as cold as steel
by tanguera

Comment by nixter:
Well look at you!! Way to go, Johanna!!! : )

the forum
by tanguera

Comment by pgirish007:
I see the point but here the architecture is yellowish and not blue.

la giaconda
by tanguera

Comment by gyaban:
Johanna, this is one of the most impressive photo I ever saw on DPC. The work you put in it is astounding, and it really shows. The processing is top notch and succeeds in rendering an oily aspect that immediately catches the eye. The backdrop is also very convincing (even if I can spot a few folds near the castle), and so is the outfit, especially the dress. I probably wouldn't have resisted to alter a little bit the left of her smile using 'liquify', just to mimic the original one, but proposing your own version of it is probably more interesting.

What can I add? A fantastic photo. And of course, this is the winner of the contest by a large margin in my opinion.

as cold as steel
by tanguera

Comment by mariuca:
Ha, ha, look what's happening in my absence! Logged in first time in weeks, and here is Johanna ! Love it.

la giaconda
by tanguera

Comment by citymars:
Let me add another "WTF?" to your comments.

la giaconda
by tanguera

Comment by CNovack:
First, let me say that your lighting, the model pose, costume and even the backdrop are very well done. It made me call up the picture of the Mona Lisa just to do a side by side comparison. I just love the play of light you captured for it is close to that of Leonardo's painting. I like how in your capture the clouds form a natural crown/halo around the subject. The smile though like the original is debatable. The left edge of the lips has that Sfumato 'effect' but the right does not have quite enough of the soft shadows that would balance it out as an elusive soft smile. There is something about the photo that has made me keep coming back to this photo to figure out what strikes me as odd. I think I finally may have figured it out and it rests in the proportions of the lady's body. The hands appear to be out of proportion to her upper body and head. I think that is an illusion caused by the play of the light AND that the hands are resting more forward away from the body such that they fool my eye into thinking they are a bit larger. That aside, this is a great homage to the original Mona Lisa.

as cold as steel
by tanguera

Comment by Jutilda:
Way to go woman. It was hands down, the BEST in my book!!

lord
by tanguera

Comment by jmritz:
Oh, just woke up.

as cold as steel
by tanguera

Comment by CJinCA:
Beautiful lines, tones, and composition Johanna. Congrats on the well deserved ribbon. Nice shot of Brent too. :-)

as cold as steel
by tanguera

Comment by IreneM:
I really LOVE this image, it's going straight into my favorites. Congrats on the ribbon, Johanna.