A Senator's Misunderstanding
by firstkiss

Comment:
The toe-tapping antics of Larry Craig are pretty big news, don't be surprised that some people outside of the US will get the reference. I did, and I laughed :)

a new morning
by ursula

Comment:
Thanks for posting the originals Ursula. I was expecting more heavy processing but apart from the dodge/burn on "apocalyptic vision", there's not much more than what a tinted filter would have achieved. I'm even more impressed, if that's possible! :) The originals are stand out pictures in their own right, I love the dark exposure, gives them more of a "fantasy" feel.

a new morning
by ursula

Comment:
Can you post the originals? I'd love to see how pp has made a difference to the shots of this location. Again, simply stunning, congrats!

Last Breaths
by pete0121

Comment:
How on earth.... with a 2mp non-AF cameraphone? Amazing!

apocalyptic vision
by ursula

Comment:
Incredible capture!

Firefighter
by andrea22_als

Comment:
Surely Sandy you're not saying that people shouldn't be allowed to give their constructive criticism just because most other people think this photo is perfect? I don't see any negative comments that aren't constructive in some way. Everyone wants to improve, right?

I like it but it's by no means technically perfect. I think the lack of sharpness could easily have been averted by using a sensible aperture, I just can't see why F40 is required. It's common knowledge that non-L lenses struggle with sharpness at the far ends of the aperture range, especially telephoto lenses. Several stops more open would still give a long DOF, and would also have meant that the extreme ISO and slow shutter speed wouldn't be necessary. It might even be interesting to go really open and have a shallow DOF, making the fireman in focus and let the bokeh work on the flames. Do you have any out-takes for us to check out?

However, I love the composition and the timing of the capture. Congratulations on a crazy high score :P

Okay, I give up!
by deputyrick

Comment:
Actually I quite like the lighting, the defined shadows in the background give the impression that there's a cop car behind the viewpoint with a search light, or headlights on full beam or something. It feels almost candid.

The Heartbeat of Trees
by bucket

Comment:
Anybody familiar with Sound Forge or any other wave editor? ^^ This could be a screenshot!

Simply awesome, how did this not get a ribbon??! Even after I read that it isn't a reflection, it still took me a while to figure out. I love the cropping too, it adds further to the deception, making the image look even more like a sheet of paper straight out of the heart monitor.