A very difficult subject to photograph, or more to the point a great subject in difficult circumstances: there is always a music stand, another musician or a conductor in the way! But you have produced a fine study nonetheless, choosing an excellent angle along the instrument right from the scroll to the performer's face.

As this is a performance study not a formal portrait the eyes are bound to be on the music, so that element is spot-on. I think the tones are great, too. I might be tempted to crop a little off the right, to de-centralise the face slightly, but definitely not off the left as the pew end gives context and explanation. A very impressive image in my view.
Bill

You have created a most interesting perspective from the rising line of the steps to the top of the peak. There is an innate tension between this rising line and our knowledge that the water is falling, it fills the composition with life. Despite the snow cap the gorgeous light reduces the chill somewhat
Bill

A very interesting photograph in that I have never before seen anything high-key at the Newcastle Christmas Market!
The image is totally natural, the girl is clearly immersed in her playing. Eyes, arm and bow are parallel: this suggests both an accomplished fiddler and an accomplished photographer, for the angle of the composition works really well too. The focus looks to be spot-on the eyes amid the necessarily shallow depth of field. I like the murky figure in the background, a reflection I think; my only niggle would be the slightly blown highlights on the fiddle belly and fingerboard and the girl's hair. But extremely well taken in undoubtedly difficult circumstances.

Bill

I can't see any indication in this image to suggest that you don't understand black & white, Mike! But I'll throw in my two penn'orth nevertheless:
Perhaps one might consider a colour-desaturated, i.e. Greyscale, image to be an image shorn of its superficial emotional clothing, allowing the eye to concentrate on composition, form, line and texture. It's another way of saying "beauty is only skin deep", I suppose, except that composition, form, line and texture supply "inner beauty", character rather than appearence.
I have read (I am no scientist!) that only the centre of the human eye's vision can recognise colour, which the brain interpolates by reference to memory and experience. The icing on the cake.
So many figures of speech

Just a quick reference to this image ticks all the boxes - composition/form/line (two diagonals, repeated shapes and shadows that between them supply proportion, dimension and depth; the stepping stones and the edge of the beck divide the frame into triangles, a pleasing element), while the textures of concrete, stone, sand and grass add interest. You could reintroduce emotional content by adjusting the depth of the shadows or remove it entirely by discarding contrast - that is where black & white becomes 'flat' and uninteresting: but then, the same applies to 'flat' colour!

I hope that helps somewhat. N.B.: I have no visual training whatever...

Regards
Bill

V1 and V3 are strikingly beautiful though totally different. Both are certainly sharp enough for viewing at this resolution and size. Perhaps the eyeball in V1 is not absolutely, totally, critically sharp - but bear in mind that it is behind a mask, the eye's owner does not want it to be inspected too closely! Two images to be proud of, Barbara - I'm green with envy.
Your D80 has a continuous-servo AF (auto-focus) function and dynamic-area autofocus available to assist with moving subjects; your handbook will tell you how to find them. You will need to experiment, though; I'm afraid I have never explored their potential on my Nikons.
Perhaps as well not to get too close to the chap in V2 as he could demagnetise all your camera gear with a single glance

This is so well seen, almost random splashes of light on the rich background. Superb colour and composition.

There is a tiny isolated highlight near the top, just left of centre, that I first took as dust on my screen; you might like to remove if printing the image. It doesn't detract from the quality of the image though!
Bill

This is very effective and well worked, Matt. The image makes good use of perspective, for starters, and the texture of the broken & disjointed paving makes a good contrast with the smooth metal of the Vespa.
I like the idea of selective colouring when the photo has something else about it too, which this one certainly has; I suspect that it could also make a good straight b/w.
Regards
Bill

I know one shouldn't be envious, MIke, so I hope you will forgive me that I would so like this in my own portfolio. I am so accustomed to seeing magnificent views across the outer estuary that this comes across almost as a relief: with no disrespect whatever to the photographers who have produced those great landscape images, this comes across as such a personal view being vouchsafed to us. Moreover, I could spend ages returning to this page and delighting in it.
The prominent red boat is the largest element in a triangle of reds; the line it initiates in the foreground mirrors the line of the railway bridge in a most pleasing fashion. There is some lovely light on the hillsides; the patches of blue sky suggest that your dry return to base wasn't entirely coincidental. Perhaps most pleasing of all is the way the moored boats are contained in an area of light from the foreground to the far shore.
I would keep the sky as it is, as Keith (ringyneck) explains.
Regards
Bill

Very good work. The strong regular horizontals are a perfect grid for the feet while the two pairs of slender legs make the perfect balance for the greater bulk of the person climbing. Well observed.
Bill

I'd leave the two men and their dog where they are, myself - I like the contrast between their informality and the ladies' Sunday Best. I've done a rapid b/w conversion which I hope you like.
Bill

The colours are certainly attractive. For me this is about vertical lines, too - I would suggest using vertical format : (a) to include the base of the candle-holders, and (b) to prolong the shape of the chair in the background, which is echoed in the shadow on the table. Perhaps zoom out or move back to get everything in the frame.
Bill

Both are very attractive, Joline. The mono variant is more abstract due to the desaturation and might be made more so by emphasising the edges of the petals.
(In Elements 5 it's Filters > Stylize > Find Edges; used on the colour version this desaturates almost entirely anyway. Just a thought!)
Bill

This is a very effective manipulation, Paige; though I don't know the film you mention I can guess the character from your photograph!

If you don't mind a suggestion, I think the picture would look even better if you cropped the left (about 25 millimetres off the 120mm total width on my screen, about 18%). I think it might give more impact even though it's more "traditional".

Best wishes,
Bill