erikadams

Strong, dramatic angle.  You really show off the best part of this airframe - the cowling.  Nice work.

Now this is the kind of thing I like.  Very well done.  The moon is perfect.

I agree with Michael's critique, except I'd crop just barely above the horizon, so you can see the sky from which the angel descended.

Great action shot, Tim.  I like the steep angle of the skier and that the entire background is composed of a wall of water.

I think the Grand Canyon is a very hard place to photograph, which seems strange, as there are beautiful views everywhere.  I really like this one - the sky, the pale color of the rock that you've achieved, the composition.  Did you use a split neutral density filter?  Nice work.

Nice shot.  I like the shallow DOF.  Put an "e" on the end of your title, and I think you'll have your intended meaning.  I don't think you meant to imply that either cat was birthed in the air, although that pun was used as a title in a popular novel (involving flying creatures, I think, not cats).   :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Airborn-Kenneth-Oppel/dp/0756947944/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280255149&sr=1-1

This is my favorite of the series.  The wings idea is so creative, and they are perfectly proportioned.  I also like to be able to see the model's hair.  Her hair is included in a few of your shots in this series, and it provides a pleasing texture which contrasts to the stone.  Of course, her skin does the same, but for me the lines of her hair form a very nice feature.  Thanks for sharing.

It's always interesting to me that the critiques prior to a photo's selection as the POW can be overwhelmingly positive, many by accomplished photographers, and then after POW, they go sour. Why so sour? There is nothing wrong with this photograph. I think the colors are saturated because it's about one stop underexposed, and unlike many "moving water" photos, this one was a shorter exposure that preserved some of the movement pattern in the water. I like that. The starfish give the appearance that they were placed strategically by hand, until you realize that they're everywhere. The starfish at lower left is underwater, which gives the impression of its being out of focus. This must be some kind of New Zealand starfish convention. It's not my favorite photo by Kah Kit Yoong, but it's still good.

One of the best great blue heron shots I've seen.  That bird has such dark plumage and likes to hang out against dark foliage, that you seldom see such a crisp photo.  Outstanding background, good action, everything....  Nice work.

Oh man, you got the earthshine on the moon.  I've never been able to capture that as the naked eye does.  What a nice mood to your photo.  Outstanding job!

Looks like there was some optical distortion from heat.  I can see from the trees it wasn't summer, but perhaps there was some heat coming up from the field under the Sandhill Cranes.  We have a few Whopping Cranes here in Wisconsin, too, but I've only been able to photograph Sandhills.

This one's my favorite of all your Sydney aerials.  It has the Opera House, and the wakes from the boats take you right into the picture.  Thanks for sharing.

Very original.  I really like the symmetry - good opportunity to break the rule of thirds.  I gave it a 7/7 to offset the 3/3 you received from the ratings bot.  It didn't deserve those low ratings.  Nice work.

Whether you like the cropped image or the original is really just a matter of whether the reaction of the crowd gives meaning to the photo, and I think the reaction of the crowd is everything in this photo. Cropping out the white sky - not so helpful when you lose the people. I didn't find the sky to be that distracting anyway. It's not like a jumbo jet is flying across that area or something.

I think Stephen's and John's comments are right on the mark. Considering that this moment was hectic and unpredictable (when will be the exact moment that the birds fly, and in what direction?), we can't demand perfection in the balance and composition of the image. In fact, perfection might take away from our perception of what this moment was like. It was surprising and delightful - just look at the expressions on the faces. I too wish for the groom to be in the photo and some blur of the birds' wings, and maybe the birds flew right into the photographer's face a little too much, so they dominate the frame just a little too much, but I still like it.

The expression on the guy behind her right shoulder is great.  Nice capture.

You had a nice clear day for this.  Great colors.  I don't know that I'd crop the top.  Part of the allure of this falls is its height - 620 ft., if I recall correctly.

Very creative.  I like the use of symmetry, too.  This seems like the perfect treatment for the type of lighting you had - subdued, soft.  Nicely done.

Regards, Erik

Oh my.....   Speechless.  Such delicate beauty.

It's difficult to know how to crop this one.  The foreground has the nice path that leads you eye to the elephants, and it starts almost at the corner of the photo, creating a nice diagonal.  Any way you do it, it's a winner.  I like that the elephants are holding trunks.

Marina, this recent series that you are doing is wonderful.  I like that you are trying new ideas.  This particular photo is the kind of thing that you could enjoy every day; it is like a motion picture, as someone else pointed out.  Fantastic.

I'm not too wild about the choice of background.  It's a little distracting and takes away from the model.  I like your other photo of Natalia much better.