Loch Ness Monster?
by ikopanas

Comment:
A quiet, static scape with good complimenting colours. As it is, an empty blue sky consumes nearly half of the image; gradating it along with the foreground water, as you did, has improved the givens considerably.

Still, the horizon lies too close to the horizontal centre for a dynamic composition, especially since the (opposite) shore drops it even lower. As others have observed, the frontmost shrub has more attention than an incidental obstruction should have, attention the small tufts of sedge in the water critically need.

I think the inclusion of an interesting foreground object is critical for such an expansive, cloudless setting. There is no bird either, no moon to extend the view beyond the horizon and back, in the form of a reflection, onto the water.

For these reasons, I much prefer your outtake, the higher horizon, even the subdued colours and contrast , which render the light less harsh and leave us a moodier maritime scene.
The symbolism of mountain-fish swallowing another is, IMO, delicately reserved for those who find enough pleasure here to linger for a while.

Message edited by author 2009-12-01 11:40:31.

SSOC_0826-Edit2.jpg
by ikopanas

Comment:
A quiet, static scape with good complimenting colours. As it is, an empty blue sky consumes nearly half of the image; gradating it along with the foreground water, as you did, has improved the givens considerably.

Still, the horizon lies too close to the horizontal centre for a dynamic composition, especially since the (opposite) shore drops it even lower. As others have observed, the frontmost shrub has more attention than an incidental obstruction should have, attention the small tufts of sedge in the water critically need.

I think the inclusion of an interesting foreground object is critical for such an expansive, cloudless setting. There is no bird either, no moon to extend the view beyond the horizon and back, in the form of a reflection, onto the water.

For these reasons, I much prefer your outtake, the higher horizon, even the subdued colours and contrast , which render the light less harsh and leave us a moodier maritime scene.
The symbolism of one mountain-fish swallowing another is, IMO, delicately reserved to those who find enough pleasure here to linger for a while.

Message edited by author 2009-11-30 16:18:58.

It's Winter Time
by GiorgioBaruffi

Comment:
Bella.

fisher cat
by Denise

Comment:
I'd i.d. this as a marten. The fisher, or what we'd call a fisher in Canada, should be larger with a bushier coat and tail and more nocturnal than its cousins in the weasel family. American or eastern usage of the terms may vary though.

Message edited by author 2009-10-15 13:13:38.

watchdog
by tnun

Comment:
As I mistook the (apparent) jeep door trim for a double-barrelled shotgun, the bag-toting middle-aged female about to be obscured in a step or two had my undue attention. The photographer's comment completely ruined the illusion, the high drama and the intrigue. :-/

by nixter

Comment:
Pipe Dream

Not sans vertigo,
in a spirit of inquiry,
we are gathered here in trinity
to consider the duplicity
of life without trousers.

Message edited by author 2009-09-07 00:29:24.

wmbw.jpg
by Iraklis

Comment:
Whatever it is, this place, the three mills, the walled-in adobes, it should be good for a few hundred "rolls", at dawn, noon, dusk, in wind weather, with and without, her, the gulls or that stray dog. What and where the hell is this?

Dorothy the Wizard
by posthumous

Comment:
Well, boaters shouldn't wear high heels on deck, unless prepared to have their feet cut off the ankles. Great headless fun! The gloved hand 'gainst the black, too, should be more becoming a wizard than a face like Sue's or Anneke's. One of my favourites in the challege as well.

Latvian Riviera
by kolasi

Comment:
Lovely!

Hey Jew
by Oded

Comment:
As some of the comments seem to indicate, the low scores likely came from voters who found the photo unsettling. It's ironic that what amounts to the very gist and pith of an emotionally charged image often also inspires fears. When this happens, an attempt to diminish it by scoring it low, should probably be interpreted as a desire to diminish the fear it conjured in those afflicted.