Clerk
by IreneM

Comment:
So, Irene, am I to take from this image, that your trapped in an office, that's close to a flower shop where they put long grass in with the flowers, not to mention the dried out leaf, there must be a pile of them around, so I'll look for children playing in a pile of leaves, then there's the reference to an office again, (oh I think I'm getting close,) next to a bar that serves a flaming martini, where you can also get coffee with lumps of sugar, and the wait staff will torch your ice cubes if there to large for your glass, all the while their packing up your newly purchased Cds in a finely lite cardboard box, as they tickle you with a feather because you complained about finding dandelion seeds floating in your water.

I think I'm getting close to solving the mystery of where that tyrant has you hid, I just hope I'm not too late.

I see that he has tried to woo you with a new trinket, don't fall for the smoke and mirrors, he's a tricky one but I'll get you out, don't give up hope, Irene I'm getting closer.

MAX!

YOU ROCK THE HOUSE Irene.

Morning People
by Quigley

Comment:
MStone, you can't get offended if someone doesn't mark your comment as helpful or you'll drive yourself crazy.

Your first comment "funny shot. too posed for my liking though. I have seen other photos that are stages as well but they have a more realistic feel to them. great idea and good shot. Just not as believable as some other shots I have seen in this challenge. Good Luck!!" sort of ticked me off. Why? You told me what I already knew, it is posed. I would not be so insensitive to my son as to go and get my camera and take a shot of him possibly drowning in his milk, I would get him the heck out of it.

This shot was set up to be different and to provide the people viewing it with some humor. We've all been in this position at one time or another in our lives, either as a kid or an adult and I wanted to have some fun with it. The mother, who, until she's finished her coffee and newspaper is totally oblivious to all other goings on, the older brother, who is so out of touch in the morning, he could care less what happens to his little brother, he's looking right at him but he's not going to do anything. The little brother, who's so exhausted, in bed way to late and up way to early, he falls a sleep in his cereal, come on that's funny. Look at the trail of milk running across the table. My older sister did that when we were around 12 and I almost pissed myself laughing. Even the bird, Mel, she has no interest in saving the little one, she can't even watch. She is there in place of the rooster to wake everyone up with her morning song. (I doubt that anyone got that though) Everyone has bed head, and the empty seat and half finished plate of breakfast is to symbolize the real morning person, someone who is in such a rush to meet the day he can no longer wait for his family to wake up so he leaves without them. (this too was missed I'm sure by the voters)

I put so much in this shot and we had a great time as a family shooting it that when you turn on your computer and check your update button and find, not one, but two comments that state the same thing that you already know, you sometimes need a little while to cool off.

So that being said, I'll tell you what I read into your comment: "funny shot.", she likes it, "too posed for my liking though." she doesn't like it, "I have seen other photos that are stages as well but they have a more realistic feel to them." every one's entitled to their opinion, "great idea and good shot." oh maybe she likes it after all, "Just not as believable as some other shots I have seen in this challenge." OK now this is what she really thinks, and she still doesn't like it, "Good Luck!!" now she hopes she didn't tick me off.

Well that feels better. I hope you have a little more insight into what was going on and i would like you to know that the one that pushed my buttons the most was not your comment, it was " Looks posed" at least you tried to explain yourself and I just needed time to get back to it and think it through a little more, it's something I do often so I don't fire off a snarky message to someone without trying to see why they left the comment they did and how to properly respond to it. So you get the long winded explanation and the other guy gets "NO DUH"

I hope this helps and please, what ever you do, don't stop commenting on images that move you too, it's the most important thing on this site and the most helpful. They help you to get to know who you are as a photographer.

Oh and your second comment just prompted me to do what I was putting off for tonight because I was tired and now I've spent an hour and forty five minutes responding to you. I type slow and even slower when I'm tired :)~

All the best to you and yours.

MAX!

"Keeper of Broken Souls"
by DarkRider

Comment:
Scott you should really get rid of your old boots, it makes more room for your wife to keep her shoes:)

Now that I put my self out there, I sure hope this is Scott.

This works well for this challenge and I like your use of the glass and the DoF. Great shot.

MAX!

Mother's Day
by laurie241

Comment:
OK mom, you of all people should know, they're not beautiful, they're handsome. I get that from my boys all the time. I'll say "there's my beautiful boys" and I get a snarky reply, "dad, girls are beautiful, we're handsome, don't you know that by now"?

That being said you do have a beautiful family and this is a really good shot.

All the best to you and yours.

MAX!

2012 Olympic Hopeful
by LVicari

Comment:
Leo, this is fantastic. What a great shot. I'm so glad you had time to do a shot for this challenge and I'm even happier that I was able to find what one was yours. I would have missed it but I saw that goofy look on your face when I told you I lost a foot from my tripod the day we went out shooting waterfalls.

I hope to see this one on the front page, you really stroked this one for what it's worth.

Good luck with this one.

MAX!

Sunset Passion
by senor_kasper

Comment:
You two get around, I remember seeing you in the fallen challenge. A little to dark for my taste, but necessary for this challenge otherwise everyone would remark on it not being dark enough. Have a go at this in full photoshop and you've got a photo to frame and give to them.

MAX!

The Re-Training
by Coley

Comment:
Coley, this is a fantastic follow up to your last angel shot . I hope this one does just as well as the last one. It's nice to see the story contunue and you have left it open to ones own imagination.

I find the shadows interesting, your umbrella does not have one, you have only a small oneand it's in front of you, about the size of your right leg, your angel's shadow is an the ground in front of her, the shadow from your right arm cover some of her legs, the bench's shadow is behind the angel and the balloons have no shadow to speak of. Interesting lighting set up you had out there on the open plain, very interesting indeed.

I think B&W was a great choice for this shot and the DoF is spot on. I love the contrast and the view in your shot. Great work as per usual coley.

I should hope to see this one in the top 3. 10 from me.

MAX!

My : Fallen : Angel
by heavyj

Comment:
Jason, this is fantastic. Even when she's supposed to be bad, your wife looks good. I love the lighting on her face and the catch light in her eyes. The PP is just dark enough to have the air of mystery and still light enough to see the stunning features of her face.

I wish you well with this shot, I hope it gets the support from the voters that it deserves.

A 10 from me, great work. We have lots of the same gear, if you ever come back to Canada could you teach me how to use it :)

All the best.

MAX!

8-august 08 flowers. alone we can do so little
by roz

Comment:
I would like to enroll in the ROZ school of photography. I too would like to take great photos and learn how to use photoshop. I would be a diligent student and I would do my teacher proud.

Please let me know when you are starting enrollment.

Yours in kind.

MAX!

Fragile
by IreneM

Comment:
Irene, First thing, congratulations on yet another ribbon. Second, I'm still trying to decipher the code (these things take time) so you'll have to keep winning. Third, does it hurt to have all your creative juices flowing like that, shouldn't you let a little out at a time, oh say like, let 10 or 20 challenges go by and then turn it loose on us, or would it hurt to stop such creative genius??

Any way, you know you rock and we are still waiting for your 8+ shot, so could you please WOW us sometime soon and stop holding back :)~

MAX!