Pen-Y-Fan
by nordic

Comment:
Beautiful juxtaposition of the three tufts in the stream with the massif. And the contrails are terrific, too. Reminds me of the "fan dance" ... know what that is?

Life Passing
by muur88

Comment:
Quote: I'm hoping at least 1 person, other than myself, will appreciate the triptych squared.
It's cubed.
Also very good.

Blown Away
by aznym

Comment:
I didn't look at this challenge at all - I was busy & also I really couldn't imagine myself liking a triptych. I was wrong. This is a visual haiku .... simple yet elegant, free yet structured, and a complete universe within itself. Beautiful.

Breakthrough
by owen

Comment:
Congratulations, Owen ... on another top four finish (damnit!) and also on the clever idea, convincingly executed. Several people have remarked on the technical skills required to pull off this illusion, but I'd like to compliment you on also capturing the three most interesting instants of the athlete's jump.

A Living
by JPR

Comment:
Ha! Reminds me of that old story about if a tree falls & nobody's there, does it make a noise? ..... Is beauty there if we don't look at it? - that's what I'm thinking this is about. This guy can't afford the time to stand and gape at this beautiful scene right now, but the beauty's still there & he knows it, and that's just fine for him today.
Another interpretation is that our world is a wonderful place, but it is that way, and more importantly it stays that way, not because of the gushings of greenies and mystics and environmental activists, but because of the efforts of regular people who are prepared to quietly get on with making a living ... these people make it possible for the rest to stand and gape (and later complain because this guy drives to work in a truck rather than a solar-powered rickshaw).
This photograph invites all sorts of allegorical interpretations like that, as so much of your work does.
That's what makes it so terrific for me; it's a beautiful image, masterfully processed, but it's also so much more than that; it's also ABOUT something. Something thoughtful and important that the viewer cannot ignore. And that viewer has to do some thinking, too. The viewer's not a spectator, the viewer is a participant in your work. And that's what separates art from mere pretty pictures. Bravo.

Sunset, Wellfleet — November 2005
by Bear_Music

Comment:
Nice to see a really high quality landscape in a 'portrait' format. This is a very fine composition; lovely lines & proportions. Beautiful colours and light ... spectacular but not strident. Also some interesting textural contrasts. All things considered, it's an image that is so unpresumptuous at first glance that it might be easy to overlook just how effortless and harmonious it actually is. I hope it isn't overlooked in favour of more flashy models! 9.

The Oceanfront
by bbright

Comment:
Lovely delicate photograph. The tonal range is very impressive; both exposure & processing were finely judged. It's a very interesting, stylish composition, too. 7 No, it's better than that ... second thought = 9.

Cityscape
by pelf

Comment:
The best of all the cityscape images. I love the beautiful light as it defines the shapes of the buildings. And of course the spectacular background lifts it even further above the ordinary. Nice work. 7

The Three Trees
by Marc923

Comment:
It's a lovely photograph that is a little spoiled by the fact that the right hand tree is broken. Somehow this imperfection interrupts the harmony of the scene for me, and diminishes my enjoyment of it. Not your fault, of course (unless you broke the tree), but it does make the subject less worthy. Other than that, you've done a beautiful job with composition, capture and processing. The subtle gradient in the sky is especially nice. 7

Quite Spirits
by bruski

Comment:
Odd title but a terrific photograph. I love the juxtaposition of the two dominant structures ... the bush and the mountain have equal billing here, and the photograph is all the better and more interesting for that choice. Simple decisions like that are what separates memorable photographs (especially landscapes) from all the forgettable two-dimensional postcard shots. Well done. 8.