Composition - I like the way the candles are arranged. They have pretty good color and the negative space works well. I think the candles shouldn't have been burned so much before the picture was shot. It makes them nonuniform in shape and the areas around the wicks are also of differing sizes. The flames are also not all pointing in the same direction. Not a bad composition for a photo. Not anything extraordinary either.
Technical - Focus, focus, focus. Intentional or not, the focus being this soft really killed your score. It is never taken very well, as artistic as it might be. And I think this photo has a really nice exposure and framing. A little tiny bit soft might've been okay, but this is a lot soft. I have a feeling this was a handheld shot where it should've been on a tripod for stability. If it was on a tripod, then I have to think something was bumped or something. In any case, the lack of clarity has really hurt what could've been a pretty good picture.
Overall - Focus. You have it, you do much better. You don't have it, things kind of slide. I'd set this one up again with some newer candles and try it again off a tripod. Might have to wait for the little breezes to stop so all the flames are perfectly upright or have a light even breeze blow them all to one side. Hope this helps a little. Good luck in future challenges - Inspzil
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