My Spooky Old House
by vtruan

Comment by aznym:
Love this shot.

My Spooky Old House
by vtruan

Comment by option:
spooky indeed! how come i never get to see mammatus clouds?

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by Alain:
Really really nice, I didn't think that we would see an hummingbird in "Soft Focus" but you did a great job. Congrats on a beautifull picture.

Hello Van, back for a little bit more comments... ;o)

I hope for you that it will do just as good as it did on Eyefetch.

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by 777STAN:
Zoom!

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by ruami:
5

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by quickpik:
I think this would have been nicer in colour, though it is still a good photo

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by pepitoid:
I would have liked more contrast for this highkey...

Speedo
by vtruan

Comment by jccminty:
Needs more contrast.

Scouting the Desert for Steve, yummmm fresh meat ;)
by vtruan

Comment by Artifacts:
This image is very meaningful. B&W is a good choice for it to. Great use of white space.
I saw plenty of vultures like this one circling around everywhere I went. I kept reminding them that as long as I was still moving that they had to keep their great big beaks off me! They waited patiently for me to keel over but I fooled them and got out! - Steve

Fire Starters
by vtruan

Comment by lifternessjt:
*Critique Club*
Yo Van!
Your pic was given to me for the critique.
To begin, I need to tell you I kinda feel stupid for critiquing such a fine pic and someone with your experience (Had a look at your profile and portfolio!!!).

Firstly, what your pic made me feel? When I saw the image, I could feel the wind, I could hear the thunder, I could smell the humidity in the air. Aside from the thunder, there's a kind of stillness in the air...No birds, dogs hiding...Some people fear thunder and lightning.

What I like of the image? The power it gives off. I think this power is from the amount of space you gave to the clouds, thus I like your composition. The colors given off of the clouds are nice. I like how you didn't crop the top of these clouds so we could see the lightning illuminate the upper layers. Your focus seems to be pretty good.

What I liked a bit less? Well, the pic is a bit of a shoehorn for this challenge. As mentionned in the comments you got, it's not really fire, but you made your title fit the challenge. This doesn't take anything away from the quality of this photograph. Aside from this, again as mentionned in your comments, the tilted horizon is (just a little bit) distracting. I totally get that it was a hill, and I think the clouds would've looked a bit weird had you fixed it.
You placed well in this challenge, and it's well deserved.
Not much else I can add. You know what you're doing. Just keep it up!