GGpanoSign_P1160020-GfromRedDTdpc.jpg
by GeneralE

Comment by bucket:
interesting shot..makes me think about how we perceive things...

CNY-Parade_P2070043=640.jpg
by GeneralE

Comment by sfalice:
Great dragon! Good looking parade.

Alice

Peacemeal
by GeneralE

Comment by posthumous:
7 just for a good pun. ha!

Hillside Sunrise
by GeneralE

Comment by GeneralE:

Originally posted by meanwile: ... If a different composition or a better defined/esthetically-pleasing tree were not available, I'd probably do as you did and mess with the sky color/texture, although not quite as extremely. Better luck next time ;-)

Thanks! I was kind-of stuck as far as compositional choices go, since this was taken from the middle of the freeway at 60 MPH, without using either the viewfinder or the video screen.

I guess I thought that getting this quality of framing, lighting, timing, and (almost) focus under the circumstances was an accomplishment which deserved the opportunity to stand on its own. Someplace I have yet another version which has tonal adjustment but not the radical color shift of the currently-posted alternates -- I'll post that one too.

SunriseHill_P1100029-DkFPCdpc.jpg
by GeneralE

Comment by Jutilda:
My kind of shot. I'm a fan of the minimalist approach. The colors totally rock!!!

Hillside Sunrise
by GeneralE

Comment by skewsme:
I applaud your inclination to go natural. I wish photos didn't have to be radioactive to get a decent score on this site. The yellow in your alts seems like a little too much (to me), however, the submitted photo does appear to need some oomph. Not enough going on. If a different composition or a better defined/esthetically-pleasing tree were not available, I'd probably do as you did and mess with the sky color/texture, although not quite as extremely. Better luck next time ;-)

Hillside Sunrise
by GeneralE

Comment by Neil:
Paul, I am sure your alternates would have done better just on the color wow factor alone. But I like this one better. Perhaps if you did a little more work with the sky. The darker clouds almost look like a defective/dirty area here. This is one of those that would do better with some more sky detail--the clouds are very faint here. Maybe they could have been brought out with PP, maybe not.

Hillside Sunrise
by GeneralE

Comment by GeneralE:
I guess I should have submitted one of the "enhanced" versions instead of this virtually unprocessed one, which I thought was my best "pure photograph" of the month.

First alternate: Second alternate:

Peacemeal
by GeneralE

Comment by Cutter:
fairly straightforward, without any composition, color or subject matter to hold lasting appeal. But it is a clever concept.

Painted Lady
by GeneralE

Comment by GeneralE:

Originally posted by train: This looks stunning why didnt you crop it in to gets rid of the distactions of the back ground Its quite hard to focus on the actual image of the flower and butterfly Detail is great just that background is not

I have been trying to concentrate on my camera skills and not editing, so I've been submitting a lot of uncropped shots just to see how successful my composition has been. I was actually very happy to achieve the DOF/bokeh effect, as it's hard to do with this camera. I like the riotous colors, though they do provide camouflage, they also mimic/mirror the colors of the subject.

Another consideration is that this is only a 3MP original -- cropping would probably limit me to 5x7 prints, even with a border.

I can try fading the BG to make the butterfly pop out a bit more, and maybe I'll try a vertical crop as well -- thanks for the sugggestion.