August Blooms
by Jeileen

Comment:
Great color contrast and I like the composition. I'm not crazy about the processing though. IMHO, it looks a little messy - somewhere between painted and overly soft focus, but not really either - almost like it'd been run through Neat Image repeatedly. That point aside (which I think is probably just a personal preference anyway - I'm sure that it's a very pleasing effect to some), I still think it's a strong entry.

Bleached
by Balko

Comment:
Terrific composition - it's very appealing visually. I do think that the highlights are a tad blown in spots, but you've got good contrast. Nice shot.

From Within
by shutterfly

Comment:
This is a beautiful shot. I love all the sun rays and the intense contrast in tones. Looks like the focus is very good and I really like the elongated composition. Very strong entry. Bumping up.

Linking Contrast
by cmorton

Comment:
Really nice composition - I like the lines. Good contrast, but I think the prevalence of midrange tones cause it to lose some contrast. I'd be curious to see what it looked like in color. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of good contrast here too, it's just that I think it might have even more in dark, rich, deep color tones. Still, solid entry.

Eternally
by Dax-

Comment:
This shot has beautiful tones and I really like the composition & reflection. Great lighting too. The background has me a bit befuddled (is it a nautilus shell or a cave or what?) and the streaks on the reflective surface to the right of the shell are a little distracting, but overall I think this meets the challenge well and is very pleasing to the eye.

Animals in Driftwood
by mpemberton

Comment:
This image really takes some study to fully appreciate. The lighting is perfect and the focus is great, but it's the composition that makes this remarkable IMHO. The title helps too. The more closely I examine it, the more I like it. Really great job. Bumping way up.

Fresh
by Bebe

Comment:
I really like the minimalist feel this shot has going for it, and the focus and color tones are terrific. Very nice shot.

Do I understand your question then, is it hopeless and forlorn?
by fstopopen

Comment:
This is such a spectacular setting... I wish the shot was consistently in better focus and that the sunspots weren't visible. This tree is amazing though and set against the rocks makes for high contrast on a number of levels. Good job.

Sail on the steel breeze
by strangeghost

Comment:
This has all the makings for a really great shot, but the processing is a distraction for me. There are remnants visible on the edges of many objects and the sky (while unique and pretty cool) has a very odd shape to the darkness that is obviously intentional, but I'm not convinced works entirely. I really like the focus and overall composition though, and it's very high contrast.

Cruise Control
by Skip

Comment:
Great shot - the more I look at it, the more I'm impressed. Great stop action and the use of B/W works surprisingly well. It has a high key feel and yet has amazing depth. Excellent shot - bumping up.