Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by Jutilda:
With red being my color of choice, I'd have to say "HERE HERE" for such an outstanding shot. Congratulations!!! It's well deserved.

Weathered Glory
by dartompkins

Comment by alien2thisworld:
Greetings from the Critique Club :)

This photo has a lot going for it and I think only one tiny drawback. I'll try to break things down here.

Focus: Good overall focus and depth of field. I especially like the detail of the frayed fabric of the tear in the flag.

Composition: I really like the composition with just the sky in the background. The vibrant blue looks great and doesn't introduce any background distractions. I like the diagonal fit of the flag with just enough of the pole included.

Lighting: The lighting is my favorite part of this shot. I think the bright light brings out great shadows across the rippling fabric. I think that diffuse and even lighting would detract a lot from the definition provided by the shadows. The colors here are absolutely supurb. My only tiny problem with the shot, which can't be helped much using the "basic editing" rules of this challenge, is the dark top left corner. I wouldn't want to cut out much of the pole if at all possible, but I think maybe cropping off just 1cm on the left side of the shot wouldn't detract much, but would get rid of most of the dark corner. (I know... isn't that a petty thing to notice?... but hey, I don't see much else to pick on ;-) )

Overall: This is one of the very top flag shots because of the amazing colors, great composition (without a distracting background) and sharp shadows caused by the hard lighting. Good job!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by dartompkins:
Thanks again for all the kind words. Happy Dance, Happy Dance!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by ccraft:
Congratulations on the red ribbon! Well deserved. Nice to share the honours with a fellow first-timer as well. Have a great new year!!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by jpochard:
congratulations! Certainly is deserving. I love the reds and golds. The ribbon adds just enough interest without taking away from the ornament. Everything about the shot is just right!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by Marjo:
Congratulations on your personal best score and first ribbon! This got a 10 from me! Great job!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by charmayne:
Congratulations on your first ribbon...beautiful entry!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by Brad:
Simplistic Beauty.
Congrats on the Red Darlene!

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by graphicfunk:
Darlene: Congratulations on your well earned red with the right color.lol

Golden Glow
by dartompkins

Comment by glad2badad:
Breathtaking! Quick, call Hallmark... Congratulations!