (Friiskiwi, Karaflazz, myself, etc.) have experimented in very similar manners in the past. It was because of the kind, constructive criticism we received that we were able to improve and create even better photographs. All the best!

In my opinion art is whatever you want it to be (just look at the dada movement if you don't believe me). I applaud you, author, for trying something new and experimenting in order to see what works! Looking at professional shots is something that will definitely help you perfect your craft (and something I've been taught since day 1 of college). That said, I do feel that in this particular instance it doesn't work. If you want to incorporate the headless shot in order to focus more on your wife's belly, a tighter crop would sell the point a whole lot better. Still, don't give up!

Loving the fishes!

Nice shot but did you add a vignette to this? If so I'd remove it.

Looks a bit better, yes. Good luck!

Great shot and I love the subject. I'd rotate it a bit though (looks slanted) and even out the space on either side of the entryway. All the best!

Love the expression on the lifter's face. He is a good mime! Appreciate the technical aspects you gave us as well. As a critique I'd say you have a pretty nasty red/orange cast going on. That said, it could be argued that this gives your subject the feeling of struggling EXTRA hard. Still, I'd remove it and resubmit. Great work!

I'd say its technically on theme (the man in the picture is obviously a larger person) but I agree that it could have been implemented a bit better. Maybe reshoot and resubmit?

Much better!

I'll concur with that, Ray.

Personally I think the headlights give the image more depth and intrigue. It reminds you that, while these stars are moving around overhead, life carries on down here.

Great shot but the horizon seems slightly tilted to the left. I'd adjust it and resubmit. I still can't get over the massiveness of this statue!

I disagree. The shadows being so dark add to the mystique; it gives the figure an ominous presence. Great work, author.

Yes, the lighting is much improved.

I agree with ade. This is a nice shot but it doesn't really give a "lonely" feel to it. If you want to depict the bench as being lonely, try adding a blue cast to the entire photo (or reshoot with a different subject). Also, try straightening the image so that the bench runs parallel to the horizon. All the best!

Great Eagles reference!

What friiskiwi said, but also he doesn't look very lonely to me. By nature, meditation brings about thoughts of peacefulness and tranquility. I would reshoot something that gives a sad feeling rather than a content one.
On the plus side, the photo is awesome and I love the colors in it!

Excellent shot, but its a little too dark. Lighten it up a bit and I'd say you have an awesome photo on your hands! All the best!
(Oh, and upload a high res if possible. That will increase your chances of getting a better score.)

Much improved. GL!

Definitely looks better. GL!