Car accident
by TedvandenBergh

Comment:
Hmmm, meestal staan ze andersom vanachter zo'n boompje vandaan te fotograferen. :)

The Cobra Army's Ultimate Authority
by darb

Comment:
Cobra's rule! :)
I've still got the SR-17 like black stealthy aeroplane thingie. I wanted to be a pilot but became amateur photographer. :)

Anticipation
by brianlh

Comment:
Had this photo high on my list and expected it in the top 3. The composition and light is so strong + the kids throwing the ball makes it come alive.

Marken
by Azrifel

Comment:
Thanks for all the comments, favorites and even print wish list additions (I'll see what I can do). Here are some answers and info additions:

Moose101 wrote: This must be Italy from the name given?

Nope. "Marken" is about 10 to 15km North of Amsterdam on semi-island in the IJsselmeer. It is a very popular tourist location. Mostly the busses go to Marken in the morning, visit a cheesefarm an hour later, next stop Volendam and them off to Alkmaar (near the North Sea) and its cheese market.
I ride (some would call it 'race') a lot on my motorcyle in this area. Especially sunday morning when it is quiet and not many people around. A lot of twisty roads with camber, highspeed and lowspeed corners.
There are also some little old quiet towns nearby (Durgerdam for example), harbours, campings and nature.

Gatorguy wrote: did you smooth it with Neat image?

No, I don't like the Neat Image smoothness. Like I said in the pg note; there was some edge noise reduction (pattern noise) and chroma noise reduction (moiré / color noise), but not much. I was also a bit conservative with the sharpening.

speedylix wrote: Is there a person fishing beneath this small house or I'm hallucinating

You are not hallucinating, but it is not a person. It is a statue of a fishing kid. :)

Shadowrain wrote: I think it would have been improved with a person somewhere

I agree. One reason is because I believe that most scenes do better with people in it. They make a scene come alive, give scale etc. Another reason is the traditional costume of Marken. Because it was shot on a Sunday (religion) there was nobody around. :(
The traditional costume is the most colorful of the whole region (Voldendam, Edam, Monnickedam, Wieringen). Especially the women look great.
I'll remember the places you adviced me to go to next time I visit the US. :)

connie wrote: IR?

Nope, I just played with the channel mixer (see note). I remembered reading somewhere that using negative values in your channel mix to monochrome can create Ansel Adams or IR like effects.

just-married wrote: Once I notice the leaning tower, it's really hard to pull my eye away from it. Is this lens distortion?

Yup, I believe it is.

Cold november night
by heida

Comment:
Painting like quality = excellent.
You've got the cold blue on one side and warmer toning on the other side. The strange 45 degree change is bugging me a bit, but the way the girl is portrayed well makes up for that. The girl flowes. The detail is just enough to show that she has her hands in her pockets, that a purple scarve leads to her face, that she might be blond and has something woolen on her head. Cold indeed.
On the other hand the lack of detail makes this timeless. The scene might very well be from the time that the 'master' impressionist were creating their classic paintings.

I like it a lot and therefore give this a 10.

too young
by chuster

Comment:
It looks so classic. If it weren't for the sneakers with velcro you'd think that this was 80 years old.

Fisticus Rectus
by lwkimages

Comment:
Powerful. Great balance between foreground and background. Dark color of the skin makes one think that the hand is from a miner.

Bistra
by Natator

Comment:
Beautiful portrait of a beautiful girl. The light vs dark works so well here.
My guess is that she has a black shirt on? Together with the dark hair it provides a good transition into the dark background.

A Day At The Rodeo
by Sunniee

Comment:
Great stopped motion. I like it how it shows the speed and strength of the horse and the control and commitment of the girl. The light from behind outlines the bodies. Exposure and toning is great.

gallery
by undieyatch

Comment:
Light, lines, white, black, tech, people, non-reflective, reflective, wide, distant, vanishing, leading. This photo has it all. Wonderful! 10