Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by xXxscarletxXx:
Nooooo Not the salT!!! lol Hmm nice work

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by Lena:
A better effort than some of the similar ones in the contest. I think the grains are a little over-sharpened, but I do like it. I like the glint on the silver top.

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by margiemu:
The salt cyrstals look good against the blac, and the 'star' highlight is a nice touch, but the top gets a little lost against the black bakcground.

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by Jaded_Housewife:
I'm not sure if the light coming off of the cap is benificial or distracting. its a little of both oddly. i like the composition though. it looks a bit cloudy overall. mayeb needs more contrast.

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by cutlassdude70:
Excellent contrast of the salt against the black surface. :) However, I think the metal top to the salt container is a little distracting - being that it's a little hard to make out due to reflecting the black but the eye is still drawn to the specular highlight reflecting off of it. If I had to come up with any suggestions for this very well done shot, it would have been to zoom in much closer to the mouth of the salt shaker so we can see the salt grains in greater detail.

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by JunieMoon:
I know it is in reference to throwing salt over your shoulder to do something (can't remember what) but I think a lot of folks might not get it.

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by Jutilda:
If I spill salt, I pick up a pinch with my right hand and throw it over my left shoulder. HEE HEE

Chemical Spill: NaCl Everywhere!
by EarlBaker

Comment by littlegett:
I love the title, but doesn't sell the superstion to me. Well, it's an overly done classic spilt salt image. Only the title has the orginality for me.

Bottled Water. Costs More Than Gasoline!
by EarlBaker

Comment by EarlBaker:
Thank you all for the kind comments. I must say I am very disappointed in my score and showing in this challenge. I knew this picture wasn't an overall "8", but I really thought I could average a "6" and top my previous best efforts. I thought my idea for the challenge was original, with a little humor, thus making it at least a 5 for concept. I thought the execution was pretty good. Composition was okay, colors, crispness, etc... pretty darn good. While I certainly understand not voting this a really high score, I am stunned that 38 voters felt this was worth a 1, 2, or 3. I am a somewhat stingy voter myself (few 7, 8, 9)and I only give 1, 2, or 3 to really bad photos or to photos that make no discernible attempt to meet the challenge.

What makes it more disappointing is that with the small number of entries, and the overall quality of the entries (not a strong group), I really felt I had a chance at a better finish.

Oh well, I am still proud of the shot. It was an elaborate set up (for me) and I did a lot better job at post-processing than in previous efforts. Back to the studio!

Bottled Water. Costs More Than Gasoline!
by EarlBaker

Comment by Gatorguy:
I think this fits the challenge well. I like the blue background because of the way it matches up with the bottle labels. I don't care for the diagonal crease in the cloth or the tilt effect of the bottle (I realize you can't do anything about it in a basic challenge). 6