I'm not sure what sort of creative statement you might be trying to make with this ... but it doesn't actually make me sit up with excitement ... just leaves me feeling passive and bemused with the faultering buoy and its reflection which seems rather alien in the suggestion of a blue sargasso sea.
richard

very good tone colour and composition
so quiet ... this pics relax me.

Richard: I'm not sure that this one counts as a "creative statement" type of image - it was just something that caught my eye.

Great Composition. I love the colors.

I've just spent the evening having a panel of images critiqued by the local camera club. ( they liked half of them ).
The judge would say of your image that the highlights of the buoy are too bright and the bright top of the image is distracting. But then they say a lot of stuff that comes down to personal preference. I like the tone of the sea myself.
They didn't like my "Chromasia Style" image either, where I used your toning tutorial.
( http://gallery.mac.com/chriswray1#100029/woman_potw-1&bgcolor=black )

Having said that, the same image won 3rd place in the last competition.

It makes no sense, keep them coming :-)

I'm not sure if I would have gone for a slightly closer crop. It does look a little dwarfed and less significant due to the sheer mass of water?

I love the texture and color of the sea in the foreground, but I have a problem with the horizon in that the presentation border (for the entire image) almost feels like it's the sky, but isn't of course. My eye wants a definitive edge that says this is the end, the border is so close in color and tonal value that the sea seems to merge into it.

In the buoy the highlights seem to blow out the "focus detail". My eye feels unable to find what I'm supposed to look at. Does that make sense? For example in the previous image "the winter sun" the tack-sharp detail said very clearly "look at me" whereas this buoy feels ambivalent.

I like the idea and the post-processing to make the water look like that is certainly interesting. I like the picture, but somewhat find the burn-out buoy as a "unexpected" thing. I like the buoy, just the fact that it's too bright maybe distracts from, what to me at least, is the center of the image: the texture of the water.

I am always fascinated by the texture of the sea. The comical part of me sees that the buoy just popped up for a peek, and you caught it! The reflection that the buoy casts on the water draws my attention. Mysterious...

nice !

I can't really explain why, but the water is beautiful...

I'm happy that you can work again !
I like those blue tones.

I like the image on a whole, the colour of the water is great. The highlights are a little bright for my taste on the buoy but this is a minor point. I think Dan has hit the nail on the head with the border, the water at the top is merging and you can't tell where the image stops and the border starts if you see what I mean.

I don't feel quite right giving critique, especially if you saw the dross I post daily basis. I'm not a professional or even a great amateur so it's just an opinion, hope it's taken in the spirit that it's intended.

very nice shot

the composition and the colours are OK, but I think that the upper-left zone is a little bit over exposed

surprised that the exposure bias was +.3 where you exposing to the right and adjusting with curves?

steve

I actually think I would prefer to this shot without the buoy... the sea seems so serene and dreamy and the buoy for me kind of spoils it (just my personal preference though)

Simple and beautiful
Lotte

l like this shot. it grabs my attention because of its simplicity and its "openness". it includes just enough to give one a sense of the vastness of the ocean. the balance of the composition works well.