Winner: Thrillhouse: I love the idea, and the shot is good as well. It's really cool to see what a little bit of retouching can do.
Runner-up: aidan: I really like this shot. It gives you room to interpret it, and the b/w gives it some edge. I would've cropped it so that both sides have just as much black, though, but that's just my budding OCD.
HMs:
mrkgoo: Great composition, and I prefer the b/w version. The scroll wheel on the classic cover is a bit soft, though.
speedpop: Great shot! The soft focus works well here and gives the flower a dreamy feel.
Kawaii: I like the sparse color here, and the composition is good as well. The photo doesn't connect to the theme without the explanation, though.
Other comments:
Tieno: The blurriness bothers me a bit. There's not that much to focus on (no pun intended). The idea of the shot is good, it just didn't connect with me.
Akim: The basic idea is good, and I like the green plant thingy, but I don't really dig the lighting or composition. The Apple products are a bit too far off to the left.
Papi: More like touchable and untouchable, no?
The only criticism I can think of is that the focus is a bit too soft. Good idea, good composition.
eznark: Nice idea, and the composition is ok as well.
joshschw: I love the shot, but I can't see the connection to the theme. I really like the tones and the atmosphere, though.
Fletcher: I like the OOF background, but I would've preferred all the flowers to be in focus. Some of the topmost flowers are clipped as well, and you have a lot of room at the bottom, so you could've framed it a bit higher.
-xBerserker-: I like the light shining on top of the clouds, but I don't like the trees and mountains in the forefront. Maybe just a closeup of the edge of the cloud would've been even more impressing?
Lucky Forward: Not a bad shot, but as you yourself stated, we've seen quite a few of these. It also takes some explaining to link it to the theme.
Squirrel Killer: Good composition, not a bad idea, but the leaves in the bottom left bother me a bit.
McSpidey: The windmill looks like a giant ostrich! However, apart from the spinning thingy and the traffic sign forming a humoristic couple, there's not much of interest in the photo.
AlteredBeast: A good action shot, but I can't quite figure out the connection to the theme. Also, a tighter crop might've worked better.
re: mine: Thanks for the comments and kind words. I originally went out to shoot the lovely wintery scenery, but once I saw the smoke from behind the trees, I knew this was going to be my entry.
