Holiday lights

My overall judging criteria was based on adherence to the theme, originality, composition, focus, lighting, and other technical specs.

Mike Shield's shot here takes the cake! The soft red and orange bokeh of the background blankets me with the warmth of the holidays and the focus of the living room tree in the foreground is symbolic of people coming together during this time of the year and valuing family, friends, giving, gratefulness, and general joy. The scene is also cleverly introduced through the use of a crystal ball lens which acts as a resting ornament on a railing or table of sorts (the photo is inverted).

Due to the curvature of the ball, I'm sure it was difficult to get more of the scene in focus, but that is an area for improvement. The center of the ball where my attention is being sucked into is a deep black spot of the tree - I would've preferred this to have been something colorful and more exposed.

All in all, excellent job and congrats! Inspires me to get out and shoot more this season.

This shot is one of the most colorful shots submitted to the contest. It stops and makes me wonder just how much time went into decorating this home. I can only imagine how spirited the people behind this incredible setup are.

I'd love to see more shots of this scene where you play with all of the different lights and incorporate different photography techniques!

Unless that is the world's smallest human being, this may have been one of the few (if not the only shot) that seemed to have skilled editing involved. I thoroughly enjoy the clean bokeh in the background and the contrasting sharpness of the rice krispy treats in the foreground. To creatively place the person inside the cup is also a very nice touch. My only suggestion is to rotate the image so that the cup is vertically aligned. Otherwise, this shot makes for the perfect holiday card!