Devoted Pasta Lovers
by De Sousa

Comment:
Cute, clever, smart - Well done! You'll find no flaws from my POV. Very nice work.

Da Pink Lovers
by Alain

Comment:
Ok. It's flowers, but DANG what a flower shot it is! Wonderful layers with foreground and bg bokeh that really control and contain the viewer. The lighting is perfect, and you didn't oversharpen. Very, very, nice! One of my top picks. I'd love to see this make the front page. Good luck.

Dog Pound Lovin'
by jerowe

Comment:
There's a poster in here somewhere. :D One of my top picks. Wonderful job of controlling DOF to keep the nose and "face" sharp while nicely blurring out the bg. Good luck in the challenge.

IMG_4430 copy_filtered small size.jpg
by AdrienneGC

Comment:
Looks like a great warmup for the new member challenge posted today. :)

One Fish, Two Fish
by chesire

Comment:
Those clown loaches couldn't have been very happy about that move. :)

A Crash Back to Reality
by mistchild2008

Comment:
Based on this forum thread ==> Photographer's comments during challenge voting

...and this comment:
onejumpjohnny - \"I just voted on a challenge piece which clearly (and very effectively)represented a crash scene. Since I find this genre personally upsetting, I left comments based upon the face value of the shot (and justifying my low score vote!) Little did I know at the time it was a \"staged\" activity set at a local high school for educational purposes.\"

I wanted to see if I was able to accurately identify the photo being referenced. I'll have to come back after the challenge has finished voting to find out. :D

BTW - Good luck in the challenge.

A Funeral
by banmorn

Comment:
OMG. You really took a photo at someones funeral?! Wow.

Backup Transportation
by glad2badad

Comment:

Originally posted by Matthew: I think that this is a great image. Great timing. Well caught. By way of constructive criticism, it appears soft and grainy in the foreground shadows and the light is a little past its best (I know that you were not in control of all the elements - but the viewer is not to know that). The light in the background is a little flat - with a silhouette, that becomes a little more significant. You may not appreciate the comment, but given that this was an expert challenge, you had the option of chopping the sky for something a little more dramatic taken a bit earlier or later. The waves look a little oversharpened or perhaps the detail is lost in the size retriction. Something I am facing up to more and more so is the need to selectively sharpen different elements of the image to different degrees. Cheers! M

Thanks for the comments Matthew. It's rare for me to address comments within the photo thread, but since some of the comment seems to be based on (initiated by) the Thoughts about 'digital art' thread I will. I'm quite tempted to reply to the forum thread but I'm about "talked" out in there and don't need to rekindle it. :)

First, (in response to thread comment) I'm very pleased with the score and final outcome of this image. No regrets or disappointments.

As for using the expert editing option of "chopping" the sky - that's not my style, and wouldn't be a true representation of the scene as I captured it that morning. Besides, I'm quite pleased with the sky as is. I like the balance of the clouds with the hills, and IMO anything much more dramatic could be distracting and take attention away from the primary subjects. Different strokes for different folks I guess. :P

Thank you for taking the time and effort to comment on this photograph. Your portfolio indicates to me that while all comments are worthy, yours has exceptional merit. It's very much appreciated.

Stormfront at Sunrise
by hotpasta

Comment:
Great finish! Congrats. BTW - I like the color version you posted even better. :P

Tulips
by Lorene

Comment:

Originally posted by glad2badad: ... Remind me after the challenge - one of the stock sites I belong to (not a micro) has a job request for tulips right now. It's paying out $50 if your image is used.

Here's the link to use. The end date for submissions to the Tulips photo request is May 15th, 2007. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

ShutterPoint - go the 'Home' page to see the photo requests.