~ Solitude ~ (All Comments Welcome - ACW)
by Ja-9

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
I remember seeing this one in a challenge, and thinking "This looks like Silver Springs but it's short on flowers". The light on the columns adds a lot of interest, and the palm trunks repeating the vertical element of the columns is good too.
The one leaning palm behind the left column sort of disturbs the vertical line of the column in some way, and at the same time, gives the edge of the column something solid in the B G to define it. It's a complex picture, and there are a lot of elements that seem to be not exactly working in unison to bring out a strong subject or make the viewer's eye move through it to a subject. It's a good scene to study. The bright sky in the B G probably dinked the score pretty hard since it was in a F S challenge.

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by Sheryll:
Way to go on a PB!

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by rdaily:
Very interesting shot !!!The textures are wonderful and primordial !!! The closer I look....I almost expect to feel heat !!! Good Luck !!!

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by posthumous:
Good shot. Great color.

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by jomari:
Beautiful shot.

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by NikonJeb:
Is blazing a texture????? LOL!!! 7

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by Blackbox:
Smokin' hot. 10!

EMBERS
by Ja-9

Comment by Sheryll:
Were any cameras damaged in the taking of this photo? Or fingers?

~ Spring Gardens ~
by Ja-9

Comment by Mark-A:
This is actually quite a nice shot Janine, however (sharpness aside) it lacks that something extra that is needed for a FS entry to score well. Had this been entered in to say a bridges challenge it would have done far better.

I suffered the same fate this month because I entered a shot that I personally really liked rather than one I knew would go 6+

~ Spring Gardens ~
by Ja-9

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
Some feedback, per your request in the forums. Your's did not come up for me in voting, btw.

Seems a little soft somehow. I'm not quite sure what it is. It does not appear focus was off, but its not sharp either. Looking at your shot info, I think it may have been the shutter speed of 1/25th second. Fast enough to not cause obvious blur, but just enough movement to dull the image a little. Was this handheld? Bumping up your ISO to 400 woudl have probably solved the problem. My Rebel XT does fairly well at 400, and I'm sure your D80 would perform even better at that setting. (My own FS entry was shot at ISO 200)

The other thing that struck me was the composition. The focal point that the eye is drawn to is the bridge, but it seems too centered top to bottom in the frame for my tastes.

Hope this helps to figure it out.