Summer Swim
by levyj413

Comment:
Hey, Jeffery, I tried exactly the same thing -- vaseline on a UV filter shooting sunbathers at the beach. I had exactly the same experience -- couldn't see a thing except the vaseline. I kept wiping and shooting. BUT I never did get a good shot from it. There lies the big difference in our photography. You got a marvelous shot. Congratulations.

Frau bei der Toilette
by Moatz

Comment:
Congratulations on your ribbon. I love your composition and the lighting. I wish you could remember which filters you used. I really like the brush stroke effect, but frankly I'm not fond of the white spots. Thanks for sharing the original.

Evening Chores
by jasonlprice

Comment:
Jason, I love the way you shot this from below the subject. I makes a wonderful composition. Thanks for sharing the original. It is helping me to see what can be done in PP. Congratulations on the very well deserved blue ribbon.

Serenity
by Bruce_the_Robert

Comment:
I think it would be more serene if it were not so closed in. Serenity needs vast relaxing expanses for the mind to wander. Here, the straight across lines put up a blockade rather than leading the eye and mind out to infinity -- and the storm.

Fear No Flip
by DonOlsen

Comment:
Scary to see all that cement beneath his head. Definitely appropriate capture for this challenge. It seems a little dark, but that could be because I am viewing it on my laptop without the plug.

The Offering
by Hipychik

Comment:
Another beauty! I love the colors and light. Excellent use of bokeh.

playing with fire
by krnodil

Comment:
Karen, this bokeh is beautiful and enhances the subject very well. This is my favorite of your bee shots that I have seen so far. I love the colors!

Oleander
by JuliBoc

Comment:

Originally posted by noraneko: Julianne, are you shooting manually or in auto mode? If you are shooting manually, underexposing at any ISO over 100 will cause a lot of grain. In fact, underexposing at all will cause grain if you "correct" the underexposure from your RAW file (Unless the underexposure is intentional and how you intend to present the finished product, grain will be a real issure.) Could also be something with your teleconverter? At any rate, I saw that you are getting a Rebel XT soon? That should clear the matter up as long as you avoid underexposing unless by design. Hope this helps!

Thank you, Catherine. This is good information that I will definitely keep in mind. I don't think any of this was the problem here, because the picture was pretty well exposed. Also, I made a mistake when I uploaded the shot -- I didn't use the teleconverter that defaulted to the lens field. (I have corrected that now.)

Stamen
by WalesP

Comment:
The lilies are beautiful, but I agree, the bokeh is better in this shot. And this is also a beautiful photo. Very sharp detail.

Natural Suspension
by colorcarnival

Comment:
The light on the leaves are beautiful, and the background is so complementary. Congratulations on a great score and terrific placement.