Hoverfly
by GregoryB

Comment:
Congrats on a fine photo, and your first blue ribbon!

Buffalo
by BAMartin

Comment:
You must have been pretty close to this one. I have heard that they can get nasty, and don't let up if they ever get started on you. The DOF, the included area, and focus is just right in this shot.

Portrait of a Parrot
by MaryO

Comment:
The dark BG in this highlights the features and eye very nicely. I suspect that you may have brought this shot up from being underexposed by the look in the darker areas of the feathers. It's a lovely shot, and the bit of noise gives it that "film shot" effect. Grays are noisy so it fits. Grays are the most wonderful of birds when they are in their "sweet bird" mode.

Laundry Alley
by scalvert

Comment:
This is the real Venice, and not the Venice that most of the tourists are herded around in. The seemingly crumbling unevenness of the architecture has a lot of interesting detail, and the laundry adds a nice bite of everyday life to the shot. I can see why you would like this image so much.

Making Music Together
by glad2badad

Comment:
This sure brings back some old memories, good ones. Thanks.
Stage lighting is always tricky, esp if it is changing as the program goes along. The white on the flute music sheet is right on the money, so I am guessing that the colors are just about true to what was actually there at the moment.
I notice that the percussionist in the top right is the only one making eye contact with the director.

Strike
by zeuszen

Comment:
Great timing. This happens so quickly that it is very difficult to capture the exact moment.

Marker
by elips

Comment:
There is something captivating about this shot for me. I like the concept of the lantern marking the end of a train, and the afterglow marking the end of the day. It's nice that the colors of the orange almost match. Smaller aperture, like f11 @ 1/4 sec, or f16 @ 1/2 sec would have improved focus on the trees in the BG, and made for a better challenge score.

skewsme
by tnun

Comment:
Wow! You must have either been very lucky to be prepared to get this shot, or you saw it coming and had enough time to raise your camera.
It fit the challenge perfectly with the username association.

Alone in a Crowd
by ericwoo

Comment:
This has excellent composition, and a beautiful subject. I can see that this is in Ga. Look how everyone in it is in the shady spots LOL.
The umbrella and the circle of shadow isolate the main subject perfectly for this.

Orion - Long Exposure (30 Sec with Focal length of 22mm)
by Nasa

Comment:
Nice shot of Orion. I like the red in the trees.
Try shooting using tungsten (incandescent) white balance, and you can get gorgeous blue sky.