N E C K
by ScooterMcNutty

Comment:
Excellent! Congrats on your new blue!

Defoliated
by TrollMan

Comment:
I would have titled this one "Achoo!!! . It fits the theme of the challenge nicely.

Hot Air Ballon
by tonywan

Comment:
This one looks to be straight from the camera. Some minor adjustments to contrast and color would have made a big difference in the impact, and in the voting.
Ballooning is one of the most enjoyable adventures ever. I hope that your whole flight was this nice. This is a magnificent scene!

painterly
by timfythetoo

Comment:
Bravo for you Tim! This one's totally out of your normal box (usually a box with a ribbon in it too, I might add,) and shot with your phone cam.
I can feel the happiness in driving a nice wooded road in the fall in it. Thanks for sharing.

Long Limbs
by LoVi

Comment:
I'm guessing that the voters didn't like your shadow in this one. Most of the voters don't take time to check the titles, esp on a vertical shot where they have to scroll to see it. I do understand how you set up your shadow to mesh with the line of shadows.
Generally, if I'm shooting with the sun at my back, I try to move into the shadow of something, so my shadow is not a part of the image.
I like the leading line/curve in this one, and the pretty sky.

Island Cottage
by BAMartin

Comment:
I'm not sure what happened when you shot this one. It looks like possibly camera movement during exposure. With the exposure time being 1/200 with the Canon, even at 135mm it seems that it would be sharper than it is.

Some of my photos were looking pretty soft like this a while back, and I found that the rear element of one of my lenses had some kind of ick on it. Cleaning that up improved it a lot.
Check that lens by looking thru it with the aperture held open. I think that there is a way to take it off the camera and keep the aperture open wide so you can inspect the glass for any smudges or mold spots.

I found when shooting with my older non IS/VR lenses, that shooting from a car sitting still with the motor idling was making my photos soft due to the vibration of the motor running. Shooting with a tripod on a bridge with any traffic on it can do this too, because of the vibration.

Two other things, 1, check the diopter setting for the viewfinder, esp if you were using manual focus for this one, and, #2, keep shooting.
I hope that one or more of these suggestions will help at least some with finding a way to correct the softness for future shooting.
My last entry crashed and burned, but it don't make a big difference in the way life will be a couple of months down the road.
It's a bummer about the low score with this one. It's a very nice scene, and one that I would greatly enjoy seeing in person.

ETA, I thought about one more thing, shooting with a tripod and having IS turned on can do this too. Check the lens manual about it.

Message edited by author 2011-11-14 00:40:36.

The Trek
by Jaded_Housewife

Comment:
I would not have guessed this was St Augustine. It looks like there was a little rain shower not long before you shot this one. It made a great texture for the foreground with this low angle.

Dreamland - Edgar Allan Poe
by Judi

Comment:
This one is truly impressive! Congrats on creating such a marvelous image from the inspiration of a master poet and writer.

The Walk
by fldave

Comment:
Looks like just past the gate at 6 mile about 4:30 PM. Love that place, but I like it in the swamps better with the muck squishing around my boots.
Hey, you didn't get any 1's : )

en garde
by Jutilda

Comment:
It looks like you just didn't have enough light and the critter was moving a little, causing the little bit of blur.
This might make a nice B&W if you desat then tweak around with levels and colors to get the little buck out front a bit more.
I still like it a lot, because it just looks totally natural. The extra light on the antlers is a nice touch.