Hi Chris,

Doolittles right in the sense that it looks a touch over exposed ie. some of the white bits appear close to being blown but there's are some shadows in there as well.
If you adjust the exposure, I used CS2, it just increases or decreases the overall "greyness".
To improve the balance I made a slight alteration using levels then pushed the contrast a shade. It's brought the colours out a bit and lifted it but not by much as I don't think there's really a lot of improvement to be had.
It may even be as simple as the fact that we're all seeing this slightly differently on our respective monitors.

Jester.

I like the car's disproportion and it's position relative to the castle.
I'd prefer the castle to be on the right hand edge of the frame and to have more space to the left, in front of the car.
This would place it roughly on a third as well as removing the dark patch mentioned above although I've a feeling that that's caused by the vignette, which I'd also remove.
Other than that, which is only my opinion anyway, I think it's pretty good. It's as sharp as a tack, colour's good and the car looks "right" in front of that background.

Jester.

Sorry but the selective colouring spoils it for me.
The effect works best with just one (or possibly two) objects receiving the colour treatment and they need to be quite bright and dominant in the image.
Think about the effect you'd get with a post box or an old telephone box in a b/w street.
Those are the subjects that most of us learned on!
Otherwise, it's a pretty good shot and I can see why you took it.
Just my opinion.
Jester.

A fabulous shot.

I thought (as celestun has said) that it was a little dark but any attempt to lighten it by more than the tiniest, and I do mean tiniest amount, spoils the delicate fragility of the butterfly.
I think this shot is brilliant and I don't think it can be improved upon.

I shall shortlist this one.

Jester.

There's a great shot i there trying to get out!

A better sense of speed and, I think, a better composition.
It's nicely panned although the bits in focus could be a bit sharper.
A swift trip through shadows and highlights and a touch more contrast lift this quite a bit.
Same goes for your "Aston" shot yesterday.
Just my opinion, hope it helps.

Jester.

As pablo69 has said, I'd say it's a composite, not just because I've seen the original but because I don't believe that you'd ever get a stag that well composed and positioned on a third in front of that impossibly wonderful background!
Having said that, this is a much more believable version than the first one, so well done there, at least.
Jester.

I like this.

I've done several of this type of shot and I'm never entirely happy with them. Whenever I look at one (of mine) I see something I'd like to change.

In this case, the composition's spot on, it's well focused and there's just the right amount of light. Overall, I think it's a great job, although personally I'd get rid of the ear!

Just my opinion.

Jester.

The shot's well composed and nicely focused and generally speaking it's good.
However, I agree about the wall and the whole image has a red caste about it. Some general de-saturation in curves would probably help and possibly some more applied selectively to the wall.
Just my opinion.
Jester.

I like this though personally, I'd like to crop off the left hand side leaving just the nets, the furniture and the darkness.
I think that would make a much more powerful image.
Jester.
Edit; I might try b/w to.

Hi Sue,
Got the message!
I've uploaded a mod. with all the relevant tweaks explained beneath.
As Colin has said, you've provided a good image to begin with which is half the battle.
I carried mine out as soon as I saw your message and before I realised that Colin and Ronnie had already done theirs so it's fortunate that i took a slightly different route to either of them!
If you're moving up to Photoshop, (I've got CS2 which I used here) you'll find it an enormous learning curve. I've never used CS4 although I'd love to have the opportunity but I imagine it will be even more challenging than CS2.
Anyway, I hope the mod meets with your approval!
Jester
(Brendan)

Think I might have beaten the glare!
Adjusted both images using CS2. Increased shadows depth and tonal width then the opposite for the highlights. A very tiny adjustment using colour balance, just enough to add a touch of warmth, then pushed the overall contrast to +5.
Hope they're OK.
Jester.

Great first attempt but I would have left the eyes alone too.
As for the blurry bit; it goes right across and some of the brickwork looks slightly irregular as well. Cloning perhaps?
Jester.

I like this a lot.
Purists might have you believe that you've composed it with your head in the wrong place. For me, it really works well as it is although I think I might crop just a bit from the left to lose the 'shadow' in the corner. Also, I'd remove the spot near your left eye.
Having said all that, the mono conversion suits it, focus is spot on and I like the way you've used the light, particularly the highlights in the eyes. The serious expression gives it character and meaning.
A tremendous first attempt!
Jester.

Two more excellent images!
V1 for me.
Once again, the little girl's feet are an important, integral part of the image.
The composition and POV are spot on as is the focus and it's well and evenly lit.
Also, I think I can see just a hint of a smile on her face which tells me that she's happy and enjoying herself!
I also think that the tight crop suits this one well.
I like V2 as well but to me it has slightly less impact than the previous ones. Maybe it's because we can't see the little girl's expresion in quite the same way.
A terrific series which has given me food for thought!
Best wishes,
Jester.

Definitely V1 for me and yes, lose the electrical outlet!
Actually, I like both of these a lot.
I prefer V1 as it's more balanced and the feet need to be included as they are a part of the little girl's overall body language.
The focus is spot on and the composition also works. The monotone suits it but there is some noise in there. Personally I think the noise adds to the shot but I can see why others might want to remove it.
Overall, I think it's a winner and deserves to do well.

Jester.

Edit; I've changed my mind . . .
. . . leave the electrical outlet where it is!

I quite like this but I think that I would have coloured the cat in the centre, assuming it was a suitable colour, as the blue is right on the edge and tends to draw your eye away from the rest of the image.
I'd lose the colour on the right too.
Jester.

An excellent job!
I'm inclined to agree with zarozinia about the land though and I think I'd lose the grass in the foreground as well. If she hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed it was there.
Also the 'sea' has some with speckles on it where the Lancaster is reflected. Lost pixels perhaps?
Jester.