What a lovely palette of color! The lighting draws out the texture so nicely. Crisp and well-composed! It would be a smidge nicer, even, if the dusty hairs on the leave in the center were not present. Otherwise, sweet!
Although my first reaction was one of depression I ended up coming back twice to look at this shot. I realized it captures an emotion that connects to passing time and is technically perfect. Great job, one of my top picks.
Brilliant lighting. I really like the use of shadow in this photo. I like the crisp image in the foreground moving back to softer focus on the leaves. This photo works for me. You have a great eye for color and light. The subtle hues enhance your message. Nice job.
The focus and sharpness here is out of this world. The lighting and shadows are great, as is the depth of field. The only weak point is that the tie to the challeneg is a bit of a stretch. 9 from me.