Jewels in the Pond
by Ja-9

Comment by dougi555:
beautifully powerful............

Great Blue Heron
by Ja-9

Comment by Cuttooth:
That great blue really jumps out against the green bg.

Jewels in the Pond
by Ja-9

Comment by MeMex2:
wonderful !!!

DSC_0644-Edit1
by Ja-9

Comment by spiritualspatula:
Great flower photo. It will be pretty hard to separate yourself with a flower photo, but this is probably as close as you can get. I'd clone out that specular highlight, top right.

DSC_0915-Edit1
by Ja-9

Comment by spiritualspatula:
Very good, probably my favorite of this batch. I think it's acceptably abstract, in that we all know what we're looking at, yet it's new enough a look to keep our interest. I enjoy the bit of shadows, it emphasizes depth and texture. Small nitpick, and it could be because I'm on a work computer, but there is a bit of weirdness around the edge feathers on the wing. Like a little bit of halos maybe, or overly saturated areas?

Again, could be this monitor...

DSC_1084-Edit1
by Ja-9

Comment by spiritualspatula:
A well done bird shot, but I think DPC requires a more dynamic scene or a much closer crop. I like the depth afforded by the grasses.

DSC_3398-Edit1
by Ja-9

Comment by spiritualspatula:
I'd agree that you might brighten things a bit, but I wouldn't too much. Keeping the shadows heavy emphasizes the bright colors of your subject more. To me, the centered comp is holding things back more than anything, and the slightly odd blur of the leaf on the left is a bit distracting.

DSC_3450-Edit1
by Ja-9

Comment by spiritualspatula:
Very nice beach scene. We were talking about having impact, and this is much closer to what I would expect for a Best Of landscape. I'd maybe like to see a bigger concentration on either sky or beach, but it's always hard to decide how that will be received.

Herrreeeee Kitty, Kitty, Kitty
by Ja-9

Comment by MacDonald:
What a unique sign and it's perfect for the challenge - so what's with all the low votes? Beautiful and creative.

Herrreeeee Kitty, Kitty, Kitty
by Ja-9

Comment by blindjustice:
Not a great place to jog, I suppose. Anyway, good colors.