balcony view
by ecmguy

Comment:
Very nicely done! Nice job getting rid of the ever present red hue. Here's a view from my balcony down at the south end of the marina: //tinyurl.com/5utplez

On Wings of Light
by NodWag

Comment:
Thank you for the comments. :-) This was taken at sunset. The egret was landing on the water, into the sun that was hovering just above the mangroves a short distance away, leaving them in dark shadow. With the egrets wings backlit and the water glistening in places, the exposure was already very low on the mangroves and the majority of the water surface. A bit of adjustment on Curves and a bit of Burn allowed the background to drop away completely. All in all, it was a pure luck shot. Right time, right place. ...was hoping it might have done slightly better than 5.9, but it's not a great quality image, so I guess it's pretty fair.

River of Dreams
by Neil

Comment:
Wow... absolutely stellar shot Neil. Congrats on the ribbon; well deserved, though I'd have put this one on top.

I Am Your Champion
by NodWag

Comment:
@Nuzzer: Thank you (much delayed, I know...) for the detailed critique. It is very much appreciated.

@Dr.Confuser: Thank you, as well, for your vote of confidence and evaluation.

@All: I found all of the comments regarding the "tough guy" rather amusing as Derek is one of the most gentle and softspoken people I know. He's a big softie... He's just rather sizeable and happens to have a lot of ink. The carp, btw, are representative of himself and his wife, Kerri. Since this picture was taken, he has a new outline of a smaller carp in the works on his left forearm for Zoe... :-)

Message edited by author 2010-02-13 04:27:50.

Solitude
by mpeters

Comment:
Congrats on the Yellow! Beautifully done. Perfectly balanced on all levels.

Remains of the Day
by hotpasta

Comment:
Congrats on the Blue! Stunning image. This was easilly my top pick of the bunch. Good call, btw... :-)

Heaven Below and Hell Above
by NodWag

Comment:
...I am speechless. Thank you! I am incredibly grateful for the comments submitted as they are from some extremely talented photographers. The fact that these people appreciated the image speaks volumes. I'm going to enjoy this feat as I can't even imagine when I'll be back on the front page. Again, thank you all for the kind and supportive comments.

This image was an HDR/Tonemap from a single exposure. -2, 0, +2 from Lightroom. Processed in Photomatix v3.x. Tweaked in Photoshop CS3.

BTW, the day was nothing short of epic. Hoards of knee deep, untouched, light and fluffy pow and pretty much empty as it was a weekday morning. Of course, when you entered that cloud deck below, visibility was ugly...

Message edited by author 2010-02-08 00:55:17.

Defying Winter
by Dr.Confuser

Comment:
So robbed, imo... I agree with Ja-9. Brilliant work.

Wind Power
by marbo

Comment:
"Switch off the mind and let the heart decide" - Thomas Dolby (Windpower) A fitting statement for a powerful image. One of the better interpretations of this challenge, IMO. Nice work.

Tears of a Season (opening day - April 6th)
by Lonz

Comment:
Nicely executed. RainEx, right?...