Sunset at the Lake
by singsunshine

Comment by muggle_girl:
now that's a stunning picture! gorgeous colours there

Sunset at the Lake
by singsunshine

Comment by smilebig4me1x:
WOW factor maxed out here....beautiful photo!!! i love sunset/sunrise/landscape photo but this one takes the cake for me.straight to my favs it goes!

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by Catherine_B:
Colors seem off here, I'm not sure if it is the lighting or the post processing - 5

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by GeneralE:
When that tree matures, will it start yielding 20's? Want to mail me a seed packet?

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by skief:
I've thought about this, and if it did, it would still be a matter of how long it would take to grow it, then the rent of the guards to protect it, then the cost of fertilizers, etc.... Most bushes don't grow this big in a year, but let us just imagine that they do... I see in your photo... oh... about $25 now if it took a year to grow that $25, why just think, in only 320 years or so, you'd have enough for that big Canon EOS 1DS-Mark II... :-) Seriously though great idea, good implementation. A little better lighting to really set off the money, instead of the dark hole in the middle of the picture that sort of swallows the idea would really help. 5

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by fifield:
nice idea, good creation of the money tree. The tree looks too dark, however, and then it has highlights blowing out around the edges at the top. 7

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by Joey Lawrence:
"BUUUUUUUT MAAAA! Money IS made out of paper, and paper comes from trees!"

Great photo!

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by CorySmith:
money grows in shrubs! i knew it!

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by Artifacts:
A money tree fits a fantasy world concept in a way anyone can relate to. Sharpness is good and the choice of a white background works very well.

There are a couple technical items that will hurt this image in scoring. One is that the background is not solid white. Some 'dirtiness' shows through that will be a distraction for some viewers.

There are some digital 'jaggies' that show up prominently on the edges of the dollars on the tree. These are also distracting and should be corrected.

The biggest flaw is lighting. The tree needs some front illumination. It is too dark in the center and it is made more apparent when contrasted to the white background.

There is something you might try in post processing without reshooting that might work well with this image for this particular challenge. You could apply dodging to lighten various areas in the darkened interior of the tree to give it a more surreal look and added viewer interest. But you have to be careful not to overdo it. It is very easy to lighten to much and give the image a washed out look. I'd recomment a brush opacity of around 5% or maybe a little more and make broad circular strokes.

If Only.......
by singsunshine

Comment by tonyv:
Great picture well executed. I think that it would have been better balanced with another six or eight inches of the stem. It would then look more like a money tree than a money ball.